ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Saturday’s No Kings gathering in Asheville looked more like a get-out-the-vote drive than a protest. Marchers set off from Pack Square Park in the afternoon, wound through downtown behind a marching band and finished at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, with organizers steering the crowd toward the polls.
Organizers put the crowd at upward of 600 by the time the march left the park. The route took a roundabout path and at times held up traffic as the column moved through downtown streets.
The timing was deliberate. North Carolina opened early voting on Oct. 15, two days before the rally, and speakers and signs leaned on turnout as much as on criticism of the Trump administration. Booths in the park linked people with local nonprofits and service groups, and volunteers offered know-your-rights sessions.
It was at least the fourth nationwide No Kings day of action. Earlier Asheville events have drawn bigger crowds; organizers had said before Saturday that they hoped for 500 to 1,000 people after a past event drew about 3,000.
The Asheville Police Department said ahead of the march that it would monitor the event and had specialty teams on standby if needed while still answering calls across the rest of the city. Organizers said earlier events had passed without incidents.
For the first time, Weaverville also held its own No Kings demonstration on Saturday. Organizers there chose the town because its early voting site sits at the Weaverville Community Center, and they wanted people to be able to walk from the rally to cast a ballot. Hendersonville drew a separate rally on its Historic Courthouse Square in the morning.
Section: More Asheville NC politics news
Filed under: Asheville NC Politics News
