By Kristy Edenfield
THIS Saturday, October 18, Savannah will be joining 2,500+ cities across the United States in hosting No Kings events.
From Key West to International Falls - Washington, DC to Puerto Rico - Honolulu to Anchorage - No Kings is anticipated to be the largest day of peaceful protest in modern US history, likely topping records set at the January 21, 2017 Women’s March, and the previous No Kings event on June 14, 2025.
“No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings. On October 18, millions of us are rising again to show the world: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people,” reads the main page on the No Kings website.
The Savannah protest will start at 1 p.m. at Emmet Park (4089 East Bay Street - intersection of Bay Street and East Broad Street) and is being organized by Coastal Georgia for Democracy, Savannah Indivisible, ACLU Georgia, and Young Democrats of Chatham County.
Sarah Hunt-Blackwell, First Amendment Policy Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia says:
“The ACLU of Georgia is officially partnering with Indivisible chapters in Atlanta and Savannah. However, there will be dozens of events across the state on October 18. We will also be sending our legal observers to as many of the events as we can, including Woodstock, Brunswick, and Forsyth,” Hunt-Blackwell says.
“For the first No Kings (June 14), we had one official partnership in Atlanta. Expanding to Savannah for the second No Kings rally is exciting because it allows us to provide our resources and presence beyond Atlanta. The ACLU of Georgia is a statewide organization, and people across the state are eager to show up for No Kings. This time, we'll have the pleasure of showing up with supporters in Savannah.”
Hunt-Blackwell continues:
“No Kings rallies remind us that this country is a democracy, and no one is above the law. They demonstrate Americans' disapproval of the continuous undermining of our foundational principles by the current federal administration. These peaceful rallies are important because they uplift the American people's pride and commitment to our country — to the values that created and sustain us,” she says.
“The ACLU of Georgia is extremely proud to collaborate with our partners on these events. We hope that they serve as reminders that power belongs to the people and we will not allow our rights, especially our First Amendment rights, to be compromised,” concludes Hunt-Blackwell.
Suzanne Potts, Co-Chair, Outreach Director, Coastal Georgia for Democracy, Savannah Indivisible says:
“The first No Kings in June was a peaceful march to rally against the Trump regime’s Project 2025 actions that ripped apart agencies and programs that Congress had approved, without any motivation beyond racism, transphobia, and eradicating DEI," Potts says.
"Issuing brutal executive orders, bullying journalists, and undermining the established rule of law were a way to consolidate power into the executive branch, culminating into military troop deployment on the streets of Los Angeles. The protest was a reminder to the world: we do not have kings in America. We demand our government recognize the three co-equal branches of government as outlined in the Constitution of the United States,” she says.
“For No Kings 2, the stakes are higher. Now, multiple American cities are overrun by the military and masked, Gestapo-like ICE forces are kidnapping and deporting people without due process. We have a budget bill that is going to destroy American families as income inequality balloons and healthcare becomes a privilege of the rich. We are being systematically suppressed, devalued, and terrorized in order for them to advance their oligarchic agenda," Potts says.
"So, on October 18, we will peacefully and loudly say: 'no.' We will not be silenced by a racist wannabe king who is showing every sign of collapsing mental health. American freedom – real freedom – was birthed by rejecting the whims of an overreaching king. It will be rebirthed the same way by Americans rejecting the Trump regime’s corruption, chaos, and cruelty.”
Potts adds: “No Kings 2 is not just a protest. We are ushering in the No Kings era, peacefully, powerfully, in numbers that will be impossible to ignore.”
“In Savannah we’ve seen the direct effects of ICE’s actions at the Hyundai plant, we’ve seen tariffs play a hand in the closing of the paper mill, we’ve seen DOGE cancel $30 million in federal money to fix our chronic flooding, and we’ve seen the ballooning costs of electricity, food, and healthcare," she says.
"And we know that what Trump, Governor Kemp, and Rep. Earl Carter want is even worse. They do not care about us. They don’t care about job losses, hungry kids, or hospitals closing. No Kings is not just our way of saying “no” to national fascism, it’s a reminder to our friends, neighbors, and elected officials that Savannah is a community that cares and looks out for its neighbors,” Potts says.
“We intend on sending a clear, peaceful signal that we stand for American values, for literal democracy. We are asserting our First Amendment rights to show that fear will not win. For every person not physically present, there are a thousand more watching and agreeing. Our hope is to let everyone know we see you, we stand for you, and we will not stop until our country is reclaimed from oligarchs and fascist behavior,” declares Potts.
Ja'Quan Oliver, YDCC President, is one of the scheduled speakers for the event.
“The Young Democrats of Chatham County are standing in solidarity with Coastal Georgia for Democracy and with others around the world to advocate for democracy, justice, and equality. Our role is simply to represent the voices of young people across Chatham County who believe in leadership by the people, not by power or privilege,” Oliver says.
Oliver says: “We’re participating to stand against systems of oppression, corruption, and abuse of power. The No Kings protest reminds us that leadership should serve the people, not rule over them.”
“Change requires all of us. Every voice, everybody, and every story adds power to the movement for freedom, fairness, and equality,” Oliver concludes.
After the scheduled speakers, participants will march to City Hall with members of Samba Savannah lending their sound and leading the protest with drums and chants.
Ben Austin, a member of Samba Savannah says, “I’m protesting because the United States deserves better than this needy, fragile tyrant.”
In conjunction with the No Kings event, organizers are asking participants to bring nonperishable food items to stock the shelves at a local community food bank.
“Since our conception, our organization has prioritized mutual aid for Savannah. Our events can draw big crowds, which is why we regularly put out a call for food donations,” says Community Service Director Jessica Lacoss, Coastal Georgia for Democracy, Savannah Indivisible.
“With cuts to federal SNAP programs, rising food costs, and economic distress in poverty-level families, food banks in Savannah are routinely depleted. Georgia has the third highest poverty rate among seniors and 21.8% of Chatham County’s children experience food insecurity," Lacoss says.
"As things escalate with the government shutdown and other future economic uncertainties, we’ll remain dedicated to community allies and partners who need mutual aid support. If our group can help those in need, we are going to do it.”
No Kings events are also scheduled to be held in Richmond Hill, Statesboro, Brunswick, Waycross, Rincon, Bluffton, Hilton Head, Beaufort.
For a complete listing of all No Kings events across the globe, go to www.nokings.org
EVENT DETAILS:
No Kings 2 Savannah
Saturday, October 18, 2025
1 p.m. at Emmet Park on E. Bay Street
More information: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/839382/