Dressed as the Statue of Liberty while carrying a homemade sign saying, “We the People Resist,” Jenna Moheyer stood on a Rockville Pike sidewalk on Saturday participating in a “No Kings on the Pike” protest along with more than 3,000 others who lined the road for more than a mile.
“I’ve been watching the Constitution get chipped away, offense by offense, executive order by executive order. That’s not what this country stands for,” said Moheyer, a Howard County resident wearing a blue dress and the statue’s classic headpiece. “There are three branches of government, and the executive has forgotten about the other two.”
Joining events scheduled nationwide, more than a dozen “No Kings” protests countering the actions of President Donald Trump were held Saturday around Montgomery County, including demonstrations in Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Rockville and Silver Spring, according to organizers.
During protests held throughout the day, more than 2,500 gathered along Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Hundreds more waved signs at passing vehicles from the sidewalk in front of Hughes United Methodist Church in Wheaton and in front of Leisure World in Silver Spring.
The two-hour protest along Rockville Pike stretched 1.5 miles from Montrose Crossing to Edmonston Crossing, with protesters creating a seemingly endless line on one side of the road. Their homemade and printed signs displayed messages ranging from “Fighting Kings Since 1776” to “Fight Facism.” Drivers in passing vehicles honked their horns as they passed, seemingly in support.
The county events were among more than 1,800 “No Kings” protests that were set to occur across the country Saturday, involving many partners, including Indivisible, a progressive, grassroots movement with volunteers nationwide. Local chapters of the movement — Indivisible MoCo WoMen and Indivisible Montgomery — organized protests in the county.
The county protests occurred as a military festival was held Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and mostly ahead of Trump’s 6:30 p.m. parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which also falls on the president’s 79th birthday.
Lisa Fuller, an organizer and co-founder of Indivisible MoCo WoMen, told Bethesda Today during the Rockville Pike protest that as of Saturday morning, more than 3,000 people had registered for the event held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., but that others may also have attended without registering online. She said organizers handed out 4,000 upside-down crowns to wear and flags to attendees.
The protest appeared to remain peaceful. Several Rockville City and Montgomery County police cruisers were parked in the middle lane of Rockville Pike during the protest, but the officers did not appear to be interacting with the protesters. County police spokesman Shiera Goff told Bethesda Today on Saturday night that officers didn’t encounter any issues with protesters or make any arrests.
Protester Bob Corlett of Olney said he has been participating in anti-Trump protests since March and had been looking forward to gathering with many other like-minded people at Saturday’s “No Kings” protest.
“It’s awesome,” Corlett said. “This livens up my whole week. By Friday, I’m fed up with the news. On a Saturday morning, I cannot wait to get out … on the streets and fight for our rights.”
Corlett stood near the Basset Furniture Store at 1150 Rockviile Pike, holding a sign reading “No Kings, No Clowns,” which depicted Trump dressed as a clown and Elon Musk and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller dressed as court jesters.
Thousands attend downtown Bethesda protest
Starting around noon, protesters also filled the sidewalks on both sides of Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda, with many clustered around the Fox 5 D.C. headquarters building, which was the center point of the event. An estimated 2,500 people attended the protest, according to Dee Clarkin, an organizer and executive director of Indivisible Montgomery.
“Many of [Trump’s] sycophants who have populated his Cabinet have come from Fox, so we thought it … made a good point to be there in that place,” Clarkin told Bethesda Today during the two-hour protest.
Colorful and intricate signs held by protesters filled the sidewalks, including one that said, “ICE Tea not Terror,” that was held by Gary Chappell of Washington, D.C., and referenced the recent U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids carried out by the Trump administration in Los Angeles and across the country.
“His ICE raids have been so disruptive that I think that has to be called out,” Chappell said. “He’s grabbing everyone from senators down to the people least able to defend themselves.”
Chappell was referring to U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Ca.), who was handcuffed and forcibly removed by law enforcement Thursday from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference in Los Angeles. The press conference was held regarding the recent protests in the city that were pushing back against local ICE raids.
Many protesters attending Saturday’s events in Montgomery County were delivering their own messages about opposing Trump’s immigration policies, including Moheyer, who said she will fight for those who can’t.
“There are a lot of people…who don’t have the privilege of speaking out right now. A lot of immigrants are afraid to stand up right now. [Today] they’re honking, and they’re showing their support, and they’re leaning out the window and screaming, ‘Thank you,’ ” Moheyer said.
Freelancer Courtney Cohn is a former Bethesda Today reporter.
Freelancer Courtney Cohn is a former Bethesda Today reporter.
