Maryland ‘No Kings’ events take anti-authoritarian message to parks, city halls, highway overpasses

For Ellie Rosenstock, the “No Kings” protest she is helping organize in Baltimore’s Patterson Park is as much about activists showing their support for each other as it is about showing their opposition to President Donald Trump and his policies.

“We want people to know that they are not alone, that they are represented, and even if we’re not all the same, we’re a broad coalition, and we’re going to be there for each other,” said Rosenstock, who was motivated to found Indivisible Baltimore last fall after Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump.

On Saturday, Rosenstock’s chapter of Indivisible — a national organization dedicated to opposing Trump and his policies — will be hosting one of an estimated 2,000 No Kings events that have been organized in communities across the U.S. More than 40 are planned across Maryland, from Friendsville to Elkton to Salisbury.

The protests come in response to rising numbers of warrantless immigration raids, Trump administration cuts to federal funding and jobs, reductions to health care spending and more, many of which Trump has tried to enact by executive order, circumventing Congress and the courts. In a statement Thursday, “No Kings” organizers said the protests aim to “reject authoritarian overreach.”

Rosenstock said the Baltimore event will be nonviolent and consist of speeches from local politicians, comedians, performances from singers and a peaceful march. It will be a “lovely, beautiful, beautiful day,” she said.

Organizers say thousands of Maryland residents are expected to gather across the state Saturday at dozens of these protests. Sites include Annapolis, Columbia, Bethesda, Silver Spring and Frederick, and the events will range from large protests to small gatherings on highway overpasses to wave signs.

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The date of the “nationwide day of defiance” was chosen to coincide with Trump’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C., to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s founding. Saturday also happens to be Trump’s 79th birthday.

There will be no protest in Washington, D.C., organizers said, because they want to draw attention away from the city and the controversial parade. What is considered the flagship No Kings event is scheduled for Philadelphia.

Ruben Amaya, president of the Young Democrats of Maryland, said Trump’s military parade this Saturday is no way to honor democratic values.

“There’s better ways for us to show you know how great our country is than through a display of military force,” he said.

The planned demonstrations come just days after Trump deployed 700 Marines and mobilized more than 4,000 California National Guard troops to crack down on protests in downtown Los Angeles against an increase of ICE raids throughout the city.

The Maryland Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative state lawmakers, issued a statement Friday urging state and local leaders to take measures to ensure that the protests on Saturday do not “devolve into the same kind of chaos,” as in Los Angeles.

“What began as protests around ICE actions in Los Angeles has spiraled into riots, assaults, and destruction,” Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County), the caucus’s vice chair, said in the statement. “We support the right to protest peacefully, but no Marylander should have to fear for their family’s safety or their livelihood because of mob violence.”

In a statement on Wednesday, the Maryland State Police said it is in “constant contact” with other law enforcement partners regarding potential demonstrations this weekend, and will work to “address any public safety concerns while respecting the public’s First Amendment rights.”

No Kings organizers say they are dedicated to nonviolence. Weapons of any kind are banned from the events, and it says attendees are expected to  “seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events.”

Several organizers said that since the beginning of the second Trump administration, they’ve seen an uptick in grassroots activism.

Rosenstock said that since founding Indivisible Baltimore with just five people in January, the organization has grown to more than 2,000.

Tom Glancy, a co-organizer for the Baltimore County-based Allies for Democracy, said that “doing nothing is not an option.”

“We can’t cede the field to Trump and his allies, because they’ll just push things as far as they can,” Glancy said. “We need to step up, and one of the ways we do this is with these marches.”

Glancy, a retired attorney, said that over time, he thinks the movement’s message of anti-authoritarianism will prevail.

Amaya said in-person demonstrations, like “No Kings” protests, are often when people realize the power of community. Voices are stronger when they’re united, he added.

“The people have the power,” he said. “Not just one man who has a big ego.”

The Annapolis “No Kings” protest, according to Chesapeake Indivisible facilitator Eric Burg, had more than 250 people signed up as of Thursday, but attendance is usually two to five times greater than how many people are registered.

The protest, which Burg said will be held at the Annapolis Mall so attendees can be safe and spread out, is not going to be civil disobedience in “any way, shape or form. This is just us expressing our First Amendment rights.”

“The most important thing we can do is not relinquish our humanity, not relinquish our compassion, not comply in advance,” he said.

Burg said many people may be unable or unwilling to go out and protest, but the goal is to make it part of the national conversation.

“Protest has been a part of America before it was a country,” he said. “We’re keeping it peaceful, and we want to make sure that it’s accessible, and, most importantly, force people to have that conversation.”