Protesters rally and march in downtown Cleveland, Ohio on Sat., Oct. 18, 2025 as part of "No Kings" rallies and marches, a national day of action against President Donald Trump's agenda
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com
Staff article
CLEVELAND, Ohio- Thousands protested on Sat, Oct 18 for the "No Kings" rally at Willard Park in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, a reboot of "No Kings" events held in June in cities across the country and nationwide in opposition to the policies of President Donald Trump and his administration. Cleveland's event took place from 1pm to 3pm at the Free Stamp at Willard Park next to Cleveland City Hall and included a rally and a march.
"No Kings" protests were held in all 50 states and in both major cities and small towns on Saturday, with more than two dozen rallies and marches in Northeast Ohio alone, and more than 2,500 events were held nationwide, organizers said. In combination, millions rallied and marched across the country, reports say.
Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and has not commented publicly following the success of the nationwide "No Kings" events.
A range of people took to the stage at Willard Park to speak at the protest in Cleveland, including U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Ohio state Sen. Kent Smith, who was the event moderator, Women's March Cleveland head organizer Kathy Wray Coleman, and representatives of the Cleveland Teachers Union and SEIU.
Congresswoman Shontel Brown, a Warrensville Hts. Democrat who is Black, rallied the crowd and reminded protesters of what she said is the danger of having Trump in the White House, from attacks on DEI, healthcare, SNAP benefits, education and federal workers to the current government shutdown. The congresswoman said that congressional Democrats will continue to fight for democracy as protesters chanted, "Give 'em hell, Shontel."
Cleveland's fourth Black mayor and president of the National Democratic Mayors Association, Mayor Bibb also led chants and spoke on the importance of preserving Medicaid, Medicare and other critical programs for Clevelanders. He urged protesters to vote Democrat for the upcoming Nov. 4 general election, and to vote in 2026 to bring former U.S. Sen Sherrod Brown, who lost his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno last November, back to the Senate. Also, the mayor said that Democrats intend to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives and U. S. Senate in the coming elections.
Cleveland activist and organizer Kathy Wray Coleman, a Black digital media journalist who leads Women's March Cleveland, began her speech chanting "Black lives matter," and "Black women matter." She stood with other Women's March Cleveland organizers like Alysa Cooper Moskey and gave a chronology on how Women's March has fought for reproductive rights since taking to the streets nationwide in 2017. She said that even after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022 via the historic Dobbs decision and activists led voters in Ohio to sanction an Issue 1 referendum that enshrined the legal right to abortion access in the Ohio Constitution, reproductive rights remain under attack.
"Our bodies, our choice," said Coleman as protesters responded in sync.
"Activists fear a national abortion ban under President Trump, and will fight wholeheartedly against it," Coleman said at the protest.
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most-read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former President Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM
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