“No Kings Day” Protest Brings Thousands to Streets of Chapel Hill and Carrboro

Around 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, the plaza at 140 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill began to fill. By 4 p.m., thousands had gathered and started marching down Franklin Street toward Carrboro, carrying American flags and signs reading “Pro-America, Anti-Oligarchs,” “Stop Truth Decay,” and “Dump Trump,” among many others, as part of the No Kings Day rally. Rallies and protests under the “No Kings Day” name happened Saturday all over the Triangle and country. 

Chants of “The people united will never be defeated” and “Money for jobs and education, no more war and occupation” echoed from the plaza through the length of the march, continuing all the way to the rally in Carrboro. As the march moved down Franklin Street, which had been blocked off by police, the crowd stretched for multiple blocks.

“I’ve never seen this many people in Chapel Hill”, Sydney Beyer, UNC-student, said.  

National Movement, Grassroots Organization 

The event was spearheaded by Indivisible Orange County NC and The Community Church of Chapel Hill. Indivisible Orange County was formed in 2025 as a grassroots response to national political developments. 

After joining a large national call hosted by the broader Indivisible network, Trisha Lester, founder of Indivisible Orange County, connected with smaller groups of North Carolina and Triangle-area participants before narrowing the effort to Orange County. From there, a group of local residents, frustrated with the direction of the country and looking for a way to act, began meeting and organizing together. The result was a volunteer-led, countywide organization built from the ground up, operating independently while drawing on resources and guidance from the national Indivisible movement. 

The goal of the rally, according to Indivisible Orange County, is to mobilize public resistance and demonstrate that opposition to current national leadership is both widespread and growing. Lester emphasized that events like No Kings Day are meant to bring people into the streets, build momentum, and signal that “what’s happening now is not normal,” while also helping to form broader coalitions. 

At its core the effort is about encouraging people to act rather than disengage. 

“What Indivisible chapters are trying to do is to resist and organize, organize and resist, build courage in people so that they don’t just shut down and don’t do anything”, Lester said. 

Why did People Come? 

A Chapel Hill community member, who requested to remain unnamed, said one of the main reasons he attended the protest was opposition to the war in Iran, which he described as illegal and unconstitutional, expressing support for the troops involved. He drew parallels to the Vietnam War, when he also participated in protests, citing what he saw as similar patterns of misleading narratives and unnecessary escalation. 

“The true value of a representative democracy is to stand up when you think things are not going well,” Lisa, an Orange County resident, said. 

Kane Price, UNC graduate, said he attended the rally out of concern over what they see as government corruption and a broader loss of shared humanity. As an example, he pointed to a social media post by President Donald Trump reacting to the death of Robert Mueller, in which Trump wrote, “Good, I’m glad he’s dead.”   

“I love America,” Price said, while holding an American flag during the protest. “I think it was founded on liberal values that are very important to a healthy society. Also, I would say the left has an image problem when it comes to being patriotic—we need to embrace the fact that we are Americans.” 

Rallying Together 

The march ended with a rally at Carrboro Town Commons where elected representatives, local activists, and musicians addressed issues including government accountability, protection of democratic institutions, and civic engagement and engaged the crowd in chants that highlighted solidarity and righteousness. 

“During this time when our neighbors are being dehumanized and our democratic and personal freedoms are imperiled, it is imperative for people to stand together and declare our intention to be an inclusive community,” Rev. Thom Belote said. “Today's outpouring of support, here and across the country, demonstrates the power of this vision." 

Taken together, the turnout, messaging, and range of speakers reflected a broader sense of urgency. From opposition to specific federal policies to concerns about democratic institutions and civic norms, as well as general dissatisfaction with the President, the rally brought together a wide spectrum of motivations under a shared call for engagement. The unifying thread was a belief that public participation—whether through protest, voting, or organizing—remains essential in shaping the direction of the country. 

“We’re all coming together and looking in the same direction,” Mike Benson, a local business owner and emcee at the rally, said. “Our government is failing us. Our great speakers and music reiterated the message that we are unified and not taking this lightly.”