On a muggy Saturday afternoon in downtown Orange, what started as a smattering of people gathered in front of the Orange County Democratic Committee (OCDC) office on Chapman Street grew to a crowd of approximately 200 winding its way down Madison Road up to the Main Street intersection. 

The demonstration was one of 2,000 events that took place over the weekend as part of “No Kings Day,” a movement led by Indivisible to protest the Trump administration on the day of a multimillion-dollar military parade in Washington, D.C. 

Several people stand on a public sidewalk, some smiling and others holding signs. Next to a building one person wearing an orange vest is speaking into a megaphone facing the crowd.
Local event organizer Sara Shotwell Jaeger addresses protesters at the start of the rally, a joint effort of the Orange, Greene and Madison County Democratic committees. Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow
A woman wearing an orange vest and a paper crown on her head stands next to a building speaking into a megaphone. In her arms is a large folded American flag.
Jaeger holds a flag belonging to her father, the late Alan Shotwell, a career Navy veteran who served in Vietnam and a longtime community leader. Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow

The signs displayed by protesters in Orange were as varied as the reasons Americans have increasingly criticized Trump throughout his second term. Many took aim at the president’s immigration policies, including expanding ICE raids to schools, churches and courthouses in what Trump has called “the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.”

Several people stand on a public sidewalk near a STOP sign, holding several large homemade signs protesting the Trump administration and its policies. Trees and a large white building are visible behind them.
A protester among the crowd holds a “Melt ICE” sign. Some residents attended the protest to speak out against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow

Others showed opposition to federal funding cuts or raised concerns about authoritarianism.

Five people stand on a sidewalk holding signs reading "save our social security" and "protect the constitution of the USA." Trees are visible behind them.
Some residents were concerned about federal funding cuts and overreach by the Trump administration. From left to right, signs read: “Tyrants Aren’t Constitutional Obviously,” “Save Our Social Security” and “Protect the Constitution of the USA.” Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow

Sara Ratcliffe, Democratic candidate for Virginia House of Delegates District 62, arrived about an hour into the event, coming directly from another No Kings rally in nearby Culpeper. (Later in the day, the Culpeper protest turned dangerous as a man allegedly drove his vehicle intentionally into a crowd of departing protesters. According to a news release from the Culpeper Police Department, no injuries were reported but the driver struck at least one person with his vehicle.)

Ratcliffe said it was important to show solidarity with local protesters due proposed cuts to agricultural programs and SNAP benefits, which impact businesses and residents within the region. 

“Here in the 62nd district, 8,000 families benefit from Medicaid and SNAP,” Ratcliffe stated. “If this [federal budget] bill that they’re trying to push passes, those folks will be in severe danger.”

A man in a cowboy hat sits in a chair on a sidewalk surrounded by other people standing and facing the road.
Bill Speiden, a retired dairy farmer from Somerset, attends the rally. Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow

Many of the protesters chose to simply wave the American flag while standing with their fellow community members.

Several people holding American flags stand on the sidewalk next to the road as cars drive by.
Demonstrators wave flags as passing cars honk. Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow
People are gathered next to the road holding large American flags and signs supporting the Army. One of them is wearing a red white and blue cowboy hat.
A protester holds a flag near the Chapman-Madison intersection. Patriotic gear was ubiquitous, and members of the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to the Army. Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow

Standing out from the crowd were “big head” living sculptures by Megan Marlatt, an internationally exhibited artist based in Orange. 

A woman wearing a statue of liberty costume faces a road and holds her head in her hands, pretending to weep. Other protestors holding signs and American flags stand around her.
Megan Marlatt, an artist based in Orange, joined the protest dressed as a weeping Statue of Liberty. Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow
A large paper mache statue of Thomas Jefferson stands above several protestors gathered on the sidewalk near a large white building with a large white clock attached to the side.
A giant Thomas Jefferson, manned by Marlatt’s husband Richard Knox Robinson, peers over a line of protesters at the Main Street intersection. Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow

Despite some heated online rhetoric leading up to the event, only a handful of counter-protesters showed up to stand across the intersection in front of the Orange County courthouse. The site houses a monument erected in 1900 and dedicated to Orange County Confederate soldiers killed in the Civil War. Counter-protesters gathered at the same place during two marches in Orange following George Floyd’s murder in 2020. Saturday’s protest, like the two before it, remained peaceful.

Three men and one woman stand on the sidewalk near a large monument with a building with large white brick columns behind them. A confederate flag is placed on top of a sign on the sidewalk.
Counter-protesters talk near the courthouse steps next to a Confederate monument, placing a Confederate flag atop a sandwich board. Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow

“We wanted to unite in a peaceful way to express our discontent with the current administration’s policies,” said OCDC Co-Chair John Rhett, adding that organizers received advance de-escalation training from Indivisible.

Participants represented a wide range of walks of life and experiences with activism. Jamie Dawson was a first-time protester.

A person wearing a baseball cap stands on the sidewalk holding a sign reading "Honk for Democracy, No Kings." Several other people with signs reading "No Kings" with pictures of American flags are visible in the background
“I’m very afraid of Donald Trump being above the law,” resident Jamie Dawson shared. “I mean, he can do whatever he wants to whoever he wants, and I’m in the LGBTQ community — I’m fair game.” Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow

Not far from Dawson, retired Air Force veteran Walter Burgess was also attending his first protest. Burgess did not hold back, calling President Donald Trump “a draft dodger and a criminal,” as well as “a thief undeserving of public office.” 

Three people stand holding signs reading "liberty and justice for all" and other slogans. A man standing in the middle is wearing a military cap and looking out into the distance.
Walter Burgess gazes ahead during the No Kings protest. Burgess, who is a retired Air Force veteran and was attending his first protest, called President Trump “a thief undeserving of public office.” Credit: Andra Landi/Charlottesville Tomorrow

Despite the serious issues that drove protesters to the rally, most of the crowd seemed hopeful.  Attending his third protest, Kevin Gibson shared that while he is alarmed by a perceived disregard for checks and balances, he doesn’t believe it’s too late for engaged citizens to shift the country back towards its democratic ideals.

“I think we can pull it back in,” Gibson said. “I think it’s time to take a stand.”

I work with Charlottesville Tomorrow to make sure that the stories we publish are clear, factual and relevant to our readers. I'm passionate about the beauty and diversity of central Virginia’s rural communities, where I've spent my entire career as a local journalist.