Over 1,000 demonstrators participated in a Murfreesboro, Tennessee, ‘No Kings’ protest with picket signs speckling the grass and sidewalks along Medical Center Parkway near the Avenue, a popular shopping center.

Small groups turned into crowds that generated a chanting hum that clashed with traffic as it whirred by. Participation reached unexpected numbers, and turnout rivaled previous Nashville protests. 

“We want to defend democracy and the founders, many years ago, one of the things they did, one of the things they stood up against was tyranny and a monarch,” Susan Myers-Shirk, the Murfreesboro organizer for Indivisible, the organization that founded the No Kings movement, said.

The movement opposes many of the Trump administration’s actions, such as increasing unregulated ICE raids that challenge due process and the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which could cut Medicaid and raise taxes for Americans earning less than $30,000 a year, Myers-Shirk said. 

“To me, ‘No Kings’ means upholding the principles that have kept our country intact for 250 years,” said Jorge Avila, MTSU College Democrats president, who attended the protest. “We have made an effort, this project, in the U.S., to rule on popular sovereignty.”

Avila wanted to encourage students to use their voices, specifically following the recent changes to the university’s DEI programs.

The rally began at 10 a.m., but protesters arrived well over 30 minutes early to beat the forecasted rain. Participants lined the sidewalk, passing Mimi’s Cafe and Chili’s, and spilled over onto either side of the Avenue entrance.  Over 700 people registered, but the turnout doubled expectations, Myers-Shirk said.

Protesters cheered and hollered at oncoming motorists, chanting, “No King, no crown, we won’t back down” and “Love, not hate, that’s what makes America great” throughout a sea of bodies and colorful signs that decorated the strips of grass between asphalt and concrete. 

Cumberland Presbyterian minister and founder of faith-based activism organization Murfreesboro Loves, Reverend Joy Warren, said it’s essential to facilitate community. Warren said she’s “absolutely against Christian nationalism, period,” in response to the presence of anti-protesters.

Many participants held signs that voiced concerns regarding the ICE raids in Nashville and spoke about their fears for state safety. 

Trump said the ICE raids are for safety, however.

The president characterized illegal border crossing as an “invasion” in a post on Truth Social.

“America was invaded and occupied,” Trump said in the June 12 post. “I am reversing the Invasion … Our courageous ICE Officers, who are daily being subjected to doxxing and murder threats, are HEROES. We will always have their back as they carry out this noble mission.”

But Warren sees it as more of a civil rights issue.

“We don’t want to see people removed from their families or kids coming home from school to find their families gone,” Warren said.

Participants chanted, and bystanders honked in solidarity, but some motorists demonstrated disdain for the movement. 

Some counterprotesters drove by, but no one stayed for long. One black Jeep decorated with Trump flags flew by as four people in red MAGA hats hung out of the sides, yelling, “You’re traitors to your country.” 

Phil Barkley, a retired mental health practitioner and previous consultant for the National Institute of Mental Health, dressed in a full clown suit, complete with a matching multi-colored polka-dot top hat and bow tie, a red nose and a hand-made sign drawn with bright markers. The sign read, “Elect a clown, get a royal circus.” 

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Barkley said as the Jeep passed. “They see anything that doesn’t agree with him as a traitor.”

Murfreesboro police, traffic organizers and Indivisible Murfreesboro safety monitors assisted in organization and de-escalation, Myers-Shirk said. 

“I think the plan is de-escalation, we don’t want to fight,” Myers-Shirk said. “[Counter protestors] are welcome because they have a right to free speech, too, and if they want to come and counter-protest, they can do that.”

21 Tennessee cities participated in the No Kings protests:

• Knoxville

  

• Chattanooga
• Tullahoma
• Memphis
• Union City
• Sevierville
• Clarksville
• Kings Port
• Gallatin
• Pulaski
• Murfreesboro
• Jackson
• Nashville
• Cookville
• Winchester
• Crossville
• Morristown
• Maryville
• Madisonville
• Johnson City
• Bolivar

The ‘No Kings’ movement organized nearly 2,000 protests nationwide this weekend through groups like Indivisible, 50501 and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Hannah Carley, a recent Sidelines alum, contributed to this article.