Protesters in downtown Fort Worth declare US has ‘No Kings’
June 14,2025
See full Fort Worth Report article by Drew Shaw here.
Cars honked, motors revved, crowds chanted and drums beat across Burk Burnett Park for more than three hours June 14 in near-100-degree temperatures for the Fort Worth “No Kings” protest.
The Fort Worth Police Department estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people gathered for the protest, which joined more than 1,800 such events being held in cities nationwide for a declared “No Kings Day.” The national demonstrations coincide with President Donald Trump’s birthday and the administration’s military parade in Washington, D.C.
Activists said they came to the rally because of a range of issues — most of which could be traced to a general feeling that Trump has overstepped his constitutional authority and is a threat to the country’s democracy.
They held signs protesting issues including the Trump administration policies on immigration, tariffs and abortion. Activists also protested local Republicans, including Bo French, chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, and Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare.
In the North Texas area, eight protests were affiliated with the national movement, according to Fox 4, including one that drew over 1,000 people in Arlington.
Protest stays peaceful, despite national unrest
Against the backdrop of a week of national unease and disagreement over the use of law enforcement and military presence at demonstrations, the protest in Fort Worth stayed peaceful. Top of mind for many activists were anti-immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles, which over the past week saw heightened military presence and scattered escalations into rioting.
In Fort Worth, protesters stayed off the streets, businesses immediately surrounding the park stayed open, and interactions with law enforcement remained civil and respectful. Police issued no arrests or citations in connection with the protest, a department spokesperson confirmed to the Report.
Organizers told the Report before the protest that they were coordinating closely with the Fort Worth Police Department to ensure a peaceful demonstration.
“We made it a point to make it peaceful,” said Ann Ware, an organizer for the event and founder of Indivisible Fort Worth, a chapter of the national organization Indivisible, which stands against perceived threats to democracy from Trump.
Ware said the afternoon went “even better” than she could have hoped. The day was dominated by a “positive culture,” and while a few people got “pushy-shovey,” no attempts to stir chaos amounted to anything, she said.
“Bo French insisted this was a Marxist riot that will be violent,” said Eddie Delgado, an organizer with Indivisible Fort Worth who lives in White Settlement. Speaking into a megaphone as the event started he said, “This will not be violent. It will not be tolerated.”
Delgado was referring to French’s recent post on X of the event’s poster and a caption warning the event would see “paid agitators from outside of Fort Worth” and “pallets of bricks and premade shields.”
No organized counterprotest appeared to have a presence at the protest, although a few solo activists were reported to be walking through the crowds in dissent.
“Local protests were embarrassingly under attended, which is saying something since many were paid to be there,” French said in a statement to the Report on Saturday evening. “The notion Trump is a king is a typical leftist tactic to change the definition of words. Texas was ready to deal with any violence unlike the communist lovers in California.”
In a previous social media post before the protest, French stated the California protests were driven by the nation’s “radical left groups,” some of which are affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. He said the protests are driven by a “network of subversive and potentially-violent activists attempting to destroy our county and our country.”
Dagirlea Withers, a surgical technologist who attended the protest with her sister-in-law Julie Withers, said she wasn’t worried about any escalations to the protest or clashes with law enforcement, although she might have been were she protesting in a city like San Antonio or Austin.
“It’s the Cowtown mentality, where it’s just: ‘Chill out,’” Julie Withers said, adding that Fort Worth’s No Kings protest would likely draw a smaller crowd than Dallas, which is politically more Democratic.
The two said they were there to protest Trump’s leadership, which they see as “trying to create chaos.”
“He’s trying to pit Americans against Americans, and it’s disgusting,” Julie said. “You’re losing family members, you’re losing friends, for all of this fake crap that they’re creating. They’re making things seem worse than they actually are to incite people.”
Attendees advocate for unity
Amanda Hernandez, a Fort Worth resident, threaded through the crowds of protesters Saturday, pulling a wagon of water bottles and handing them out for free. She and her 16-year-old daughter, Lydia, took cash donations as they walked, promising to buy more water and return.
Hernandez said she wasn’t there for either political side — only to represent “peace, love, compassion and understanding.”
“I feel that this country is already torn apart as it is, and we have lost focus on what the meaning of humanity is,” she said. “We’ve been consumed with hate and chaos. It’s time to show love.”
She wasn’t alone in the sentiment, as the words “unity,” “understanding” and “love” were commonly plastered across signs.
John Cordell, a Fort Worth teacher, attended the protest with his parents, both in their late 80s, and his 21-year-old son. He summarized his motivation for attending the protest as concern over Trump’s tendency to push the boundaries of the executive office.
“America was founded to have a balance of powers, and it’s founded so that the people could have a voice in the government that’s elected,” Cordell said. “Just because you become president does not mean that you can then disregard approximately half or more of the country without consulting with Congress and the judicial branch.”
He said he was slightly worried that morning about a possible National Guard presence, especially in light of the day’s military parade in Washington, D.C.
“If you’re not careful, that can be a show … just to intimidate your own citizenry, which is completely inappropriate in a thriving democracy,” he said.
Cordell, a Christian, said his faith was an important element in his feelings against Trump. He specifically pointed to the Trump administration’s immigration policies and deportations as things he feels compelled to stand against.
“As Christians, we’re called by our faith, not to just prefer Americans or just white people or whatever your specific race is,” he said. “We’re called to treat everybody — as far as my reading of the Christian faith — we’re called to treat everybody with respect.”
Fort Worth City Council members Chris Nettles and Elizabeth Beck, along with newly elected council member Mia Hall, attended the protest.
“It’s important that our local community and residents and neighbors understand that their elected officials support the same mission that they support: equality, rights, freedom of democracy,” said Nettles, who represents parts of southeast Fort Worth and the Historic Southside. “We’re here to show solidarity, to show support, and if they want to march, we march, if they want to rally, we rally.”
Beck, who represents downtown, the West 7th entertainment district and the Near Southside area, said she was proud of the organizers’ emphasis on keeping the protest peaceful.
“(They) reminded all in attendance that the purpose of this was to peacefully come together and engage in our First Amendment right, and that agitators weren’t going to be tolerated,” she said, adding she was proud of the police department’s handling of the crowd.
The last of the protesters dispersed about 4:30 p.m., about six hours after the crowd began forming.
Ware said she was especially happy about the community that she’d seen come together for the event.
“The idea that so many people came together in Fort Worth in a peaceful way is something we should be proud of,” Ware said.
Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601.
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This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Location Mentioned: Burnett Park