Residents filled the streets with signs and costumes on Auburn Way North and 15th Street NE for the second No Kings rally in 2025. Rallies took place nationwide as an act against the policies of President Donald Trump and his administration.

Vicki Bates is one of the core team leaders of Indivisible Auburn and a resident of the community. Bates said more people participated Oct. 18 than at the first rally.

“I think what I see now with folks is it’s this broader umbrella of wanting to preserve democracy,” said Bates. “We want to have three levers of government, and we want governance to be what drives us to have you know … our representatives involved with decisions about war or tariffs and taxes, and that’s not what’s happening.”

As people drove through the main street, they honked in support of the residents rallying on each corner of the sidewalk. According to Indivisible, 1,200 people attended the protest, while the previous one in June had about 970 people.

“I think one of the things that makes it more significant this time is just growing,” said Bates. “When it was June, we were starting to see the authoritarian creep.”

A scene from the No Kings rally held Oct. 18 in Auburn. Photos by Mariah Hill/For the Reporter

Some residents were creating handmade signs at the location and also burning sage. People including U.S. Army members and leaders in the education system were also in attendance.

Natalie McBath has been an Auburn resident for the past 21 years. She said in the previous rally, she would only drive down the street and honk at the people participating.

“I want to get involved more,” said McBath. “We all have to get involved, otherwise we’re not going to have a country anymore. They’re taking our health care away, they’re taking food assistance away from children, they’re just firing people for no good reason and taking our Social Security, our Medicaid, it’s ridiculous… we have to stand up, speak out and try to stop it from happening … this might be our last chance.”

According to Indivisible, 330 people signed up to attend the rally, and as the day went on, more residents began to fill up the sidewalks. As the protest began in full swing, light rain began coming down on the participants. One resident, a retired school teacher, mentioned that despite the rain, he was determined to be a voice for his community and show his previous students that everyone’s voice matters.

Throughout the chants and airhorns, members of Indivisible gave participants business cards with a QR code on them to prepare for another rally on Nov. 15 at the Northwest Detention Center to show support for detained immigrants.

“On one of our main corners, we have a table where people can write a card to immigrant families,” said Bates. “That’s also a goal we have for today.”

According to NoKings.org, nearly seven million Americans gathered nationwide in over 2,700 cities and towns for the peaceful action. There were two million more participants than at the previous rally in June.

A scene from the No Kings rally held Oct. 18 in Auburn. Photos by Mariah Hill/For the Reporter

A scene from the No Kings rally held Oct. 18 in Auburn. Photos by Mariah Hill/For the Reporter