Protestors in all 50 states turned out in droves on Saturday, June 14, for "No Kings" rallies—demonstrations planned in protest of the Trump administration on the same day as a military parade in Washington, D.C., that also fell on President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. 

In Sarasota, where political red often runs deep, an estimated 7,000 people gathered for the "No Kings" protest on Saturday, which offered a sense of unity that's become increasingly hard to find. Under a hot June sun that seemed to energize the crowd rather than exhaust it, people gathered along the bayfront in a display of joyful resistance. People danced, hugged and hollered. Signs were held high, with topics covering everything from condemnations of oligarchy and facism to demands for veterans’ rights. At one point, the crowd erupted into a chant welcoming immigrants. Pride flags fluttered alongside upside-down American flags, and Palestinian and Mexican flags waved above the crowd, too. After gathering downtown, protestors also marched over the Ringling Bridge holding a 700-foot pride flag. 

Nearly every demographic imaginable was represented—young and old, families fearful of deportation, LGBTQ+ residents seeking healthcare protections, longtime locals worried about democratic backsliding. (One sign read, “It’s so bad, even the introverts came out.”)

In a statement, the Republican Party of Sarasota County remained firm in its support of the Trump administration, writing,  “What people are protesting is federal agents doing their jobs, detaining and deporting illegal aliens who broke into our country and took all the great things that America and Florida have to offer. The previous administration flagrantly ignored its Constitutional duty to enforce the law and opened the border up to as many as 20 million illegal aliens from around the world. It was shameful and disrespectful to law-abiding Americans."

Here's a look back at the day.