Ariel Bruegman-Hykes and her 17-year-old daughter, Javen Dale, were two of an estimated 3,000 protesters who showed up with their signs, chants and car horns at a third No Kings protest in downtown Akron Saturday.

“Everybody says that one voice doesn’t make a difference, but when you get all the voices together, it does make a difference and people can see it,” Bruegman-Hykes said.

The pair are regular attendees at events like No Kings, having attended all three in Akron as well as Planned Parenthood rallies in Cuyahoga Falls.

The No Kings rallies are a series of planned nationwide protest events against President Donald Trump and the actions of his administration.

More than 3,300 No Kings protests took place Saturday across all 50 states, with a flagship rally  in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during confrontations with Immigration Customs and Enforcement.

In Akron, many of the protesters shared sentiments against Trump’s deployment of ICE, with some carrying signs declaring solidarity with Minnesota or Good and Pretti specifically. Mason Marks, who lives in North Hill, became emotional when he explained why he attended the event.

“Every day he commits another crime, and he’s taken billions from us,” Marks said of the president. “He’s only for himself. I’ve known what he’s like for almost 40 years, and he hasn’t changed.”

The demonstration lasted from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, with protesters lining the sidewalks along the intersection of Market and Main streets for about a block in every direction. 

Akron NAACP joins No Kings

Bruegman-Hykes said getting young people involved in politics is as important to a healthy democracy as it is to her personally. “If we don’t speak up, nobody’s going to speak up for us,” she said.

She’s voted in every general and special election since she turned 18, she said.

“Sitting at home on your couch saying ‘This sucks’ doesn’t do any good,” she said. “Seeing all these people together standing up for the same thing is all we can do.”

The Trump administration’s legislative efforts against the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants and others inspired many of the local organizations advocating for diversity to make their presence known.

Previous anti-Trump protests — such as the first round of No Kings last June — faced scrutiny for a lack of diversity. But on Saturday, the Akron NAACP made its first No Kings appearance.

“I think that all the parties are coming together and recognizing how much stronger our voices are together,” said Akron NAACP President Judi Hill. “But I really do feel I’m still not over the fact that half these people put [Trump] in.”

Hill said the militarization of ICE is her biggest concern. She said that the deployments of ICE into cities that did not ask for its intervention are “out of hand.” She added that she is skeptical of ICE officers’ training and credentials.

While many attendees said they participated in all three rounds of No Kings protests, Saturday’s event attracted a number of first-timers. Fredericka Hamner-Roberts cheered and waved as cars drove past and honked to show support.

Hamner-Roberts’ work involves assisting an elderly Republican family — she said they were the very people who inspired her to turn up for her first No Kings rally.

“They were like, ‘It’s nonsense, we didn’t vote for this and you need to stand up,’” Hamner-Roberts said. “It’s the fact that Caucasian people are fed up too. That fact is making me like, ‘Well, I guess we have something to be fed up about.’”

Surrounded by ‘like-minded people’

Indivisible Akron, among other groups, helped organize and guide this protest, with Co-chair Lisa Schoenberg helping freelance traffic direction when the traffic lights at Main and Market quit working. 

Boosting and maintaining morale was a significant focus of the organizers, Schoenberg said, directing attention to the Justice Choir of Northeast Ohio. 

“The energy is really hot; we added music for the first time,” she said. “It took me many days to get the schedule right, and I cried a couple of times, but it turned out really wonderful. People are taking their anger and transforming it into happiness to be with their people.”

The Justice Choir sang pieces such as “This Land is Your Land” by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, who famously wielded a guitar scrawled with the slogan “This Machine Kills Fascists.”

“Its nice to be surrounded by like-minded people so you don’t feel despair,” said Akron native Pete Singer, who’s been to all three No Kings rallies in Akron. “They just keep getting bigger.”

Schoenberg said that as the 2026 midterm elections draw nearer, concentrating the efforts of the diaspora of demonstrators to encourage their friends and neighbors to vote is paramount.

“Once everyone goes home, our job is to grab this energy right here, take it and run,” Schoenberg said. “Getting voters motivated and getting them out to register is really important right now.”