By the time Willie Futrelle stepped off the plaque of the Archives-Navy metro on Saturday, the sea of protesters headed to Pennsylvania Avenue were already riled up chanting the clear theme of the day: “No Kings!”
Futrelle counted among a crowd of 200,000 in Northwest D.C. – and more than 7 million nationwide – gathered for the second No Kings protests on Oct. 18, a national movement of nonviolence against President Donald Trump’s political agenda.
As demonstrations took place across nearly all 50 states, attracting more attendees than both of Trump’s inaugurations combined, the roar of a nation rang in the heart of the capital, coupled with demands for change and a fiery reminder that this is just the beginning of the fight.
“We have what it takes here in D.C., not just to resist this tyrant, but to actually take him out of power and win,” said FREE DC executive director Keya Chatterjee. “From Ward 1 to Ward 8, from Los Angeles to Chicago, from Memphis to Portland, we are more united now than we have ever been. Together, we, the people…we’re gonna bring it to an end.”
Despite what House Speaker Mike Johnson degraded to “Hate America” protests, a show of resistance, joy and the symbolic flags of freedom filled the streets of Northwest on Oct. 18.
Calls to champion local autonomy, health care, voter rights and worker protections rang with a vengeance, as speakers delivered candid denunciations of Trump’s executive overreach and attacks against communities of color, immigrants, and other marginalized groups.
Meanwhile, attendees like Futrelle and Makeda Crane reflected on the No Kings rally as an American plea demanding far more than mobilization.
Tying in themes of unity and empowerment, the sentiment was clear for Crane – there’s hope for America, if people are willing to collaborate in upliftment.
“We have to be able to stand up and say…we’re not going to have America become a fascist state on our watch — period,” Crane told The Informer. “I think things are going to get worse before they get better, so I hope what comes out of this is a sense of community that creates real support for those who need it.”
Many public officials and organization leaders took to Pennsylvania Avenue on Oct. 18, including: Chatterjee with Harriett’s Wildest Dreams co-founder and director Nee Nee Taylor; Afeni Evans of the Fair Budget Coalition; native Washingtonian and revered scientist Bill Nye; British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan; and Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Ct.) and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who served as closing speaker, along with several others.
During their respective speeches, Murphy and Sanders each addressed the state of a health care system in freefall due to an ongoing government shutdown, and the fallout of the Republican-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“I will not vote for a budget that throws 15 million Americans off their health care…that doubles premiums for 20 million Americans…that forces nursing homes, rural hospitals, community health centers to lay off staff and close their doors throughout this country, all to give huge tax breaks to the billionaire class,” Sanders declared. “Today, I say to my Republican colleagues, come back from your monthlong vacation. Start negotiating…End this shutdown now.”
On the flip side, Futrelle told The Informer rallying in droves offers a powerful show of unity, but isn’t the end all to drive actionable change. The 36-year-old, carrying an “EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL” sign, noted that the task at hand isn’t simply a party issue, but a people’s issue, and Saturday held the blueprint for next steps.
“The connections are what’s going to create the change– it’s not going to change anything within our politicians, both sides are bought and paid for,” Futrelle said. “Anti-corruption is the biggest thing for our rights right now. We need to use this time to connect and establish new ways that the people can get their power back.”
Washingtonians Remind Trump ‘That We Rule This Country‘
From where participant Khadijah Chapman stood on the intersections of Pennsylvania Avenue and 3rd Street NW, the No Kings rally laid a strong foundation to network, strategize, and seek inspiration from like-minded organizations.
However, the 22-year-old admitted she’d like to see folks do more with their outrage, acknowledging the fact that protests “aren’t the revolution.”
“What real change is going to have to be from here on out is the people doing things that [shows] the memo – that we rule this country,” Chapman told The Informer. “We have power through what we consume, tax-paying, power in where we go, like our jobs. It has to be some real change that impacts the pockets, because that’s where the main concern is.”
With the “No Kings” slogan reflective of the revolution that birthed America nearly 250 years ago, many attendees found inspiration in the scrolls of previous moves for liberation.
Chapman joined the ranks of those citing the unequivocable impact of historic movements, including the most recent Target Target Boycott, a national response to the corporation’s renege on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Since its February launch, the company has dropped $12.4 billion in market value.
Further, Chapman— a Southeast resident and victim of federal cuts that stripped funding from her government-assisted LAYC (Latin American Youth Center) housing program— challenged protesters to demonstrate the same massive turnout seen on Saturday at the doors of ICE deportation units, adding the need for a collective consciousness to uphold resilience.
“I think we’ve gotten so apathetic and nihilistic in our thought processes that we just don’t even believe in change anymore,” she noted. “That will be our downfall.”
Other acts of resistance on the docket post-rally include: enacting nationwide worker strikes; contacting congressional representatives to deter federal interference; disrupting systems that enable oppression and division; and mass mobilizing a large turnout in the 2026 midterm elections, which several attendees deemed as critical to the future of politics.
Sunsara Taylor, a spokesperson of Refuse Fascism – launched with Trump’s first term in 2016 – also highlighted the persistence and resilience needed in justice struggles, considering civil rights, women’s liberation, and the Black Lives Matter movements, to name a few.
That’s why, beginning Nov. 5, exactly one year from the 2024 general election, the nonviolent protest organization plans to return to the streets of D.C. in a sustained “Flood DC” mobilization. The group has made a promise not to stop “until this regime is driven from power.”
“There’s [a] fight over what America’s gonna be–this ugly, ‘Make America Great Again’ Trump fascism, or is it gonna be what millions throughout history have stood up and fought for, what we’re standing on the shoulders of and need to take further?” Taylor posed. “That’s what’s undecided, but…there are moments when history turns.”
Obliterating Systems ‘At the Benefit for Everyone‘
In the wake of what many are calling the largest protest in American history, Christina Collazo is among the hundreds of thousands Washingtonians calling for peace, equity and unity throughout the nation, starting with seconding Sanders’ plea to end the federal shutdown.
“People can’t afford to go out and enjoy themselves. People can barely afford to live,” Collazo said. “How are you going to afford to do the luxuries in life when you can’t even afford to pay your rent [or] feed your kids?”
While Chatterjee and other FREE DC leaders continue to push for full control over local autonomy, Chapman called on the Black community to restructure systems rooted in creating a divide, such as religion, classism and the perpetuating disinterest of politics.
The mental health technician added a desire to see the country as a whole refocus priorities on ensuring the safety and well-being of one another, as opposed to losing sight of the strength of compassion.
“I like to remind people that you’re closer to being homeless than you are to being a millionaire,” Chapman explained. “This plan that we’re trying to get into is for the benefit of you, but the benefit of you is for everyone else as well.”
As Taylor took in to passionate protestors on Oct. 18, the activist said she hopes to see the same “fury and righteousness” at the core of the Refuse Fascism demonstrations launching Nov. 5.
After shouting out all No Kings Day participants across the country, she lauded the day of action as a “challenge and invitation to go further.”
“Whatever we do in this period, people will live with for generations,” Taylor told The Informer. “That won’t change until we rise up, but if we do, we could bring about a shift…That’s what we’re fighting to do.”