Thousands gathered at the North Carolina State Capitol on Saturday in protest once again under the banner “No Kings.” The event hosted speakers and the promotion of local organizing groups to spur action from the Raleigh community.
The protest was centered around a stage in front of the Capitol building, with facilitators Rev. Rob Stephens of the North Carolina Poor People’s Campaign (NCPPC) and Christina Spears, the president of the Wake County chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators, introducing speakers and collaborators.
The Capitol courtyard filled with protesters, many hoisting signs and wearing outfits and costumes aligned with the general message of the day: opposition to federal overreach and a push to locally organize.
There were also many advocacy organizations tabling during the event, including American Families United, Triangle ICE Watch, Stop Detention Centers NC, Socialist Alternative and Wake County Indivisible.
The Singing Resistance, a group from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, warmed up the crowd with call-and-response songs. Their songs encouraged unity, hope and supporting those most in need of help.
Activist and co-chair of the NCPPC Rev. Dr. William Barber II gave the first speech of the afternoon, centering on the importance of faith and asking more of our representatives.
“I’m tired as hell talking about how bad MAGA is. Let’s talk about how good we are!” Barber said. “And we must tell every politician, don’t just say you’re against Trump — what are you for?”
Sailor Jones, the state director for Common Cause NC, a group working for integral elections and voter empowerment, said the protest was only one part of a larger need for year-round civic engagement. He said voting in the November elections will be essential to making real change.
“There’s plenty on your ballot to choose from this year: sheriffs who could protect us, not capitulate to armed thugs; state judges who could restore our basic freedoms; hell, even Congress folks who could show some damn courage for once,” Jones said to the crowd. “This fall is very much the appetizer to the full menu we need.”
Joey Gray, from Money Out of Politics, spoke about his experiences being an active service member for 21 years and what he called “murders” occurring in Iran. He also criticized President Donald Trump’s treatment of service members and alleged insider trading.
“People who have spent their lives carrying the burden of this country are written off the moment they refuse to fall in line. That’s not strength, and that’s not leadership. It is insecurity. And insecurity has no business around decisions about war,” Gray said.
Speakers also represented groups 50501 NC and Siembra NC. The importance of labor organization, immigrant rights, election integrity and the cost of war were all a part of the broader messaging.
The crowd responded to chants and calls-to-action with enthusiasm. The demographic skewed older, with a few rows of seats in front of the sea of standing demonstrators. Many also chose to stay on the sidewalks facing the streets, where they roused a near-continuous symphony of car horns for multiple hours.
Barbara Walls is a resident of Mount Holly and the president of Democratic Women of Gaston County. She said she attended the protest out of a moral obligation to speak up.
“I’m a 40-year history and political science professor. I am a mother of two and a grandmother of five,” Walls said. “I have not only responsibility in my own family, but to everyone, to my students and to the future.”
Walls said the demonstration was not just to show opposition to those in power, but to spread the message to apolitical Americans.
“The indifferent American, the one who doesn’t really understand how serious this is, that thinks our opposition is hyperbole — I’m hoping they will see the strength and the numbers and simply say, ‘Wow, if this many people are concerned, maybe there is something here.’ And perhaps they will choose to not be ill-informed anymore,” Walls said.
Donna Bailey, a Raleigh resident, said that she was frightened by the advances being made by the current administration to ignore legal oversight and typical procedure. She said that fear is what made it so important to show her opposition to the current administration.
“We’ve got to stop this fascism that’s moving forward,” Bailey said. “I lived in Germany for 10 years. I studied a lot of German history, and everything that’s happening is exactly what happened during Hitler’s come to power in Germany. So that scares me a lot.”
Julie Anderson, a New Bern resident, held a sign reading “I am too old for this. Dump Trump.”
“I hope that Congress is watching because I hold them just as responsible for the problems we’re having,” Anderson said. “We’re not a ‘hate America group’ like Mike Johnson says. We love America and we want to protect her.”
Mona Singh is a Democratic nominee for the two open seats on the Board of Commissioners of Wake County, having won her primary race in February alongside Christine Kushner. Singh said that the scale of the protests meant the message was reaching the national stage.
“What people need to hear is that we need to step up,” Singh said. “And the people who need to hear this are not just activists or progressives — it’s everyone. And the country’s listening.”
