Raleigh to hold 2 ‘No Kings’ rallies on Saturday. What to know about the 2 sites
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Raleigh's 'No Kings' protest moved to Capital Boulevard due to downtown conflicts.
- Organizers say this will help them reach less engaged audiences in a busy corridor.
- Raleigh police say they have learned lessons since 2020 George Floyd protests.
Updated: This article was updated to reflect a second “No Kings” rally has been organized and is set for downtown Raleigh.
Hundreds of protests against authoritarianism and President Donald Trump are set for Saturday, including two rallies in Raleigh.
One of them is not scheduled to be held in downtown. Instead, protesters will line up on a stretch of sidewalk along Capital Boulevard near the Triangle Town Center.
“We originally hoped to hold the action downtown near the Capitol, as we have done in the past,” said Cole Dragotta, communications director for 50501 NC, one of the organizations behind the rally.
“However, due to pre-existing cultural event permits and logistical conflicts, which are common since our dates are selected nationally through ranked-choice voting, we were unable to secure a Capitol location in time,” Dragotta explained.
A second rally, organized by the North Carolina and Wake County Democratic parties, will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday in downtown Raleigh at the Capitol building.
“This is business as normal, and we will not look away,” according to a Facebook post from the Wake County Democrats. “We stand with our immigrant neighbors. We reject military occupation of civilian life. We refuse to normalize dictatorship — even when it’s draped in red, white, and blue.”
The protests, originally set to coincide with Flag Day and Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C, have morphed into protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles and other cities.
ICE ramped up its raids in an effort to deport 3,000 people a day, according to national media outlets.
When and where is the Raleigh protest?
▪ A “No Kings” protest is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 6101 Capital Blvd., between Old Wake Forest Road and Oak Forest Drive.
▪ A second “No Kings” protest will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. Saturday at the State Capitol in downtown Raleigh.
There are more than 50 other “No Kings” protests scheduled across North Carolina.
Has a permit been issued for the protests?
No permits were issued as of Wednesday afternoon, but that is a “normal practice” for protests in the city, said LaToya Hughes, a spokesperson for the Raleigh Police Department.
“We can confirm that even though no permit was filed, we are aware and will have a plan in place as usual,” she said.
What did the police chief say about the protests?
Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce was asked about protests during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
“Some people are a little bit on edge with what’s going on in LA right now,” said council member Jane Harrison. “Because we’re the capital city, we do have a lot of protests. And I wonder if you can just speak to RPD’s role when there is a peaceful demonstration.”
Boyce said police have learned lessons since the George Floyd protests of 2020 and have a lot of experience with protests given the number that occur in the capital city.
“First is that we’re going to make sure everybody exercises their First Amendment right,” Boyce said. “That is going to happen. But we want to make sure they do it safely. We, as the RPD, we’re just here to make sure that folks can gather and peacefully protest. We provide visibility. We make sure that they can safely move throughout the city.”
There were numerous protests after Floyd, a Black man, was killed by white police officers in Minneapolis, and in response to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
Raleigh police used expired tear gas on protesters and, in at least one case, used tear gas on protesters in error, according to a report on the Police Department’s response to the protests.
After an initially peaceful demonstration May 30, 2020, law enforcement officers repeatedly launched tear gas and foam batons at protesters. Some demonstrators threw water bottles, rocks and fireworks at police, and downtown windows were smashed, burned and some stores robbed.
The Raleigh Police Department was also criticized for tweeting that “protesting is a non-essential activity” during a protest of the state’s stay-at-home order.
The police seek “voluntary compliance” to make sure people remain safe, Boyce said, but they are prepared to take enforcement action against protesters if needed.
“As the chief of police, I will make sure that folks can gather safely, peacefully and exercise their First Amendment right,” he said. “But understanding that, my job is to make sure this city remains safe, and we are definitely prepared to do that if need be.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
