Buncombe Democrats Rally in Asheville, Black Mountain Against Authoritarianism

Chants of "No Kings" rang out at Pack Square in downtown Asheville and at Black Mountain Town Square on Saturday as Buncombe Democrats organized twin rallies to protest what organizers called the rise of authoritarianism under the Trump administration.

The Asheville gathering was set for 1:00 p.m. at Pack Square, the civic heart of downtown, where the party joined a national wave of simultaneous demonstrations. Buncombe County Democrats have continued periodic protests since 2025 in response to what they see as a rise in authoritarianism and anti-democratic policies since President Donald Trump's second inauguration.

Saturday's dual-city action reflects the reach of the Buncombe County Democratic Party's precinct structure beyond Asheville's city limits. The Black Mountain Cluster is a community of local Democrats and left-leaning neighbors within the party, covering seven precincts across the eastern end of Buncombe County.

The rallies placed Buncombe County within a sweeping national mobilization. Nationally, organizers estimated that more than five million people participated in June 2025 protests, and an estimated seven million rallied at No Kings events last October amid the government shutdown, immigration raids, and deployment of National Guard troops to major cities. A nationwide series of "No Kings" protests is set for March 28, with over 3,000 events scheduled.

The latest round of rallies comes amid the Trump administration's federal immigration crackdown and in the aftermath of the fatal shootings of two American citizens by federal agents. Renée Good was shot and killed in her car by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on January 7, 2026, and on January 24, an ICU nurse named Alex Pretti was shot multiple times and killed by two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.

Unlike many counties throughout the United States in 2024 where Trump turned them from blue to red, Buncombe County saw Democratic votes increase by roughly two percentage points compared to the 2020 election. That political ground is now the base from which the party is organizing outward, from Pack Square to the town squares of the county's smaller communities.

Indivisible co-executive director Ezra Levin said in a statement: "From every corner of this country, we are all saying: NO KINGS." Saturday's rallies in Asheville and Black Mountain put Buncombe County's voice squarely among them.