Politics

No Kings Day rally draws big crowd downtown

An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people attended Saturday’s No Kings Day rally in Hendersonville.

By Amy McCraw, Published: June 14, 2025

Protesters in downtown Hendersonville on Saturday said they feared democracy is slipping away in America as they called for an end to recent immigration crackdowns across the country.

“No Kings,” Ron Redmon, an organizer of the demonstration, said when asked what message he wanted to send. “We’re sick of it. It’s time for democracy again.”
Police estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people attended the No Kings Day rally in Hendersonville. Partnering with other organizations, Indivisible Henderson County sponsored the rally as part of the national pro-democracy mobilization. Similar protests were planned for Saturday in hundreds of cities across the country and abroad.
The event in Hendersonville was peaceful with only a few minor problems involving counter protesters, Hendersonville Police Chief Blair Myhand said.
Protesters gathered at the Henderson County Courthouse on Grove Street Saturday before walking up Third Avenue to the rally on Main Street in front of the county’s Historic Courthouse.
They chanted several slogans, including “No kings. No Trump” and “This is what democracy looks like” as they waited for the walk to Main Street.
The Brass Your Heart marching band played as protesters marched to Main Street and in front of the Historic Courthouse during the rally.
Several cars honked in support as they passed the protesters on the sidewalk in front of the Grove Street courthouse.
As she waited for the rally to begin, 28-year-old Aracely Vidal held a sign that read “We Are Humans” and “Viva Mexico Cabrones.”
Vidal said she was three years old when she came to the United States with her parents, who were undocumented immigrants.
“I’m here representing DACA recipients. I myself am a DACA recipient. I’m representing them and my parents,” she said.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is the immigration policy that allows some people who were brought to the United States illegally as children to legally remain in the country temporarily and obtain work permits. The status must be renewed every two years.
“I’m renewing every two years and paying taxes but still being seen as less,” Vidal said.
She said her father has returned to Mexico, but her mother remains in the United States and worries about possible deportation after recent government crackdowns on undocumented immigration.
Fletcher resident Kim Olsen said she came to the rally with her children and grandchildren because she wants her grandchildren to grow up in a better country. She said she was concerned about recent cuts in education and about immigration enforcement.
Once the protesters reached the Historic Courthouse, music and more chants in support of democracy were followed by speakers including the Rev. Carla Miller, the senior pastor at Hendersonville’s First Congregational Church, and Jay Carey, a U.S. Army veteran who was escorted from a Chuck Edwards town hall after getting into a shouting match with the congressman over federal budget cuts. Carey ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for the 11th Congressional District seat and then was chosen by the Democratic Party as the nominee for the N.C. Senate District 48 seat, losing to incumbent Tim Moffitt.
Miller encouraged those who attended to find peace in chaos. She said they should take a deep breath, shake off problems and connect with one another.
“You are not alone,” she said. “Look at this y’all.”
In a fiery speech, Carey took aim at the Trump administration.
He said he took an oath in the military to defend the country against enemies foreign and domestic.
“The enemy is among us,” he said before describing ICE agents working in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities as “jackbooted thugs hired to kidnap people.”
“They are tearing families apart,” he said. “They are tearing communities apart.”
Carey also encouraged people to get involved before again mentioning Los Angeles and Washington.
“No longer can we sit on the sidelines,” he said. “Martial law is here in this country.”