By foot, car or horseback, Rock Hill anti-Trump marchers upbeat at ‘No Kings’ rally
Rock Hill resident Dean Withers, a Revolutionary War reenactor, mounted a horse called “Cats” and joined thousands of other anti-Trump protesters Saturday afternoon at the “No Kings” rally in the city, part of nationwide demonstrations.
Withers drew comparisons between America’s fight for independence from the British throne and today’s fight against the Trump administration.
Protesters gathered for what organizers billed as a “day of defiance in response to the increasing authoritarianism of the Trump administration.”
The event falls on the same day as President Donald Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C., celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. It’s also Trump’s 79th birthday.
Organizers were expecting over 1,500 people to attend, and by the looks of things, most did.
People gathered along Dave Lyle Boulevard, mainly between Main and White streets. Many cheered and some blew bubbles at the upbeat event. There was no visible police presence, aside from an officer who drove down Dave Lyle Boulevard once with a public address system asking residents to remain clear of the road.
‘We’re against authoritarianism’
The crowd grew as the event unfolded, despite 85-degree weather and clear skies. The group was largely seniors early, in part due to carpools that came from the Sun City retirement community in Indian Land.
“We’re here to let the world know that we’re against authoritarianism, and we feel that that’s the way the country is starting to move,” said Dave Doerr, who cam with his wife Debra from Sun City. “And it’s very upsetting to us. We can’t understand why others don’t see that.”
Immigration has been a primary motivator for many first-time protesters coming out, said Brian Ballard, one of the rally organizers.
“With these immigration raids, they’re people who they work with. They’re people who work with them.”
Moriah Yager, a mental health worker from Charlotte, stopped at the Rock Hill protest on her way to a family vacation. She’s protesting on her clients’ behalf, concerned they could lose coverage should Medicaid get cut. She has much to lose, too. “That’s my income,” Yager said.
Their first protest
Other people had a range of reasons for joining the protest.
Bee Wenzel lives just a few minutes from the site of the protest, but social anxiety has kept them from showing up at other protests.
“But everybody has their limits,” Wenzel said. “If we don’t come out and speak, nothing will change.” Wenzel, who identifies as non-binary, said they have been especially dismayed by the Trump administration’s policies impacting transgender people.
Conditions for their community have been improving over time, Wenzel said, and they want to continue that forward momentum for future generations.
Anna Johnson came from Clover, dressed as a Founding Father and waving an upside down American flag. She’s been to several protests in the region, hoping people stepping out en masse will show elected officials they don’t have to be afraid of Trump.
“I am extremely disheartened that most of America — most of my family anyways, many Americans — seem to think that everything that’s happening is Constitutional,” Johnson said.
Ignoring a counter-protester
A dark-colored truck with a Trump flag was driving around a parking lot, asking people who were walking to the protest whether they like the flag. Several trucks with Trump flags circled the parking lot as protesters arrived more than an hour before the event.
Volunteers with York County Rising, the event organizer, told the crowd to ignore them. “They can waste their gas. They can ruin their tires. We don’t care,” one volunteer said over a microphone.
She also instructed the crowd to alert organizers if they see Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the premises. “If ICE shows up, nobody gets taken,” she said.
The No Kings movement is committed to nonviolence, according to its website. Protesters are expected to remain peaceful and follow the law.
Other protests in the region
A handful of other protests are scattered around the greater Charlotte area, including Albemarle, Monroe, Mooresville, uptown Charlotte and Waxhaw.
This is not the only anti-Trump rally set for Rock Hill. Another is planned for Monday, but that one also targets U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, and is called “No Norman, No Kings.” His district covers York County and parts of the Upstate. Norman is a member of the Freedom Caucus, home to some of the most conservative members of Congress.
Monday’s event is set for 10 a.m. at Fountain Park, and is organized by York County Indivisible, another progressive activist group.
Events like the one Saturday in Rock Hill show a movement is growing, said Joel Schaffer from Sun City in Indian Land.
He’s hopeful the momentum will carry over to elections and unseat Republicans like Norman despite this part of South Carolina typically voting Republican.
“There would be a fighting chance,” Schaffer said.
This story was originally published June 14, 2025 at 9:00 AM.
