Community members gathered in Cornelius on Saturday for a No Kings protest organized by the Indivisible Lake Norman chapter. This protest was one of more than 2700 around the country held this past weekend in opposition to the Trump  administration and what protesters called “a fascist regime.” 

At the center of protest planning was Diane Hals, a Davidson resident who co-founded the area’s Indivisible chapter.

“Indivisible is a national organization, progressive but nonpartisan, that believes peace is the only way for change. We always aim to de-escalate, never escalate. We also are there making sure elected officials are accountable for their promises,” Hals said. “Once the national organization set the date, it was up to our team to decide where to have it.”

Hals said holding the protest in Cornelius was intentional. “We’ve held rallies in Davidson, Huntersville and Mooresville, but we haven’t been back to Cornelius in a while.” 

Indivisible Lake Norman hoped to reach more people to encourage them to join the protest. “There might be residents over here in Cornelius that are feeling […] let down with what’s happening in the government and might feel emboldened and comfortable joining us.”

Davidson resident Alan Martin said he protested to reassert his faith in American democracy, but what finally pushed him to come were comments about the No Kings movement from national figures.

“What tipped the scale for me was Mike Johnson saying this [No Kings protest] is a hate America movement, and it’s not a hate America movement; it’s a love America movement,” Martin said.

Standing beside him, fellow Davidson resident Sean Copeland said protesting is the least people can do. “Some people will say, ‘what good does it really do?’” Copeland  said. 

“My grandfather fought fascists in World War II. The least I can do is get my butt off a couch and come out and hold a sign and be with other people.”

Both men said their participation also came from a shared respect for the rule of law. 

“This is about the rule of law, not about Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal. This is about the American system,” Copeland said.

Cornelius resident Shannon McKenzie said frustration over national politics motivated her to protest. “I’ve been sending emails and voicemails to our representatives for months,” McKenzie said. “This is the one thing I can do to visually show how I feel […] how we collectively feel.”

Several Davidson students also joined the demonstration. Olivia Carter ’29 said this was her second No Kings protest. “I’m fed up with people being exploited and with friends and family back home being taken away by ICE,” Carter said. “Our country needs to come together, and this is the best way to do it.” 

Dylan Swick ’28, community outreach manager for the College Democrats, helped coordinate student logistics. 

“I first got involved through the Mecklenburg Democrats,” Swick said. “They’ve been incredible about keeping us [Davidson Democrats] in the loop and helping students get involved. We held a sign-making event and went over safety: staying with your group, bringing water, […] We sent out an email with all the same reminders to make sure everyone knew what to expect.”

Some students think that campus groups could still expand participation. “The Davidson Democrats encouraged a lot of people to be here today, but I think on campus, we can still do more to be involved and spread awareness,” Carter said.

For many attendees like Martin the sentiment was the same. “The worst thing that you can do in this situation is nothing.”