Pack Square rally draws activists for National Day of Action in Asheville

Jay Carey and Will Nugent were listed as veterans’ rights spokesmen for a rally at the Amphitheater in Pack Square in downtown Asheville that Good Trouble WNC, Indivisible Asheville and the Poor Peoples Campaign cosponsored on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Good Trouble WNC event description identified the gathering as part of a Nationwide Day of Action and said speakers would also address immigration, climate and healthcare.

Organizers scheduled musical offerings from the Asheville Gay Mens Choir and the group WomanSong and listed participating organizations including La Milpa, Sunrise Movement Asheville and the NC Workers Party. Good Trouble WNC’s event copy invited civic participation directly: "All area residents who support our constitutional democracy are encouraged to attend."

Local television coverage tied the April 5 rallies to a broader activism program that included a People’s Town Hall and an Activism Fair. WPDE and WLOS reported that the People’s Town Hall "built on the momentum from the April 5 'Hands Off Protest' rallies" and described the behind-Town-Hall activism fair as providing information about volunteering and ongoing efforts; organizers told WPDE and WLOS, "It’s a hands-on way for citizens to turn their passion into action." WPDE also carried the organizers’ overarching message: "It’s about protecting rights and demanding accountability."

The April 5 action in Pack Square came amid a string of related demonstrations in western North Carolina earlier and later in 2025. Radio and online coverage from 98.1 The River and 828newsNOW documented a "National Day of Direct Action" on Tuesday, Feb. 17, when protesters gathered at 10:00 a.m. outside U.S. Representative Chuck Edwards’ office at 200 N. Grove St. in Hendersonville and again at 3:00 p.m. in Pack Square Park in Asheville, where the story said crowds protested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and called to impeach President Donald Trump. That coverage noted organizers promoted the Feb. 17 actions heavily on social media with flyers attributed to Indivisible Asheville/WNC.

Citywide movement activity continued into the fall. Citizen-Times reporting on the No Kings 2.0 rally at Pack Square Park on Oct. 18, 2025, quoted musician and activist David Lamotte urging attendees to organize: "Find an organization to join. This is not a hero story. This is a movement story. We are not powerless, but our power lies in our solidarity." The Citizen-Times noted the first "No Kings" rally on June 14 drew more than 6,000 people to downtown Asheville and said the Oct. 18 crowd exceeded that prior turnout in Asheville while a larger march occurred in downtown Hendersonville the same day. Riva Duncan, a retired U.S. Forest Service employee quoted in Citizen-Times, tied protest energy to federal workforce concerns: "Morale just keeps getting worse and worse because the administration does not value government workers. Some people are really struggling to make ends meet."

For readers seeking organizational entry points, the Buncombe County Democratic Party lists a headquarters at 951 Old Fairview Rd., Asheville, NC 28803, and a phone number at (828) 274-4482. The BCDP page on its site includes a call to "Sign Up for our Weekly Newsletter," lists headquarters hours in February and carries the line "Paid for by the Buncombe County Democratic Party. ©2026 BCDP. All Rights Reserved.