The event:
On Saturday, October 18, 2025, more than 7 million people across the United States and in other cities around the world gathered to say that America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people. I was raised to believe that this was not a radical idea. In fact, it was a very American ideal. We. The people. We were taught that we cast off King George to become an independent country where everyone had a voice, and we celebrate that independence every year. (Whether our motivations were as pure as we’ve been taught is debatable. See my blog post about that here. But that’s not where I’m going today.)
Why I’m blogging about it:
I was one of those 7 million people, and it was a profound experience. I decided to write this post for those who wanted to attend but couldn’t, for those who have misconceptions about what the events were like through no fault of their own, and for those who are hellbent on believing the worst. I also wanted to write it for those who will be here long after the attendants of this rally are gone, so that they will understand that there were a lot of us who did not go quietly into the dark time in which we currently find ourselves. We made our voices heard, as Americans should.
Why so many chose to attend:
People showed up for a wide variety of reasons, but primarily it was that we despise the dismantling of our democracy, the outrageous governmental overreach, the horrific abuses of power, particularly in the form of ICE agents violently attacking people on American soil, and the unwelcome federal intervention in cities that don’t kowtow to Trump’s agenda. We want the Epstein Files released, unredacted. We believe in peaceful protest, free speech, and an uncensored press. We want everyone to have access to vaccines and have the ability to make their own health care decisions, and be able to afford that care when they do. We believe in science, and are concerned about global climate change. We believe in equal rights for everyone, regardless of race, creed, religion, or sexual orientation. We believe that we are a nation of immigrants, and that hard-working, law-abiding people who are seeking asylum should be able to do so without fear. And we most definitely do not believe that the already shocking wealth gap in this nation should be allowed to get even wider.
None of those beliefs seem particularly radical to me. Even if you disagree with them, I’m at a loss as to how any of them can do you any harm. I can’t imagine why anyone would consider me a terrorist for having those opinions.
How opponents attempted to spin it:
Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “Hate America Rally” and claimed it would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people” and that democrats were using it as an excuse to keep the “government closed down because they can’t face their rabid base.” He also said “Most recently, the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet was the naked bicyclers in Portland who were protesting ICE down there. I mean, it’s getting really ugly.” Majority Whip Tom Emmer said that Democratic politicians are supporting the No Kings rallys because “they only care about appeasing the pro-terrorist wing of their party.” Trump posted mocking videos of him supposedly flying over rallies and bombing people with brown sludge. Trolls on social media were saying, “Congratulations! You succeeded! There are no kings in America!” and “But Jesus is King. So people who go to these rallies don’t love Jesus.”
My response to the spin:
Oh, where to begin. I suppose point by point would be best.
Hate America? If peacefully disagreeing with you means I hate America, then I guess I hate America. But then, that means you hate America, too, because by definition, you’re disagreeing with me, aren’t you?
Pro-Hamas Wing? I have never, ever, in my life, heard any Democrat speak in support of Hamas, a terrorist group that happens to operate in Palestine. On the other hand, we are in support of innocent civilians having a right to not be bombed out of their homes, subjected to starvation, famine, rape, torture and genocide. And since that is what is happening right now in Palestine, many of us are vocal about our support of the Palestinian people. I also do not condone violence against Jews, or any other human being on the planet. Supporting Palestine does not equal supporting Hamas, just as it does not equal being against Israelis (although I have a serious issue with the Israeli government and what it is doing in Palestine). There’s a distinction. Apparently, Speaker Johnson is too simple-minded to pick up on that. Probably because he is too busy unquestionably supporting the Israeli government no matter what it does.
In general, we believe it is unconscionable to support governments that are engaged in violent invasions of the territory of others. That goes for Ukraine, too. Is that so unreasonable? Would you want to give up a chunk of this country to Russia or Israel? No? I didn’t think so.
The “antifa people”: First of all, Trump is attempting to make Antifa seem like this big nefarious umbrella under which all liberal protesters reside. He has even designated it as a terrorist organization. That is absurd. Antifa, shorthand for Anti-Fascist, sprang up to counter white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and Fascists. There’s no strong affiliation or chain of command. They don’t have conventions or anything like that. They are tiny, scattered groups here and there, the vast majority of which are non-violent.
Would you rather Antifa be pro fascist? Well, you already have white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and Fascists for that. The ones Trump calls “good people,” whom he told to “stand back and stand by,” before letting them loose on the Capitol Building on January 6, while he, himself, stood back and watched.
Antifa’s most effective activity? Documenting actively violent neo-Nazis, and then informing their employers. I personally don’t have a problem with that. I don’t really want to work with a neo-Nazi.
Are there violent Antifa? Yes. But calling every Democrat Antifa makes no sense, as Antifa doesn’t endorse the Democrats at all. They are a very extreme left group, and a badly organized one at that. I think they get such a visceral reaction from people simply because the word begins with the letter A, which reminds people of the violent, black bloc branch of the Anarchists, who shatter storefront windows and set fire to things.
Or maybe Antifa scares people because the word begins with “anti”? But it’s okay to be against certain things. Particularly fascism. It’s all in how you go about it.
Blaming Democrats for the government shutdown: Plain and simple: how did we pull that off, when we have no majority in any branch? And we want the government open so they will hurry up and release the Epstein files, already. Think about it. We have nothing to gain by doing something we have no ability to do in the first place. Whereas the Republicans have everything to gain by doing something they can easily do, so that they can delay the release of those files, as well as make us the scapegoats for the fallout in the process.
Naked bicyclists: If naked bicyclists are the most threatening thing you’ve seen, Speaker Johnson, you really need to get out more.
Democratic politicians not being able to face their rabid base, or supporting the rallies to appease the pro-terrorist wing of their party: Funny, that. So many of those politicians spoke at those rallies, and were cheered and applauded by us rabid listeners, that it’s a wonder they made it out alive. And in the meantime, Republicans countrywide have stopped having townhall style meetings with their constituents because they’re no longer able to answer awkward questions such as, “Why are you taking away my health insurance?” and “Why have the price of groceries actually gone up instead of down like they were supposed to once Biden left office?” and “I need my government job back or I’m going to lose my house! What are you going to do about it?”
Trump’s Brown Sludge Video: Let me ask you this. I’m really curious to hear your answer. Truly, I am. Can you name any other president in the history of this country, Democrat or Republican, who has done or said something to the American people that could easily be mistaken for something that an uneducated 13-year-old boy would say or do only in the presence of his 13-year-old pals when he wanted to seem cool? And this isn’t an isolated event, either. That row of presidential photographs on the wall of the White House, all up until you get to Biden, where he instead put up a picture of handcuffs? The public name calling of, oh, I don’t know, hundreds of specific people? The complete disregard of protocol when visiting other heads of state? Saying things like “shithole countries,” and “Grab ‘em by the….”
Without even getting into whether you agree with the man or not, do you think he acts presidential? Don’t you miss dignity and respect from our elected leader? Doesn’t he embarrass you?
“Congratulations! No Kings!”: First of all, since it sprung up like mushrooms, almost word for word, across social media, like a genie out of a talking point bottle, I’m assuming someone came up with it and spread it by bot in the hopes it would then take hold via trolls and get a rise out of people, so I won’t give this too much time, but I will say this: Yes, Trump keeps repeating that he’s not a king these days, when asked, but he’s not demonstrating it in his blatant daily attempts to increase powers of the executive branch. And, too, read that blog about King George that I mention above, three paragraphs above the last set of bullets, and you’ll discover that even before he did that, presidents already had more power than kings do, so his desperate grab for more is rather scary for those of us who don’t want an authoritarian, fascist dictator controlling every single aspect of our lives.
There’s also a video floating out there that I saw a day or two ago, showing the many times Trump has implied, in interviews, throughout his adult life, that he would like to have that kind of power. And then there’s the AI image he was so proud of that he posted of him dressed as the Pope, which caused more international scandal.
“But Jesus is King. So people who go to these rallies don’t love Jesus.” Arguments like these are just sad, frankly. Unless you have been living under a rock, you know darned well that these rallies had nothing to do with religion. You’re just trying desperately to find a way to try to insult people you don’t understand. And it just makes you look silly.
Was all the fear mongering worth it?
Well, the only reason to make people afraid of going to these rallies is if you either wanted attendance to be low, or you wanted people to be afraid of Democrats and their beliefs. So if I were you, I’d think long and hard about who is trying to manipulate you in this instance. That’s who I’d be worried about.
In fact, according to all credible sources, by and large, all the rallies were peaceful. In fact, the one in Washington DC and the one in Los Angeles reported no protest-related arrests whatsoever. The two cities most likely to be resentful right now, because Trump has flooded their relatively peaceful streets with unrequested and unwelcome National Guard and/or ICE agents, were Chicago and Portland. There have been no stories of anything having occurred in Chicago, and the only violence out of Portland was hours after the vast majority of the rally-goers had left. Some stragglers decided to go to the ICE facility, and ICE instigated the issue. They pepper sprayed people simply to clear the intersection near their driveway for shift change. I’m thinking it could have been handled better than that. But then, ICE officers are thugs hiding behind masks and attacking people on American soil, so de-escalation is not something they care about.
Here in Seattle, we had 90,000 people in the streets. I only saw 2 police officers on foot, and they were having a pleasant chat with one of the protesters. They seemed to be having a wonderful time. We certainly were.
When the march went out into the street, and roads had to be blocked off, police cars were at the intersections, but they gave us plenty of space, and it looked like their priority was keeping us safe from any fools who might be considering driving into us, more than anything else. It didn’t look like anyone was anticipating any other type of trouble, and none occurred.
I have to admit though, I was a little nervous before I arrived. Not about “Antifa”. I was afraid of my own government. Driving up to Seattle, my stomach was in knots. Before I left the house, I deleted the thumb and face recognition off my phone so no one could force my phone open without my consent. When I got closer, I turned off my location and wore a face mask to meddle with facial recognition.
How sad.
And that, right there, in a nutshell, is why we needed this rally in the first place. I’m a 60-year-old woman, and this is not my first protest. It’s not my first march. It’s safe to say that most of my firsts are long behind me. But it wasn’t until this administration that I started to feel afraid of my own government.
I guess I’ve been spoiled all these years. Most humans on the planet, and let’s face it, even minorities in this country, have always had reason to be afraid of authority. I, on the other hand, have generally assumed that my government, while prone to indifference and incompetence, wasn’t actively out to get me, you know?
I mean, yes, I’ve had some rude encounters with asshole cops, even though I’m pretty law abiding if you overlook my lead foot. But I never worried that they’d throw me to the ground and haul me off without due process. I never worried that they’d force my thumb to my phone and go snooping through my Facebook posts and contacts. I never really worried that I was on some list (although some weird out of place guy took pictures of me and a lot of others during a peace vigil during the Bush administration once).
This, though… this is different. Trump isn’t kidding when he calls us “the enemy within”. That’s how he really thinks of us. And even if you don’t count yourself among that number right now, you don’t realize how easily that line can shift. And once it does, it’s scary, man. I’m tired of being scared in my own country. So this rally was needed. And no, it doesn’t mean that all of a sudden all’s right with the word afterward, but it did make a difference.
A little note about the photos in the rest of this post. I spent a lot of hours thinking about how to protect the identities of the people in these photos for the same reason I turned off my biometrics. I’m not going to make it easy for anyone who does not have the best interests of the general populus at heart. I didn’t blur the cop’s faces, above, because they’re public servants, and I was kind of proud of the work they were doing. Way to do your job, guys. Kudos.
At first, I considered blurring everything but the signs, like this.
Because the signs were amazing. The creativity, the humor, the imagination… the pure heart put into some of these signs brought tears to my eyes. The idea that people think we get paid to do these protests is so laughable. First of all, the people who say that are Republicans, right? And if they think the protesters need to get paid in order to show up to a liberal protest, they must think that the protesters are Republicans, too. And if they are Republicans, and they’re willing to sell out like that, then… wouldn’t that say worse things about Republicans than it would about Democrats? But I digress
The scene on the ground:
The signs didn’t create themselves, did they? It was the people who made the rally. The thousands and thousands of people. Many of them in their 70’s and 80’s, others in their 20’s… rich and poor, every color of the rainbow. America. I absolutely hate crowds, but I never felt safer in my life.
From the moment we arrived, I was surrounded by people that probably held a wide range of opinions, but we had one thing in common: we care about the welfare of others, and we know this country is capable of much more kindness, generosity, and basic human decency than it has been demonstrating this year. This rally did accomplish a lot. It renewed our hope. We’re not alone. There are still people who want liberty and justice for all, not just for a chosen few.
We can take care of others without losing anything ourselves. We don’t have to crush others or force everyone to think exactly alike. We have the confidence to allow people to read what they want and worship however they want, as long as they don’t do any harm. So I wanted to show these people to you somehow. Your neighbors. Your coworkers. The people you pass on the street. Not terrorists. Not enemies within. Just people with dreams for a future without fear. So I decided I’d allow a portion of each face to show. Enough to reveal the humanity. The joy.
Oh, but I didn’t blur this wonderful lady’s face, because she didn’t want me to. I was walking through a dense crowd, and then all of a sudden, for some reason, it parted like the Red Sea, and sitting right there was this lady in a wheelchair, kind of a captive audience because she was connected to an oxygen tank. Before the crowd parted, she had probably been just looking at a wall of backs. And yet she was just so happy to be there. She was glowing. And her joy glowed even brighter when she saw me looking at her. I asked if I could take her picture.
It was like, she was here. She was speaking her mind. She was being heard. And now, she was being seen, too! I bet that doesn’t happen very often. Granted, she didn’t say any of those things. It could be a story I was making up in my head. What she did say, at first, was, “Wait! Get the dog, too!”
And out from behind her sign popped this cute little dust mop of a thing, also happy as a clam. But we couldn’t get him to look at the camera. So this is what we came up with. We chatted a bit more along the lines of, “Isn’t this great?!” and then, like the rising tide, the crowd swirled back around us, and I saw her wave as I was swept off. I didn’t even get her name. But this picture is the epitome of the feeling of this rally. We all deserve to be heard and seen.
In some cases, the facial blurring was easy, because a lot of people were dressed as one type of character or another. The point is that if we meet their anger and fear with street fair playfulness, any violence caused by bad actors attempting to make us look like terrorists is going to make them look pretty darned pathetic and cruel. Because we mean no harm. Why would you eff with a frog? Plus, let’s face it, wearing costumes is fun. And it sure draws attention to your sign!
Speaking of signs, here were the very best ones I saw that day. (Tell me which one is your favorite in the comments below.) Some made me laugh. Some were beautiful. Others made me think. I enjoyed talking to the people, and also listening to the many speakers on stage. There were even some drummers from one of the Coast Salish tribes, and that reminded me that fighting for rights is a never-ending, multi-generational endeavor. But we’re still here, and we can’t, won’t give up.
At one point, I looked around the area I had wandered into and realized that everyone within view was my age or older. Yeah, we get it. We know how much this matters. These younger ones, they don’t realize.
Or so I thought. Because just as I was thinking that, over the hill and down the path came a new, mile-long parade of protesters. Many of them younger. Able to take up the torch when my generation is gone. It was like I was watching hope for the future walking toward me, and it was saying, “Don’t you worry. We know we’re not done here. We’ve got this.” And the parade kept coming and coming and coming. Unstoppable hope and determination. And again, I had tears in my eyes.
And you know what? Trump is all about turnout. He was watching. He can post all the mocking AI videos online that he wants to, but deep down, he knows we’re not done, too. He sees our unstoppable determination that scares him. So yeah, mission accomplished.
I walked back to my car feeling really good about the state of things for the first time since, oh, Obama, probably. That’s a long time to walk around feeling discouraged. I know we still have a long way to go, and a lot of effing mess to clean up when the time comes, but, yeah. The sun will rise again.
And with that, I looked up and saw this. Did you know what a collection of Unicorns is called? A blessing. Could there be a better final image for this blog post? Perhaps a collection of protesters should be called a freedom.
Sources:
3 takeaways from Saturday’s No Kings nationwide protests
‘No Kings’ Protest Organizers Prepare for a Possible Trump Crackdown
After ‘No Kings,’ protesters tear gassed at Portland ICE facility
Fact check: Were the no kings protest yesterday violent
Johnson describes planned No Kings rally as ‘hate America,’ ‘pro-Hamas’ gathering
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