Organizers say competing anti-Trump protest near VCU likely siphoned away some participants
As a long line of protesters marched along Broad Street in downtown Richmond just a few blocks from the state capital, Project 50501 organizer Antoni Szachowicz lamented that the crowd wasn’t as large as the No Kings protest held at the Capital in October. That protest saw roughly 20,000 people, he said. Project 50501 is the grassroots movement to have 50 protests in 50 states in one day.
“There’s about 3,000 to 5,000 people here today,” he said, adding that the lower turnout could be due to a similar protest held at Monroe Park in the heart of Virginia Commonwealth University less than a mile away.
That event, called No Kings Freedom Fest, was organized by RVA Indivisible, a local group that co-produced the city’s previous No Kings protests. This time the group opted to hold a festival with musical performances and guest speakers such as Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi and U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-4th District), according to The Richmonder.
Both rallies were protesting President Donald Trump and his administration.
Before the No Kings event kicked off, Richmond resident Adam Malinowski-Liu, 24, who’s with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, stood waving a large Iranian flag as people began to stream into Kanawha Plaza. He said this was his third No Kings protest.
“No Kings is actually an important demonstration of people opposing the American government,” Malinowski-Liu said.
Standing next to him was Kendall Vicks, 22, who said he brought a Cuban flag to the rally to bring awareness and show solidarity for the island, which has been threatened with military action by Trump.
Also waiting for the speakers and event to begin was Richmond resident Lucy Scarlet, 21, who said this was her first protest.
“I really want to make my voice feel heard,” Scarlet said, adding that she wanted to see ICE out of the city. Scarlet said she was also there to protest “the overreach of authority of our president.”
Bill and Bobbe Warrick, both 68, have similar reasons. The couple, who said they have attended all of the No Kings protests, chose to drive about an hour from Fredericksburg to attend the Richmond rally — despite a similar protest closer to home — to be part of a bigger crowd.
“I believe he’s out of control,” Bill Warrick said of Trump. “I’m very much supportive of the amendment that’s in front of Virginia, the ballot question right now, simply because we need a Congress that’s not going to be gerrymandered by him to put some stops on what he’s doing. I want to be a part of a larger crowd that will make him, other candidates, other people in his administration understand that there are lots and lots of people in America who are not happy with the way things are going.”
Warrick was referring to a ballot measure that would temporarily suspend the state’s redistricting commission and allow the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional districts. The special election for the referendum is April 21. As the Mercury has previously reported, supporters of the measure say it’s needed to counter Republican-led efforts in other states to alter district maps.
Bill Warrick said he’s disagreed with other administration’s policies before but never considered protesting — until this administration.
“I said it many, many times to people that I talk to concerning what’s going on. I wasn’t happy with the Bushes, but I would never have considered waging this kind of protest,” he said. “I’d make my voice known, but not to this degree. And I’ve said many times, it’s not Republican versus Democrat. It’s citizens versus the Trump administration, who are far and away just outside the mainstream of what America should be about.”
“I agree,” said Bobbe Warrick. “I think previous Republican presidents at least generally have what they consider the good of the country [in mind]. But Trump is just evil. He is evil, and so are most of the people in his administration.”
The last speaker before the crowd marched a roughly two mile loop through downtown Richmond and back to the plaza was Mary Bauer, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. She urged those gathered to not forget their rights and to make their voices heard.
“This administration wants to scare us into silence, but look around you, that’s not happening,” Bauer said. “In Virginia, in Richmond, in Charlottesville, in Blacksburg, in Roanoke, in Norfolk, in Virginia Beach, on the Eastern Shore, in Danville, in Louisa, in Culpeper, and across this nation, we are all speaking out and we are not silent. We will not stay silent as our rights are under attack, because our job today is dissent, and dissent is patriotic, and this administration wants to silence us.”
Bauer added that protesting is a way to fight for the freedoms of all citizens.
“It’s not about a political party, it’s about protecting our rights no matter who’s in office. It’s about protecting our neighbors, our communities, and each other,” she said. “So stay safe today and don’t forget, our job today is dissent, and dissent is patriotic. God bless America.”
Seventy-seven year-old Robert Barr drove to Richmond from nearby Carolina County for the rally and marched with the aid of a walker. Barr said his message was clear:
“Donald Trump has got to go! I just hope we can get through the next two and a half years. And I think things will be OK, if we can get through the next two and a half years.”
