by Cassandra Stephenson, Tennessee Lookout
June 14, 2025

Metro Nashville Police officers arrested a masked counter protester carrying what appeared to be a handgun and a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag at the “No Kings” protest at Bicentennial Park during Saturday’s “No Kings” protest in Nashville.

No shots were fired.

Kase Cosgrove, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and safety volunteer attending the protest, said he approached the man after other protesters told him the man was armed and spitting and shoving people while walking through the crowd.

Cosgrove said he walked toward the man and saw him tapping on what appeared to be a handgun and pulling it out of its holster to show people he was armed. Cosgrove approached him and attempted to talk to him but three police officers quickly arrived, retrieved the weapon and put the man in handcuffs.

Cosgrove said the protest — part of a nationwide protest against the Trump administration — has been peaceful and fittingly musical, being in Music City.

Thousands of people attended the protest, lining the sidewalks along Jefferson Street and Rosa Parks Blvd. and walking through Bicentennial Park after a brief gathering at the park’s amphitheater. Cheers, musical instruments and car horns echoed up and down the street.

Protesters ranged in age from young adults to the elderly, and many people brought children and dogs.

“Everybody else is being chill,” said Cosgrove. ”  . . . He was trying to cause problems.”

Protesters yelled at the man as police put him into an MNPD golf cart. Cosgrove was among them, shouting, “You got tread on!”

The man, still masked, responded by showing the crowd his middle finger.

As police drove away protesters turned toward the officers and said, “thank you for keeping us safe.”

A spokesperson for Metro Police told the Lookout they did not yet have the man’s name.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.

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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: Center-Left

This content presents a factual account of a protest against the Trump administration, highlighting the peaceful nature of the event and focusing on a disruption caused by an armed counter-protester. The tone is neutral with slight emphasis on the protest being orderly and broadly supported by diverse participants, which aligns with moderate progressive viewpoints critical of the former administration. The source and details suggest a Center-Left leaning without explicit partisan language or strong ideological framing.