by Abigail Didonna, Will Firra, Zoe Naylor and Peter Pynadath, Missouri Independent
June 14, 2025

Thousands turned out in Columbia, Jefferson City and dozens of towns across Missouri on Saturday to join a nationwide mobilization against the expansion of executive power by the president.

The “No Kings” demonstrations took place in all 50 states, with at least 30 rallies in Missouri, from Columbia to St. Louis, Kansas City to Cape Girardeau, Springfield to St. Joseph, and around the steps of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.

The widespread national movement came after more than a week of demonstrations against federal immigration raids, largely in Los Angeles where President Donald Trump activated the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the authority of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Saturday’s protests were timed to match a military parade in Washington, D.C., marking the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army and coinciding with Trump’s 79th birthday.

In St. Louis, news outlets reported that thousands participated in at least a dozen rallies in the city and the county, while thousands more marched in Kansas City, 2,000 lined the streets in Springfield and several hundred turned out in Joplin.

In addition to the rallies in U.S. cities, including in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles, there were gatherings in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.

Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Thursday that he was activating the Missouri National Guard ahead of the planned rallies but indicated they would be mobilized only if “assistance is needed to support local law enforcement.”

But organizers nationwide vowed to keep the protests peaceful, and very little disturbance or police presence was observed in Columbia and central Missouri.

The atmosphere at the Boone County Courthouse in Columbia was upbeat Saturday as at least 1,000 people gathered to express their frustrations with the Trump administration.

Friends and neighbors mingled while speeches and live music filled the courthouse amphitheater, making the protest feel more like a block party than a demonstration.

Cars passing on Walnut Street answered protesters’ signs with honks of support. In the shade of the plaza parking garage, a hot dog stand sold food and drinks, while more protesters watched and waved American flags from the top floor of the garage.

Flags, signs and apparel at the protest were representative of the diverse range of people who showed up and the variety of grievances they have with Trump.

Chants in support of women and transgender rights were popular, and a number of signs focused on accusations of sexual misconduct against the president. Many brought American flags, some displayed upside down in an act traditionally used to signal distress.

During the rally, Ken Pearson said he was offended by Trump using his wealth and status to avoid military service.

“But beyond that, I think he’s a real threat to our democratic institutions,” said Pearson, who is a U.S. Army veteran.

Amy Lovelady came with her daughter to the protest to set an example.

“At this moment in our history if we’re silent, then we’re complacent,” Lovelady said.

Her daughter, Laila, added: “I just want everyone to be equal, and I want to have equality for everyone. It’s liberty and justice for all.”

Many people also expressed concerns about the Trump administration’s fiscal policies. Protesters called for the protection of funding for health care, schools, universities, conservation work and the U.S. Postal Service.

Demonstrators began gathering at the courthouse plaza around 11 a.m. for two hours of speeches and music.

For many who were closer to the road than the amphitheater, it was hard to hear, so instead, they chanted and socialized. Law enforcement presence at the event was light. Some officers helped keep people out of the street while others were seen near an ambulance on Ninth Street.

The steps of the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City were packed with more than 1,000 protesters of all ages opposing deportation, restrictions to reproductive rights and federal funding cuts and layoffs.

The protest was organized by We Stand United Missouri, an organization that promotes political activism at the local level.

Speakers included Suzanne Luther, state House District 60 candidate; David Knipp, union and labor advocate; and Jordan Herrera, congressional candidate for Missouri’s 5th District.

Knipp, who goes by “Proud Union Guy,” said he was concerned about right-to-work laws and maintaining prevailing wage regulations.

“We’re the backbone of America,” Knipp told the crowd. “We don’t just build America — we are America.”

After hearing from speakers, protesters marched around the block, passing the Missouri Governor’s Mansion before returning to the Capitol building.

Their reasons for coming included a love of country, a desire to uphold checks and balances, and ensuring funds for state and federal programs.

Arianna Hensley-Parker, a 27-year-old mother who came with her kids, 6 and 3, said she was advocating for their futures, including continued access to health care.

She said her 3-year-old son received medical care and therapy from a program run by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays.

Hensley-Parker said the state-run program “was a huge reason why he can talk today.”

A couple from Linn, Rob Overly and Kate Wilson-Overly, came to protest funding cuts to Medicaid and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Rob Overly’s mother was on Medicaid, he said, which helped pay for her colon cancer surgery. The procedure wouldn’t have elongated her life, but it did help her in her final days, he said.

“If it was not for Medicaid, that would not have happened,” said Overly, a member of the Osage County Democrats and a retired architect, “so I know how valuable that is.”

Everyone dies, Overly said, “but the question is how.”

Another couple traveled 2½ hours from Unionville to attend the rally. Steve, 64, and Jeanna Grimes, 63, said they were worried about funding cuts to Veterans Affairs programs, Social Security and international aid.

“We have 22 grandkids and three great-grandkids,” Steve Grimes said. “What is the country going to be like for them?”

His wife added that she thinks not just beyond her generation, but beyond U.S. borders, too.

“We really want good for the world. Why would they cut all the aid to other countries?” she said. “That’s soft power. That’s a beautiful thing.”

At least 100 protestors stood their ground outside the Cooper County Courthouse in Boonville, receiving honks and praise, as well as a few hostile signals from cars passing by on Main Street.

Boonville’s “No Kings” protest attracted people from the nearby communities of Moberly, Blackwater and Glasgow, but most were residents of the town.

Some said they had participated in historic movements before, including Mary Norbury, who held up a sign that read, “Jesus believed in DEI.”

“I think democratic ideals are just being shattered daily,” she said. “I believe in Christian principles, and that’s why I’m here.”

Norbury said she had joined a protest as a student at Duke University on behalf of Black workers who weren’t receiving compensation equal to their white counterparts.

After participating in a number of acts of civil disobedience, she said she believes everyone of any age should be able to voice an opinion, no matter how controversial.

“If they don’t, they have no right to complain about anything that happens,” she said. “You just have to be involved.”

Gaye Perera, former federal employee, helped organize Good Trouble Mid MO, an ad hoc committee in Boonville with more than 100 members. The organization’s mission is to “provide a voice for those concerned about the current direction of the country and how it impacts our community.”

“I do know that some members of our community, our Black neighbors and our LGBTQ neighbors, are more reluctant to come out, understandably, so it’s important that we represent them too,” Perera said.

Tamara and Lynn Lynch, a married couple from Boonville, said they were protesting to “make an impact.” Tamara Lynch is a former special education teacher, and Lynn Lynch is a special education compliance consultant at the University of Missouri.

“We believe the administration right now is continuing to break laws that are constitutional,” Lynn Lynch said. “There’s no reason to make cuts on the backs of people who are seniors, who are disabled, and our children, to give tax breaks to the wealthiest of this country.”

Tamara Lynch said her and her wife felt safe and protected, but she expressed concerns about the future of other protected rights under the Constitution.

“I’m worried that women’s right to vote could be compromised,” she said.

“We already lost the right to make decisions about our own body,” Lynn Lynch added.

Between the Howard County Courthouse and the First Baptist Church on Saturday morning in Fayette, protesters stood in clusters, held “No Kings” banners and talked about their perception of a broken democracy.

There were no chants. There were no speeches. The crowd of about 40 aired their frustrations and grappled with the last six months of chaotic change in America’s political system.

The conversations addressed what the protesters saw as threats to the Constitution, cruelty toward others who may not have strong voices and a general “decay of democracy.”

“The way he’s treating our immigrants and being so cruel, it’s just not right,” said Peggy Robb, 71, who had turned out for her first protest.

“I’m a God-fearing woman, and I just can’t believe you could treat other human beings in that way,” she said.

She also spoke as a retired teacher, and said she opposes the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.

Another protester, Beth Gold, said that in a small town, there is social pressure to respond to your neighbor in a friendly way. So, she said she was trying to spread her message through kindness while waving and smiling at cars passing by.

“I know everybody doesn’t agree with us, but if they can see us as people and not the enemy, that’s good,” Gold said. “We’ve made progress.”

Among a crowd that skewed older, John Tinker and his sister, Hope, were continuing a mission to promote change through protest that began nearly 60 years ago.

In 1968, John was a lead plaintiff in the landmark First Amendment Supreme Court case, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, which established free speech as a protected right in America’s public schools.

He and another sister, Mary Beth, along with several others, wore black armbands to their public school to protest American involvement in the Vietnam War. After he was suspended, the Tinkers sued, and their case ended up before the Supreme Court.

The majority of Justices determined that students and teachers do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

On Saturday, John and Hope Tinker held onto the promise that protest can make meaningful change when principles are involved.

“The main thing I think that needs to happen is for society to affirm to itself that it wants to be a democratic society,” he said. “That it wants to be represented in government. That it doesn’t want a government that goes off on its own and does stuff. It wants to be what the American promise was.”

“No kings!” his sister added, as the protesters began to head home in late morning.

This story first appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online. 

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

The post Anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies draw thousands to peaceful protests across Missouri appeared first on missouriindependent.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Left-Leaning

This article documents a series of protests explicitly opposing former President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies, presenting a narrative sympathetic to demonstrators. It includes numerous participant quotes critical of Trump’s actions, references to diverse progressive causes (e.g., LGBTQ+ rights, Medicaid, public education), and highlights concerns about authoritarianism, immigration, and fiscal priorities. The tone throughout favors the protestors’ perspectives while offering no equivalent viewpoints or defenses from those aligned with the Trump administration. Though rooted in factual event coverage, the language and selective emphasis indicate a clear left-leaning orientation in framing and presentation.