For the third time, Vashon says ‘No Kings’

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 31, 2026

More than 800 people gathered at Vashon’s four-way stop on March 28, where, amid honking horns and banging drums, the island community established a local presence in the nationwide No Kings protest.

Holding signs with messages like “no secret police” and “no more failed wars to distract us,” islanders voiced anger over heightened immigration enforcement, continued U.S. involvement in the war in Gaza and recent military action in Iran, echoing concerns heard at No Kings protests across the country.

But the common theme was unease over the government’s authoritarian drift. Some demonstrators dressed in Revolutionary War-era costumes — ironic symbolism contrasting the administration with the checks and balances meant to prevent politicians from becoming kings.

“Nobody is a king in this country, that’s what this country was supposedly founded on,” island artist Rick Stevenson said.

Since the first No Kings protest last June, the movement has continued to gain traction across the country, with hundreds of cities hosting events. The March event was the third of its kind and drew the most demonstrators so far — around 8 million people total, according to the No Kings organization.

Vashon’s demonstration was organized by Indivisible Vashon, one of dozens of partner organizations in the national No Kings movement. In addition to holding protests, the organization works to educate voters, advance policy and help elect progressive candidates.

Despite the existential undertone, the mood was anything but somber.

Lively music — including “The Star-Spangled Banner” — rang out through performances by the Vashon Community Street Band, or VasHonk. Drumbeats from Vashon’s Bucket Brigade echoed through the streets, and later, singers from the Free Range Freedom Choir sang, “Our love for each other will carry us through.”

Islanders laughed, hugged and danced. Drivers passing by honked and cheered. To many, No Kings is a way to feel less alone, to find community in a common struggle.

Having protested during the Vietnam War and women’s rights movements of the 1960s, islander Johnine Larsen said a vibrant community was built through collective action. Larsen said No Kings feels reminiscent of that era.

“The wonderful thing about all this is that it’s bringing people together, that’s what happened in the ‘60s,” Larsen said. “There’s so much power in knowing there’s people in your community that feel the same way you do — that’s what I love about Vashon.”

No Kings protests make no formal demands, instead relying on large-scale symbolism to reach leaders.

Throughout the day, dramatic images of thousands of protesters overtaking streets in major U.S. cities flooded the internet.

In Washington, D.C., New York, Houston, Minneapolis and Seattle, Vashon nonprofit activist collective Backbone Campaign deployed eye-catching props, like a 13-foot inflatable Trump setting a Constitution on fire.

Backbone Campaign has repeatedly said this kind of large-scale imagery is meant to send a message that political power belongs to the people.

Back on Vashon, some demonstrators, like Stevenson, said the event felt more like a community gathering than a protest. Still, many saw it as a step in the right direction.

“I felt like I needed to do something cause just sitting at home and yelling at my TV set isn’t doing anything at all,” Stevenson said.

The event was meant to be a kind of entry point for community members to get involved with Indivisible Vashon, said leadership team member and founder Kevin Jones. The group holds monthly meetings where members discuss tangible steps the community can take to create a more representative democracy.

The organization is currently working to create a community response plan in the event of ICE presence and to oppose anti-trans measures, Jones said, amid heightened concern in Washington over aggressive immigration enforcement and ongoing political fights over transgender students’ rights.

That concern comes as Let’s Go Washington, a conservative political committee founded by millionaire activist Brian Heywood, has advanced initiatives focused on schools and transgender rights, including one targeting trans girls’ participation in school sports and another aimed at reviving the state’s contested “parents’ rights” law.

Both measures were certified by the secretary of state and introduced to the Legislature in January, but Democratic leaders declined to take action on them.

Under Washington’s initiative process, proposals that lawmakers do not act on by the end of the session automatically advance to the next general election ballot, meaning both measures are now set to appear before voters in November.

“Now is the time to get people involved,” Jones said. “That is really what this is all about today.”

Earlier in the day, over 100 islanders took the water taxi to attend Seattle’s No Kings protest, which drew at least 75,000 demonstrators, according to estimates from the Seattle Police Department.

But for those standing at Vashon’s four-way stop, small-town demonstrations can still mean something big.