Henderson “No Kings” rally organizers want to build community

Local organizations hope for peacefulness, equality, and compassion ahead of “No Kings” protests across Nevada and the nation.

The corner of Eastern Avenue and Coronado Center Drive in Henderson could attract 500 to 1,000 people to a Saturday rally as part of the “No Kings Day 2.0” national campaign that aims to mobilize people at 2,500 events across the country. The goal: to stand against “chaos, corruption, and cruelty,” according to Nokings.org. 

Henderson is a politically divided city where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 13,000. It is also a Southern Nevada city where President Donald Trump held two campaign rallies, the last of which took place on Halloween last year. 

Organizers told The Nevadan-El Nevadense that the rally is intended to be peaceful. They also encouraged attendees to wear Halloween costumes or yellow shirts to show solidarity, stating the ultimate goal was to build unity and increase access to civic participation.

“We want this to be a community event where people can come together,” said Jen Hansen, an event sponsor.

In addition to Henderson’s morning protest, several rallies are taking place across Nevada on Oct. 18, including two in Las Vegas—one on the Las Vegas Strip and the other downtown—as well as Pahrump, Mesquite, Carson City, Reno, Hawthorne, and Elko. 

The last national No Kings Day protest was held in June. In Las Vegas, it was held in front of the federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas and drew more than 8,000 people. They carried signs, played instruments, and wore face paint as they rallied against the Trump administration for its massive federal cuts to social safety nets, a rise in immigration raids, and fear of due process erosion. 

An increase in participation is expected at spread-out rallies throughout Nevada this weekend at various times, according to Kileen Kapri-Kohn, one of the organizers. She said staggered events are necessary in Nevada since communities are scattered and Las Vegas is a 24-hour town.

“It’s important for us to have all types of events … where people are coming and hearing people speak, being inspired,” said Kapri-Kohn, who’s a spokesperson for Las Vegas Grassroots. The organization has helped plan No Kings protests in Nevada with Indivisible, a national group “with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda,” according to its website.

At the Reno No Kings rally, Democratic politicians are scheduled to speak. For downtown Las Vegas, a march will begin in the evening on Las Vegas Boulevard, proceed south to Clark Avenue, head west along South 1st Street to Bridger Avenue, and then continue east to form a complete loop, according to information shared by Indivisible Las Vegas. 

In Henderson, crowdgoers will experience a more fluid action led by Kapri-Kohn, who expects an older crowd, including some in wheelchairs, to attend the event. She said the structure is “more grassroots” and allows citizens to come together and speak closer to home, rather than traveling far distances and finding parking, accounting for people with mobility issues who want their voices heard.

Both Hansen and Kapri-Kohn said the motivation behind demonstrations, including calls to reject authoritarianism, doesn’t solely rest with the current administration, despite clear ties to Trump. They have more deeply rooted yearnings: equality and compassion among Americans. 

“This is really about coming together and saying … we want our country to run in a way that even the person who has the least amount of money, or has educational challenges, developmental challenges, physical challenges—that they are going to have the best opportunity,” Kapri-Kohn said.