Storms over downtown Fort Worth were on and off Saturday, but shouts of No Kings protesters were steady throughout the afternoon.
The event's organizers estimated a crowd of 6,500 congregated in Burk Burnett Park, where chants competed with wind and, at times, drumming rain to protest President Donald Trump’s perceived authoritarianism and pushing of the limits of executive power.
“Impeach Trump,” “Abolish ICE” and “Save Democracy” were common messages on signs.
Although national issues sparked this second wave of No Kings protests in over 2,500 cities across the country, Fort Worth speakers called upon attendees to fight MAGA culture locally and work to turn Tarrant County blue.
“The community we have here feels great because we're all here for the same fight,” said progressive activist Chris Tackett, who called for the crowd to show up to elections as well as City Council and commissioners court meetings. “We gotta make sure we are carrying the fight out of here and making a movement out of this moment right here.”
The protest was peaceful. A few counterprotesters were scattered throughout the crowd, but one approached by the Report declined to comment.
A Fort Worth Police Department public relations officer deferred to event organizers for crowd estimates but confirmed that no arrests or major incidents were reported.
Several No Kings protesters wore inflatable costumes — a national trend intended to uplift the mood of protests and keep them from getting violent.
“No matter what we do, how peacefully we protest, the media is going to turn it around and make it look like we're violently in the streets or we're doing something wrong,” said Lexi Montgomery, who wore a bright pink inflatable shark costume. “It's hard to make a bunch of inflatable characters walking around look like they're violent, insurrectionist, antifa.”
Fort Worth resident William Hoover attended the protest with his wife and two daughters, ages 5 and 7. It was Hoover’s first protest, he said, and he was initially hesitant to bring his daughters. He said he decided to take action for the sake of his children's future and “go against tyranny.”
“An authoritarian government doesn't happen overnight,” he said. “It's chipped away day by day, slowly, little things at a time. And then before you know it, you don't know what happened to your rights.”
EJ Carrion, an education entrepreneur and co-host of the progressive Fort Worth-focused 817 Podcast, speaks to attendees of the No Kings protest Oct. 18, 2025, at Burk Burnett Park. (Drew Shaw | Fort Worth Report) Several Republicans took to social media to criticize the protest, including Hannah Beth Jones, vice chair for the Texas Young Republican Federation.
“Accidentally ran into the Fort Worth ‘No Kings’ protest today — the Handmaid’s Tale cosplay convention was apparently in town,” Beth said in a tweet.
Denise Gordon, a 70-year-old lifelong Fort Worth resident, said she’s been involved in activism since Vietnam War protests in college. She said she feels Trump’s immigration crackdown and pardon of Jan. 6 rioters serve as examples of how the current administration has crossed lines and remind her of stories her father told about fighting fascism during World War II and.
Storms subsided about 2 p.m., three hours after the protest began. Crowds lingered in the park past 3 p.m.
Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601.
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