“No Kings” participant Jay Beasley holds up a pro-democracy protest sign in Albemarle on June 14. Photo courtesy Peter Asciutto

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ALBEMARLE — A crowd of around 200 people took part in the “No Kings” protest held in Albemarle on Saturday morning.

Demonstrators protesting recently-elected President Donald Trump stood on the sidewalk near the corner of Leonard Avenue and N.C. Highway 24-27, waving American flags and a variety of anti-authoritarian signs that signaled support for the protection of democracy, due process and immigrant rights.

National organizers claim that more than five million people took part in demonstrations in over 2,000 cities and towns across the country on Saturday. The gatherings were timed for the same day as a military parade in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.

Former Stanly County Board of Commissioners member Peter Asciutto attended the No Kings protest in Albemarle and described it as an “interesting and positive event” with an “impressive line of people.”

“It was very positive — there was no violence, just people there trying to make a difference,” said Asciutto, now a marketing instructor at Anson High School. “The feeling I got from the ground is that a lot of people feel that the Trump administration has too much power in the executive branch. There were some people there who saw immigration as their main reason for coming and feel that it’s been overkill on immigration with the ICE raids.”

The No Kings theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement to support against what it calls the executive overreach of the Trump administration, which has recently deployed National Guard members and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests against ICE immigration raids. The Albemarle protest was organized by Indivisible Uwharrie, a local chapter of a larger national organization.

Ariel Dennis, a social worker with Stanly County DSS, said the idea of 200 people coming out locally to support the protest was phenomenal.

“Our little town was able to show such support on the right side of history, and especially show the other side that there are more of us than there are of them, and that we do not condone tyrants,” Dennis said. “As a social worker, I talk with these people daily and I see what the community actually needs. They need actual leadership and support, and we are not finding that with our current president.”

“We need more hometown folks to support our democracy,” noted Jera Norwood, who lives in Oakboro. “The more we can get, the better.”

Kathy Johansen, who lives in Albemarle and owns an entertainment company along with being an impersonator and a stand-up comedian, went all out for the rally dressed in a full queen outfit, crown included, with a sign saying, “This queen says no kings.”

“In everything I do, I have to put in a little flavor… it was a great turnout today for the people for democracy,” Johansen said.

Not everyone in Albemarle was on board with the message of the No Kings protest.

On the other side of the street, around 20 pro-Trump counter-protesters stood in opposition to the event, waving American flags and signs in support of the president and ICE.

Brian Talbert, who organized the Trump supporters, said those on the other side of the road “are claiming to be American, so why are they standing against our President, our nation and our law enforcement? They are standing with illegal immigrants. That’s an illegal invasion.”

“We are standing up for our country, president, and our law enforcement,” Talbert added. “Stuff like this can not go unchallenged. Trump has done nothing unconstitutional.”

While opponents of No Kings have criticized the nationwide rallies as being hyperbolic, claims of the current presidential administration’s fascination with monarchical imagery aren’t without reference.

On Feb. 19, the official White House social media accounts depicted Trump as a crowned king in a picture, posting an AI-generated Time magazine cover of the president alongside a caption that included the phrase “long live the king!”

Last week, ahead of the protests, Trump said “I don’t feel like a king, I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” when asked about the protests at a White House event. “No, no. We’re not a king. We’re not a king at all, thank you very much.”

“The Republicans in Congress don’t realize that they’re not giving executive power to Donald Trump,” Asciutto said. “They’re giving power to every single future president that comes along, every single one. That’s the point where we’re electing kings that don’t have to go through Congress.”

With 145 executive orders signed since Jan. 20, Trump’s second term has begun with the fastest executive order pace of any president in over 80 years.