Thousands march in Raleigh, Durham and across NC to protest Trump policies
Under seas of signs that ranged from angry to comical, thousands of people marched in downtown Raleigh, Durham and a dozen other North Carolina cities Saturday to protest what they said is an existential threat to American democracy under President Donald Trump.
“It’s the old trope of power numbers,” said Brian Kalan of Cary. “It’s just generally a lot easier to work together than to sort of argue over niche issues.”
Kalan is neurodivergent and on disability. He said he’s concerned about the future of Medicaid and the recent language used by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding people with autism.
Congregating on the Halifax Mall lawn for opening speeches and chants, Raleigh protesters then peeled off to ring the North Carolina Legislative Building.
Their signs expressed an array of grievances around the first three months of the second Trump term, like the detention of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, as well as state-specific issues like Judge Jefferson Griffin contesting the North Carolina Supreme Court election.
“Everybody’s got a different sign,” said Anthony Brand, a 39-year-old software manager in south Raleigh. “There’s a topic for everybody that’s really important to them that they’ve come out to talk about.”
The protests — an estimated 700 nationwide — were organized by the “50501 movement,” a loosely organized group that began on Reddit with a push for “50 protests in 50 states on 1 day.”
Messages in Raleigh featured direct pleas (“Impeach Trump”) and irreverent critiques of the president, Kennedy and Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis. Brand’s sign featured a line graph reflecting the stock market drop since Trump announced widespread tariffs on April 2.
In Durham, more than 1,000 people gathered around Major the Bull on CCB Plaza.
Among the crowd were Annie Debell, 60, and Kiki Helbig, 54, who moved to Durham from South Carolina four years ago.
“I’m here to fight for our freedom,” Debell said. “It’s scary because we are a married lesbian couple and I don’t want to keep waking up every morning being afraid.”
The pair chatted with 75-year-old Jackie Castellow, who has lived in Raleigh for 40 years and in Durham for the last six. “I’m not a protester-type of person,” Castellow said. “But things have gotten so bad, I can’t just sit.”
Claire Dennis, 42, brought her 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son. Dennis, who has lived in Durham for 15 years, said she had never seen so many regular protests in the city. “I feel like a line has been crossed,” she said. “I appreciate that people are not treating it as business as usual.”
Close to noon, as the march began to wind down, 72-year-old David Hartwell walked back alone. He carried a sign that read, “My Dad Fought Fascism, Didn’t Yours?”
Hartwell, who has lived in Durham for 45 years, said his father fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.
“I don’t think he’d be happy,” Hartwell said. “They fought against this. They died for it.”
Saturday’s rallies were the latest anti-Trump mass protest in recent weeks, including national “Hands Off” events held earlier this month.
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This story was originally published April 19, 2025 at 1:26 PM.
