Union County Unite Plans No Kings 3.0 Rally in La Grande Saturday

Max Square in downtown La Grande becomes the gathering point Saturday for Union County Unite's third "No Kings" rally, a family-friendly event that ties a local food drive for vulnerable Eastern Oregon University students to a nationwide day of protest the group says will span more than 3,000 communities.

The rally begins at 2 p.m. and will include speakers and a brief presentation on Union County Unite's new Signs of Freedom project. According to Union County Unite, the goal is "to defend international norms of peace, voting rights and American democracy as part of the national movement to resist executive overreach and unconstitutional attacks on democratic systems, the rule of law and civil rights."

Participants will collect food for vulnerable students "who are often afraid to leave the Eastern Oregon University campus due to harassment over race, national origin or gender identity," the organization said. That dimension gives the La Grande event a concrete local purpose that sets it apart from many of the statewide gatherings.

The Signs of Freedom initiative marks a visual shift for the group. Where previous No Kings rallies have featured black-and-white attire and signage, Saturday's presentation will introduce full-color signs built around the group's stated "dreams for a free and democratic nation," with messaging focused on free and fair elections, reasonable cost of living and access to public lands. The project is described as a partner to the Signs of Fascism campaign that has appeared at earlier No Kings demonstrations.

Union County Unite describes itself as a local grassroots community group that organizes pro-democracy events, with the goal of bringing people together in nonpartisan resistance. The rally is aligned with the 50501 movement, the Rural Organizing Project and Indivisible. Union County Unite has reserved Max Square and will have teams of volunteers to facilitate a "smooth, safe and family-friendly event." The League of Women Voters is a national sponsor of the No Kings movement.

La Grande's rally is one piece of a much larger mobilization. Organizers say nearly 100 events are planned in Oregon alone, with more than 3,000 locations nationwide joining the nonviolent demonstrations. Statewide rallies will take place in cities like Astoria, Bend, Medford, Beaverton and Hermiston. Previous nationwide demonstrations in the series drew more than five million participants in June 2025 and roughly seven million people across more than 2,700 events in October 2025.

Those organizing Saturday's La Grande event are pointing to the scale of the national movement to underscore their message, but the food collection for EOU students keeps the stakes immediate for Union County. Anyone seeking more information about Union County Unite or the March 28 rally can reach the organization at info@unioncountyunite.org.