Protestors on Saturday October 18 were calling for No Kings in the kingdom of the once United States of America. In small and large towns on this Saturday the reigning King in Washington D.C was introduced to the U.S. Constitution and the Rule of Law and a government by the people.
This was not a government for the wealthy, nor a government of the aspiring King and his closet’s friends. It was a government by the people who were claiming freedom of assembly on the streets of their hometown.
When October 18, 2025 dawned in Boston and New York no one knew that by noon, there would be 7 million people on the streets of home towns from the Pacific Northwest to the Eastern Seaboard — protesting — and also having a great time.
In Tacoma down at the Entrance to Point Defiance Park my friend John reported on his experience:
“Caroline and I joined all the folks from the North End on Saturday. It was a really uplifting experience to see all the people who are fed up with this guy.
The mood was festive and the variety of messages on the signs were inspiring, creative and thoughtful. The crowd stretched from the park entry all the way up to the Antiques Sandwich Co with the crowd being 4-5 people deep along the road.
Surprisingly there were no MAGA trucks flying Trump flags; lots of folks coming out to drive by and show their support.
Beverly sent me this photo of the crowd and included these thoughts she had about the protest:
“I think future history classes in our schools and colleges will talk about Oct 18, 2025 — if we can keep the amazing momentum going. Saturday’s event was fabulous, but we also need to nourish and maintain our enthusiasm and determination if we’re going to save our democracy.
These photos of our protest at Goldfish don’t do justice to the hugeness of the crowd and the energy coming from the protesters and the cars going by with their cheers, waves, horns, and calls of ‘Thank you!’. It was even bigger and more enthusiastic than any of our other protests and way more than we dared to hope for.
Even the obvious Trump supporters were noticeably subdued by it all. They drove by looking grimly straight ahead, and gone were the middle fingers and shouts of “go home” through their windows. We really are all in this together!”
Bev reported that the people she spoke to on Saturday know there is a long struggle ahead against the sustained attack on our freedom by those in charge. They understand that defeating this assault won’t be easy. So Saturday featured an unusual and impressive combination of joy and sobriety.
In an article in The Bulwark Newsletter, political commentator William Kristol described the same kind of energy on the other side of the country at the protest he attended in McLean, Virginia.
“The spirit of the demonstration on Saturday was nowhere better stated than by Thomas Paine in Common Sense:
‘For as in absolute governments the King is Law, so in free countries the law ought to be King;
and there ought to be no other.’
“That was the idea that animated ‘No Kings.’ On Saturday, the American people assembled lawfully on behalf of the rule of law. On Saturday, the American people demonstrated their commitment to keeping this a free country. Mike Johnson [Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives] and all his fellow pro-Kings propagandists hoped for violence, extremism, and evidence of hate for America. But instead they saw peace, patriotism, and loyalty to America.
“Saturday gave me increased hope that the Constitution and the law will hold. It helped me look forward to a time when Trump shuffles off the scene and Trumpism has been decisively defeated.”