‘No Kings’ returns to Wichita as speakers push action beyond the protests
For the third time, “No Kings” protesters returned to Wichita, lining both sides of Douglas through downtown with picket signs, whistles, creative costumes and megaphones.
At Saturday’s protest, the third iteration of nationwide protests, organizers renewed their charge that President Donald Trump and his administration are running the country more like a monarchy than a democracy.
But local leaders said the repeated rally and message wasn’t a sign the movement had stalled, but instead proof of a sustained effort where every new marcher, engaged voter or inspired advocate counts as forward momentum against authoritarianism.
“This was never going to be a quick fix,” said Catherine Wisdom, a volunteer coordinator with Leading Kansas. “It took a long time for us to get into this mess. I started out with the mentality that this is a marathon; so for me, I’m just excited to see the protests growing. I’m excited to see the engagement continuing to go up.”
Saturday’s protest was coordinated by members of Defend Democracy ICT, which hosts a weekly protest at Douglas and Broadway, as well as members of the Sedgwick County Young Democrats and Leading Kansas in collaboration with the larger No Kings coalition. The demonstrations are intentionally broad in scope, with no single policy demand. Instead, “No Kings” protests serve as a rallying point for a wide range of concerns about democracy, civil rights and federal policies.
Nationwide, millions participated in similar nonviolent demonstrations in June and October of 2025, and organizers said communities across the country have continued mobilizing in response to what they call ongoing abuses of power. In Wichita, Saturday’s turnout reflected that sentiment.
“While I wish we weren’t in a position where we were having to defend basic rights, I’m so excited to see people who were checked out, checking in, standing up,” Wisdom said.
Defend Democracy ICT’s Shannon Boone, who jokingly identified herself as “the accidental organizer of all of this good trouble,” told a crowd Saturday that national “No Kings” organizers told her that the March rally was in the top 10% nationwide in RSVPs among more than 3,000 events.
“None of the work that we do, making these things, creating all the plans — none of it works if you guys don’t show up,” Boone said.
For many participants, the continued attendance is a sign that the movement is growing rather than fading, especially as some view recurring protests as evidence that nothing is changing. Wisdom said she’s seen the rallies draw both longtime demonstrators and people flexing their activist muscles for the first time.
“Protests give people an easy entry point,” she said. “We’ve had movements, but like, how many of us grew up doing this? So we are learning and we are getting there.”
She said that mix of experienced organizers and newcomers has helped sustain the movement even when many feel politically isolated.
“It can be hard,” Wisdom said. “It can be difficult when everyone around you seems fine with what’s going on, so doing this is a reminder that you’re not the only one.”
Local leaders and speakers at Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square Park echoed that idea, framing the demonstrations as part of a broader and ongoing effort to defend democratic institutions. State Rep. Abi Boatman told the crowd that protests are important, but only one part of a larger effort that includes organizing, voting and running for office.
“The path to undoing these laws is not quick, and it is not easy,” Boatman said. “They are going to take decades to undo, if ever, and it is going to take all of us. And while I love seeing everyone out here from one corner of Douglas to the other, it is going to take more than parades, and it is going to take more than strongly worded letters.”
City Council member Joseph Shepard connected the rally to Wichita’s civil rights history, noting that past acts of activism such as the 1958 Dockum Drugs store sit-in helped change the trajectory of the nation.
“The time is now,” Shepard said. “What we do after we leave this rally sets the pace of where we can go. . . . What happens in DC matters. What happens in Topeka matters. But what happens in Wichita matters, too. ”
Both first-time and returning protesters also said they hope to see a long-term commitment rather than a one-day push for change. Jackson Rukes, 17, who’s attended both previous “No Kings” protests, said he felt compelled to attend again because he believes in the pressure of continued protests.
“You’ve got to keep the pressure up,” he said. “If you start to fade away, people start saying there’s nothing wrong anymore.”
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The follow-up, first-time protester Mathew Patterson said, is even more important.
“I like the idea of peaceful protests,” Patterson said. “But in the end, what actions are being changed from all this protesting happening across the country?”
Boatman urged protesters to turn their frustration toward the Trump administration and other political injustices into involvement in infrastructure: run for office, volunteer for someone who is, donate if you’re able, and if you can’t do any of that, register voters and make sure they cast ballots. For organizers, that’s what momentum looks like; not one march, but more people taking the next step until, Boatman said, “we finally get Kansas back on track.”
“We must realize that we are our own help,” Boatman said, “because the power is always inherent in people as long as the people seize the reins.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2026 at 7:09 PM.
