More than 1800 protesters assembled in downtown Katy at noon on June 14 in observance of “No Kings Day,” a national movement which is protesting the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Initially assembling in Katy’s historic town square at Second Street and Avenue D – and at first numbering about 300 – the crowd was peaceful. Most carried hand-made signs – very few of which related to immigration -- and many carried American flags. A handful of Trump supporters stood across the street in front of the Katy Crossing Icehouse, carrying their own signs.

Shortly after noon, the protestors moved to Avenue D, lining the east side of the street from just south of Second Street to the north at George Bush Drive, as more people continued to arrive in their cars.

There was a moderate police presence, with several Katy Police cars circling the square and driving up and down Avenue D. Fort Bend Constable Precinct 1 Chad Norvell was in an unmarked SUV across the street from the protestors, monitoring the situation. The protest remained peaceful, with only one disruption when an ambulance was called to assist a woman overcome by the heat.

Protestors sang a number of songs including “Stand by Me,” “This Land is Your Land,” and “Freedom,” and chanted “This is what democracy looks like,” “No Trump, no fascists” and “No kings,” among other slogans.

Traffic was heavier than usual along Avenue D, as onlookers drove by, along with some Trump supporters waving Trump-Vance flags and others honking in support of the protestors.

The event concluded as scheduled at about 1 p.m.

“We'll be doing more events in the future,” said organizer Marsha Kamish of Indivisible Katy Huddle, in an email to the Katy Times. “So much to fight for and against!”

Local businesswoman Betsy Proctor, owner of The Limited Edition Arts & Antiques located on the downtown square, noted in a post on Facebook that the event turned out to be good for the downtown Katy businesses. “We were as busy as if it were a Market Day,” she said in the post. “They were a happy group of shoppers!”