Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a new estimated head count at the Overland Park event.
Thousands of people gathered Saturday afternoon on the lawn at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park to denounce authoritarianism and affirm democratic values as part of nationwide “No Kings” protests.
All told, organizers estimated more than 7 million turned out at more than 2,600 such events across the U.S. on Saturday, with at least one event in every state.
The Johnson County rally drew an estimated 6,000 people at its height, organizers said. It was hosted by Boots on the Ground Midwest, Heartland Indivisible Mission and Four Corners of Lenexa. The peaceful event featured speeches, music and a sidewalk protest along Quivira Road.
Other nonprofits, including Planned Parenthood, Mainstream Coalition, the ACLU of Kansas and Veterans for Peace, offered information tables.
Calls to organize locally, defend democracy nationally
The crowd cheered as Jae Moyer, a queer activist and member of Johnson County’s DEI Coalition, opened the rally with a message about resilience and community.
“My name is Jae Moyer. My pronouns are they, them and theirs — and there is nothing that Donald Trump or his merry band of billionaires, fascists and Nazis can do about that,” Moyer said.
“Donald Trump wants us to be lonely and forget how to organize. He wants to control us. But when you go back and live as your authentic self, you become the person who gives a kid confidence to build a better America,” they said.
Nubia, a community organizer with the Kansas/Missouri Dream Alliance, spoke next, sharing emotional stories of detained immigrants and deported parents. She declined to give her last name, she said, out of concerns for her personal safety.
“They think because we’re brown, nobody will care,” she said. “But I care, and I know you all care. Please, be our voice.”
“Swim through the current”
Author and journalist Mark McCormick urged attendees to “swim” — to take action rather than just keep their heads above water. Drawing parallels between modern politics and the post-Reconstruction era, he warned against complacency.
“Our opponents attack what they most fear: our history of resilience and resistance,” McCormick said.
“We have to be willing to sacrifice for gains we may never see — for people we don’t even know. So swim. Swim through the current. Swim to the shore before our democracy sinks.”
“Only fascists have a problem with anti-fascists,” he added.
Former Kansas Poet Laureate Huascar Medina performed an original poem, “New American,” a reflection on immigrant identity and economic struggle.
“Don’t call me immigrant,” Medina said. “I’m the new American — striving, surviving, dreaming of a greater America.”
No arrests or reported incidents
Leading Republican figures, including U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, had in the run-up to Saturday’s “No Kings” events, painted them as un-American, with some GOP figures calling them “Hate America” rallies.
Marshall expressed doubts beforehand that the protests would be peaceful, saying they would be a “Soros paid-for protest” attended by “professionals.”
At the event at JCCC, there were no confirmed reports of paid protesters and no reported incidents of violence or arrests.
Veterans and faith leaders add their voices
Bryson Ripley, a Marine veteran and student, now president of Veterans for Peace Chapter 97, challenged the glorification of war and the normalization of what he called fascism in American culture.
“The U.S. has been preparing our children for war for a long time,” Ripley said.
“Fascism is built on propaganda and fear. The only way out of this peacefully is by making our democracy work — every day, together.”
Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director of Kansas Interfaith Action, drew sharp contrasts between “Christian nationalism” and a vision of a pluralistic, compassionate America.
“The MAGA vision is white people on top, men on top, Christians on top,” Rieber said.
“We’re fighting for a multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial America. The world can be a better place, and we can help make it so.”
Another “No Kings” event in Gardner
At the same time as the event in Overland Park, another “No Kings”-inspired rally was occurring on a busy road in Gardner.
Organizers with a local group Raise the Flag said more than 225 people showed up to protest at the corner of Main Street and Moonlight Road.
The group has been organizing weekly protests at the busy spot near downtown Gardner for the past three months, but Raise the Flag founder Aleksandra Nokes said those past protests typically drew no more than 20 people.
Saturday’s turnout dwarfed that.
“The energy was positive and hopeful, and it truly felt like our community came alive,” Nokes said in comments sent to the Post via email.
“So many neighbors have told us they’ve felt alone in these times and were looking for connection,” she said. “Raise The Flag is showing Gardner that we are here, we care, and we’re standing up for democracy together.”
A message about redistricting
Back in Overland Park, Laurel Burchfield of Mainstream Coalition, who sits on the Shawnee City Council, urged the crowd to take up against efforts by Kansas Republicans to gerrymander congressional boundaries in order to make it harder for Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids to win reelection.
“They haven’t called a special redistricting session yet because they know we’re watching,” she said.
“Drawing maps so one party can gain more power is wrong. We believe in fairness. We believe our democracy is worth fighting for.”
Republican leaders are reportedly gathering lawmakers’ signatures in order to call a special session next month without the approval of Gov. Laura Kelly and have already appropriated $460,000 for a possible special session, as well.
Two events earlier in the week — one a town hall in Lenexa and another a rally in Mission — against the mid-decade redistricting effort in Johnson County also drew hundreds.
Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Kansas, closed Saturday’s “No Kings” event in Overland Park by urging civic participation close to home.
“The best way to push back on authoritarianism is to act locally,” Kubic said.
“Make it easier for every eligible citizen to vote — regardless of language or background. We can make Johnson County, Kansas, and America places where the people reign — not kings.”
Editor Kyle Palmer contributed to this report.
