Jun 16, 2025 15 min read

Major Turnout for June 14 ‘No Kings Day Rally’ in City of Falls Church

Crowds of enthusiastic No Kings Day Rallyers lined West Broad St. on Saturday, June 14. Photo by Chris Jones.

By all accounts, Saturday’s downtown rally was impressive to behold.

With passing drivers beeping and blaring their horns in support, and creative, patriotic sign-carrying rallyers energetically lining the sidewalks along West Broad Street, turnout for the muggy June 14 “No Kings Day Rally” – sponsored by Democracy Falls Church (DFC) – appeared to number between 800-1000 people, young and old, though no official estimates have been made available.

A “counterpoint” to President Trump’s “planned Birthday Parade on Constitution Avenue in Washington D.C., to be held on the same day,” the morning rally was intended as a “response in protest of the authoritarian excesses of the President and his administration,” the nonpartisan, non-violent DFC announced before the event. The group, nevertheless, expressed its support for the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday celebration on Saturday, an occasion President Trump combined with his own 79th birthday celebration, fulfilling his longstanding desire to preside over a military parade in the nation’s capital.

Many vehicles took up the prompt to "Honk." Photo by Chris Jones.

A local supporter of the nationwide No Kings movement – which successfully helped launch hundreds of protests across the country and in western Europe Saturday – the DFC describes itself as a “group of local citizens who've been meeting regularly since February of this year, brought together by deeply felt shared concerns about the actions of the President and his administration,” since the presidential inauguration on January 20.

Composed of “long-time civic leaders, newer residents, and first-time activists,” the DFC said they view the president’s “actions as tantamount to attacks on democracy,” citing the administration’s many violations of the natural rights of the people, similar to those expressed in the 27 grievances against King George III outlined in the Declaration of Independence of 1776. “Once again we Americans are so aggrieved, and once again we decry the rule of a would-be king,” the DFC said.

The No Kings Day Rally called for patriotic garb in support of the U.S. Constitution and the principles of the Declaration of Independence. Photo by Chris Jones.

The Falls Church Independent spoke with several rally attendees yesterday to gain insight into what brought them out, why the No Kings message resonates with them, and how they viewed the events of the day.

We first bumped into Virginia Delegate, Marcus Simon, representing Falls Church in the 13th District in the Virginia House of Representatives, as he gathered with others along the sidewalk to watch the many drivers along the City’s main thoroughfare slowing down to express noisy support for the No Kings rally.

Virginia Delegate Marcus Simon, representing Falls Church in the Virginia House of Representatives. Photo by Chris Jones.

Asked “What brought you out today?,” Simon said, “Well, my love of democracy, right? And as I said to folks earlier, we’ve heard the president say the people protesting hate America and I think nothing could be further from the truth. Everybody out here is out here because they love America. You can see that from the flags, the patriotic colors everyone’s waving around. These protests demonstrating grievances are all very American things to do. So everyone’s out here, exercising our First Amendment rights. And I couldn’t be prouder of Falls Church today.”

Next, we bumped into former Falls Church City Council member, Marty Meserve, who was serving as a rally organizer, sporting a yellow vest and helping keep people safe from the passing traffic. Asked how she got involved in this movement, she said, “I’ve been working for a group called Democracy Falls Church since February. And we’ve been trying to give people a voice. We all want to do something. We’ve been calling. We’ve been writing. We’ve been doing the normal things. But, we decided we wanted to bring the community together in a safe place.”

“And, I couldn’t be happier with the turnout,” Meserve said. “I couldn’t be happier with the support we’re getting from the people driving by. So, it’s basically an opportunity to do something, and perhaps from this it will grow and people will do more…. And this is for our country, for our vets, and our people. And anybody who believes in the Constitution, believes in the rule of law, believes in democracy is welcome to join us.”

Sporting a “Dwight Eisenhower CVN 69” aircraft carrier ball cap, Navy veteran Blair Stewart spoke with us next. He said he served in the U.S. Navy “from ‘76 to 1980… two years aboard the carrier and one year out in California and one year going to school in Tennessee.”

Blair Stewart served in the U.S. Navy from 1976 to 1980. Photo by Chris Jones.

Stewart said he came to the rally to show his “support for the No Kings movement” and to “exercise [his] First Amendment rights in a peaceful manner and to show our president that not everyone that protests is a criminal or a bad person or looking for trouble. We just want our voices to be heard.”

Asked what Stewart’s seen in the news to raise his concerns about protecting democracy, he said, “Trump’s way of issuing these executive orders…. He really doesn’t understand [their] consequences and the effects they have on the everyday person in our country. And also, lately, his issuing the order to send federal troops into California – Los Angeles – where it’s really not supposed to be happening, American servicemen going against the American people. They’re meant to defend our country and him doing that, in my opinion, is not only a violation of the Constitution, but he’s instigating more of the problems than he’s helping to solve. And that’s his way. He’s always looking to distract people from the important issues, but creating chaos instead.”

As a Navy veteran, Stewart is also alarmed at Trump’s dismantling of Veterans Administration (VA) benefits. “He’s looking to cut veterans’ benefits and I find that abhorrent for somebody who never served a day in his life. And the way he dismisses the community of veterans in general, going back to the days of him going against John McCain and calling him a ‘loser’ when he was a prisoner of war, and, you know, [having] endured unimaginable treatment, and to come out and see people like that as ‘losers and cowards’ – if anybody’s a coward, he’s a coward!”

“I just hope people realize that this guy is wrong and that he does need to be reigned in. And I hope that our Congress, which is the legislative branch of our government, starts to get their act together and tell him – even though he continues to disregard court orders – but, say, ‘Hey, the things you’re doing are illegal and you can’t be doing them.’ And, get a backbone and don’t be afraid of him! I cannot understand how he has this sort of Svengali hold over these people. Something’s wrong. It’s their duty to stand up for us, their constituents, and say, ‘Hey, stop – you’re being wrong!,' and to defend us. That’s their job.”

Next, we encountered two young rising-junior Washington, D.C. college students and friends, Ruby Lillie, a Government and Spanish major, and Kate Satterfield, majoring in Environmental Science and International Affairs. They didn’t wish to reveal which college they attended, but said that since it wasn’t really safe to rally in Washington, D.C. on January 14, they had looked up protests on the No Kings website, and decided to come to this one in Falls Church.

Kate Satterfield, majoring in Environmental Science and International Affairs (left) and Ruby Lillie, majoring in Government and Spanish (right). Photo by Chris Jones.

“I think it’s just really important to stand up against the rising level of fascism in this country and be here for the people who can’t be here for themselves,” Lillie said. “I’m usually in a lot of pro-democracy protests in D.C. and I was happy to come and speak out against the parade going on in D.C. right now. I just think it’s important to show up…. All the talk of Trump going for a third term and the White House’s actual posts of him on a throne. I think it’s all very scary.”

Satterfield concurred. “Same thing as Ruby,” she said. “I think that what Donald Trump is doing is absolutely abhorrent. I think it’s an insult to everything America stands for and it’s an insult to our democracy.”

Asked what she thought was most concerning, Satterfield said, “I mean, honestly, everything – human rights, immigration is a big thing. I’m from Florida and a lot of my friends have family members, and, you know, it’s really scary for them and it’s really scary for everyone. And people are really afraid to speak out because of it. And I think that’s just absolutely ridiculous. It’s not the values that America was built on. America was built by immigrants. And America was built by people like you and me whose families, I’m sure, immigrated, however many years ago. So, I think what he’s doing is absolutely a complete injustice, plain and simple.”

When asked if she wished to add anything else, Satterfield asked, ‘Am I allowed to curse?’

“Definitely,” we said. “Okay, Fuck Donald Trump!,” she said with a laugh.

Carrying a provocative homemade sign on the theme, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes,” Christine Kirby caught our attention. Her ball cap read “Army War Veteran,” with a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) button pinned to it.

“I am a U.S. Army War veteran,” she told us. “I served in the Gulf War. I was in the Army for 20 years. I’m now an employee at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which is under attack. We have not been allowed to do our work since February. Every day we are prevented from doing our work. People are leaving. We don’t know what the future is…. They gave us the initial offer and gave us a matter of days to decide. I don’t think anyone took it – or maybe a few people – and we have had no other offers since then. They just want to totally eliminate the Bureau.”

Speaking as a war veteran, Kirby said she’s attracted to the No Kings movement because the Trump administration is “totally misusing the members of the military. They should not be called up to work against United States citizens. That is totally wrong. And the military should not be politicized at all.”

“I was a JAG officer,” she continued. This was interesting to hear, because Kirby's ball cap did not display the usual officer embroidering, revealing a refreshing humility. “And that’s another thing. They’ve been firing the top lawyers of all of the military services – which is totally wrong and stupid. Those fired JAG officers could have told Secretary [of Defense] Hegseth that it was illegal and stupid to use Signal [chat].”

Nudged by her sister protesting next to her, Kirby then added, “Oh yeah, and I don’t appreciate the way they’re stripping benefits from veterans every day. That is so wrong. That needs to stop. .. especially given that [President Trump] is a four-time draft dodger, absolutely!”

With her family in tow, Rupa [no last name given] said she had come out to protest to “show my support and our feelings about preserving democracy.” Her biggest concerns are “for the future of our kids. For the future of the children and how things are being portrayed with immigration. Those are my concerns. You know, a lot of that sort of hits home…. Just the unfairness of it all and how it’s tearing up families. I’m not affected, but I wanted to show support, you know, coming from a diverse background, and a child of immigrants too.”

Bringing her children to the rally was important to her, Rupa said, because “I want them to see early on, because they are our future, right? And they can help bring about positive change as they get older.”

Asked her thoughts about the rally, Rupa said, “I think it’s great with the whole sense of solidarity and sense of community. It’s a good turnout. And, I know there are a lot of people out in other areas too, so I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Many of the protesters were leery of giving out their names or too much personal information – or having their photos taken.

One gentleman only agreed to speak on the condition of absolute anonymity. But, after a bit of prodding he admitted he was drawn in by the message of No Kings. “ I’m here to support the No Kings message because America is not exceptional in that we are not immune from sliding toward dictatorship,” he said. “If one reads the writings of prominent academics who have spent their lives studying dictatorships, like Timothy Snyder and Steven Levitski, their research indicates that what is happening here in America today, follows the historical patterns of what has happened in Turkey, in Hungary, and in other former democracies, on the world stage today and it’s happening faster here than it happened there. And if we do not voice our resistance to a slide toward dictatorship now, it’s already going to be too late, if it isn’t too late already. We must voice now.”

“I don’t see a slide toward monarchy,” however, he added. “I see a backsliding of democratic norms, including separation of powers, most critically. The executive branch not following the rulings of the judiciary that is key to the Constitution. And it’s no longer happening. And it’s a huge, blinking red light that our Constitution is not being followed.”

Handing out bottled water to rally-goers, Kathy Dehm, a yellow-vested marshal for the rally, said, “It’s been a privilege to join this group which I just joined four weeks ago. And this has all come together so quickly and I am so gratified. The turnout is so wonderful and the people who are on the team all have these incredible skills that for the first time, we’re putting together, and it’s been spectacular to watch.”

Former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and federal employee, Kathy Dehm, serving as a marshal for the rally.

Elaborating on why she was drawn to the message of the No Kings movement, Dehm said, “Well, I retired from the federal government. And I thought we could depend on our democracy.”

At the moment, Dehm’s “fear of fears” is to see "the U.S. military deployed [against Americans].”

“I was in the Peace Corps in Poland for two years, from ‘97 to ‘99, so I was able to talk to people who have lived through communism. And, boy, does this echo!,” Dehm said. “They’d point to a building and say, ‘Well, the Russian military was there. And, boy, did they leave it a mess.’ And they’d point to the room in the Post Office where people would monitor their phone calls. And, I was in Poland and I visited Auschwitz and I got a lot of background that makes a lot of this stuff…. really no surprise to me.”

Dehm is hoping the strong turnout for the rally will be picked up by the media.

“What I’m hoping – and you’re proving it to be true – and, fingers crossed, that there’s enough media coverage of this, because I worked or the federal government and was involved with budgetary things for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and, I was a workaholic, and I was unaware that there were anti-war protests. And I was kind of appalled with some of the hyper-patriotism that made no sense. But, I didn’t know – the press clearly didn’t cover a lot of it, and I had no idea. So, I hope this gets covered.”

Crowds gathering for the march along West Broad Street. Photo by Chris Jones.

Finally, we chatted with a newly-married couple, Darius Reynolds and Ashley Yi, who live at the Tinner Hill apartments in Falls Church.

Asked what brought her out to the rally, Yi said, “Wow, that’s a heavy question. There are approximately a thousand reasons I could give you! [Laughs]. I think, specifically, Israel/Palestine is a huge running point for me, with the U.S. essentially sending [weaponry] and encouraging the death of all these innocent civilians, it’s really difficult. And us seeing ICE and the way they're interacting with people that are only doing civil [engagement] – I mean, it is not a crime! And they’re still being treated like absolute criminals. And it’s heartbreaking to see children without their parents. So, yeah, you can see signs [of democratic collapse] everywhere.”

“My parents have been immigrants here and then they worked with the U.S. government and then DOGE cut them out, so it’s all very personal,” Yi continued. “ And I’m really proud to be here today. I can’t wait to tell my kids about this.”

“I would say the past few weeks have certainly been taking us to this exact moment,” Reynolds said. “In the past three weeks I’ve had the opportunity to travel to see my grandparents who live out in San Diego. And I had great conversations with my Nana who went to school in Selma, Alabama, who was visited by Martin Luther King at her high school and who was trained to march and she marched with King.”

“So, I left San Diego and came back home and the news was just crazy,” Reynolds continued. “Went to a wedding in Maine where I saw a similar event to this, so I’m seeing things all across the country where people are standing up and voicing the same thing – that the past election was not to allow the federal government to literally break laws and do whatever they want and to go about policies which literally destroy families and tear communities apart.”

“I think that, more than anything, what we’re seeing and what we can all agree about is that the way America was founded and the way that it was intended to be was not what we’re seeing currently. It was not intended to be one person at the top directing orders to everyone else,” Reynolds said.

One of Reynolds’ greatest concerns is that the opposition is organizing just as much as the No Kings movement. “I would say there are people who are directly in opposition to what we’re doing right now and they’re not being quiet.”

Fortunately, both Yi and Reynolds said they love living at Tinner Hill and feel welcomed in the community. “I literally just said this as we turned down this street…. I said, ‘Don’t you just feel safe to see this kind of support in times like this?’ Yi agreed. “We tell every single person that visits us about Tinner Hill, like the boundaries and lines of Tinner Hill Park, the history, it’s just so deep…. I’m very happy to live here. It’s very difficult for me to ever think about moving.”

Here's a video clip (by the author) capturing the car-honking excitement of the rally: