Violent acts and threats at some ‘No Kings’ protests around the US
A man intentionally drove an SUV into a crowd of protesters in Culpepper, Virginia on Saturday, striking at least one person, according to Washington DC’s Fox affiliate.
The man, identified by authorities as Joseph R. Checklick Jr, was arrested and charged with reckless driving. Checklick was held without bail at the county jail, the news outlet said.
Authorities alleged that Checklick knowingly accelerated into a group of “No Kings” day protest attendees. Organizers reportedly said that more than 600 attended the event, with 200 on Main Street and 400 along James Madison Highway.
As hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest Trump’s military parade, and his policies, violence has cast a shadow over demonstrations.
In San Francisco, a car hit at least four “No Kings” protesters in what authorities are probing as a “possible intentional act.”
Texas authorities closed the state capitol grounds following a ‘credible threat’ toward lawmakers planning to attend a protest.
Early Saturday, Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed. State senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot, but are expected to survive.
Minnesota officials said the incidents appeared to be politically motivated attacks.
Key events
Trump’s military parade starts
Chris Stein
The US army’s 250th birthday parade has kicked off on the National Mall in Washington DC.
Donald Trump arrived on a bandstand overlooking the parade route to cheers and chants of “USA! USA!” from a crowd where MAGA hats are plenty.
There was cannon fire, too, and the singing of the national anthem.
Violent acts and threats at some ‘No Kings’ protests around the US
A man intentionally drove an SUV into a crowd of protesters in Culpepper, Virginia on Saturday, striking at least one person, according to Washington DC’s Fox affiliate.
The man, identified by authorities as Joseph R. Checklick Jr, was arrested and charged with reckless driving. Checklick was held without bail at the county jail, the news outlet said.
Authorities alleged that Checklick knowingly accelerated into a group of “No Kings” day protest attendees. Organizers reportedly said that more than 600 attended the event, with 200 on Main Street and 400 along James Madison Highway.
As hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest Trump’s military parade, and his policies, violence has cast a shadow over demonstrations.
In San Francisco, a car hit at least four “No Kings” protesters in what authorities are probing as a “possible intentional act.”
Texas authorities closed the state capitol grounds following a ‘credible threat’ toward lawmakers planning to attend a protest.
Early Saturday, Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed. State senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot, but are expected to survive.
Minnesota officials said the incidents appeared to be politically motivated attacks.
Rachel Leingang
Thousands of people showed up to Minnesota’s state capitol Saturday afternoon, a show of strength after shootings targeted two state lawmakers, killing one legislator and her husband.
Crowds stretched for blocks, with protesters carrying signs that said “no kings”, “I thought this was America”, “chinga la migra”, “Ice belongs in my horchata, not in my city” and “nobody paid us to be here”. American flags dotted the rally, as did Palestinian flags.
On the main stage, organizers mentioned the tragedy, saying how it strengthened their resolve and underscored the importance of gathering together.
Perry McGowan carried a sign with the names of the two lawmakers, Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, and a red heart. Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in a shooting. Hoffman and his wife were gravely injured.
The Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, has said he’s optimistic Hoffman and his wife will survive. Officials said they believe the shootings were politically motivated. The suspect, Vance Boelter, remains at large.
McGowan arrived this morning after news broke about the shootings. He attended a protest near his house earlier today, and then came to the capitol to rally with a larger crowd.
State police and the governor had warned people to avoid demonstrations after the shootings out of an abundance of caution, but McGowan said safety concerns wouldn’t keep him away. “We all know, for Americans, that democracy doesn’t come with a guarantee of safety, and that you fight for that kind of thing,” he said.
“We are all affected by, not just by political violence, but all violence in our lives. And there’s way too much of it – way too much gun violence, way too much television hate, way too much inhumanity to your neighbors, and we need to push back on that and to contribute civility to our common good.”
The Guardian’s Tom Silverstone, who is in Washington DC, has spoken with protesters who are demonstrating against Trump’s military parade. One protester compared Trump to North Korea’s despotic leader, saying: “He wants to be like Kim Jong-un.”
Four San Francisco protesters hit by car ‘as a possible intentional act’ – report
NBC News reports that a driver hit at least four “No Kings” demonstrators in San Francisco several hours ago. They reportedly suffered “non life-threatening injuries”.
The driver, who has yet to be identified, fled but was ultimately detained, according to the outlet. Authorities are investigating the event as a “possible intentional act”, NBC News said, citing three sources.
The hit-and-run unfolded shortly after 12pm local time.
Tens of thousands protest Trump administration in largest US cities
We’re starting to see some numbers trickle in for protest attendance.
New York City police said that 25,000 people marched down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday, according to NBC News. In Philadelphia, the crowd totaled 80,000 at its peak, the outlet said.
Los Angeles has seen more than 20,000 demonstrators, authorities said. San Diego officials said that “20k +” demonstrators gathered downtown.
So far, today’s protests have been mostly peaceful. However, due to the influx of people—with crowds exceeding 20,000—the ability of first responders to reach individuals in need is being impacted.
Firefighters, paramedics, and law enforcement are having a tough time accessing… pic.twitter.com/veuxLg5BBo
— UnifiedLA (@UnifiedLA) June 14, 2025
Protesters in San Diego have largely left the downtown area, police said, but the events were peaceful and, as of an hour ago, there were “no arrests”.
Lois Beckett, reporting from LA, spotted signs that incorporated pop culture references in protest of Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Some of the many anti-Trump and anti-Ice signs in LA specifically call out Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy. Miller has been known for anti-immigrant rhetoric since his time as a student at Santa Monica high school, Beckett reports.
One of the signs called Miller “Santa Monica’s Disgrace”. Another called him “Miller Low Life”.
Melissa Hellmann
Not long ago in Philadelphia, near the steps of the Museum of Art, the Georgia state representative Ruwa Romman spoke about a need to push back on authoritarianism. She said that the crackdown on protesters and illegal detention demonstrated a “re-emergence of fascism, because we have seen a lot of this before. Nothing happening today is new.”
She was there to remind herself and the public that they weren’t alone, she said. “Everything that we see around us is a choice,” Romman said. “And it is a choice that we can make differently. My fury comes from the reality that the people who make the world better are actively choosing not to.”
Opposition to the administration works, she said. The Trump administration, who “ripped families apart”, she said, has shifted who they are targeting for deportation due to protest.
“Right now is the moment to insist on our rights. Right now is the moment to push back on anyone, anyone who attempts to normalize this in any way,” Romman said. “Now is the time to loudly remind those around us, as close as they are and as far as they are, that none of this is normal.”
She encouraged the public to consider their role in three things: their community, local politics, and taking care of themselves. Romman implored people to support their food banks and to build a support system, to get involved in school board hearings, and to pace themselves as they protest.
“Too many people want to silence people like us,” Romman said. “But now is the time to stand up to them and say, you will not make us cower in fear.”
At the “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles, the mood was “playful and energetic”, the Guardian’s Lois Beckett reports. Los Angeles police, as well as the national guard, have remained mostly out of site.
“As the crowd repeatedly chants: ‘Ice out of LA,’ many protesters are carrying variations on ‘Fuck Ice’ signs, including multiple versions of the already-popular: ‘I like my horchata warm because Fuck Ice,’” Beckett says.
Another sign includes: “I like my America like I like my wine … no ice” and the simple: “Warm margaritas because Fuck Ice.”
Chris Stein
Several hours before Donald Trump’s military parade was to start, about 300 people marched to the White House in protest of his policies.
The demonstration, planned by the group Refuse Fascism, was separate from the No Kings protests being organized nationwide, which did not plan an event in the capital.
Protesters were escorted by police through downtown Washington DC, chanting: “Fascist America, we say no! Now’s the time for Trump to go!” They carried signs reading: “No to Trump’s fascist military parade” and “If you don’t want criminals in the country, don’t elect them!”
Army veteran Chris Yeazel was among the protesters, and said he came out in reaction to Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles, and to his speech to army soldiers at Fort Bragg, which has been criticized for its partisan tone.
“America does not do military parades like this,” said Yeazel, 40, who served in Iraq. “Everything is just authoritarianism. He’s try to create chaos and become a dictator.”
Of the decision to hold the protest, he said: “this is the nation’s capital. This is exactly where we need to protest.”
George Chidi
While “No Kings” protests at Georgia’s capitol unfolded without police confronting demonstrators, police dispersed a protest with smoke and tear gas in a suburban neighborhood that is home to a high concentration of Hispanic residents.
At least 5,000 people arrived to Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, and another 5,000 in Tucker, near a large shopping mall on LaVista Road, filling the parking lot. Many marchers in Tucker were drawn by posts by Indivisible and 50501, two activist groups organizing the rally. The march concluded without arrest or confrontation with police.
This was not the case on Chamblee Tucker Road a couple of miles away, where DeKalb County Police and the Georgia State Patrol dispersed protesters with tear gas and smoke grenades. The area around Chamblee Tucker Road and I-285 northeast of Atlanta has a large Latino population, reflected in the relatively youthful and ethnically diverse composition of demonstrators there.
Police similarly broke up demonstrations in Brookhaven earlier this week, with six arrests made on Buford Highway, an area famed for its immigrant community here. Protesters were demonstrating against recent ICE arrests in the community.
