No Kings draws 1,000 Willits protesters to march down Main Street to Bud Snider Park 

WILLITS, CA., 3/28/26 — Saturday morning, 1,000 protesters lined Main Street in Willits for the third iteration of a No Kings protest, part of a nationwide effort of more than 3,000 protests in all 50 states telegraphing a message of disapproval of the current Trump administration. Protesters began gathering at 10 a.m. before marching to Bud Snider Park at 11, chanting and waving signs along the way. 

 Most protesters held homemade signs or flags, some were in costume and several wore safety vests, designating them as volunteers serving different roles, such as peacekeepers or crossing guards. There were also eight- and 10-foot-tall puppets of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two Minneapolis residents fatally shot by federal agents in January, as well as a 12-foot-tall puppet of a crying Uncle Sam. 

“What does democracy look like?” 

After marching to Bud Snider Park, protesters gathered in front of a stage set up on the north end of the park to listen to music and speakers. Among the speakers was outgoing District 3 Supervisor John Haschak, who led the crowd in a chant and read a poem. 

“When I say, ‘What does democracy look like,’ you say, ‘This is what democracy looks like,’” Haschak said into the mic. 

The crowd chanted in response and cheered. Haschak then read a Lawrence Ferlinghetti poem, followed by a rewrite Haschak did of the poem to fit modern concerns. 

“Pity the nation that subsidizes coal and oil in the face of climate change,” Haschak read. “Pity the nation that sends our neighbors without due process to El Salvadorian prisons and shoots innocent people on the streets in Minneapolis. Pity the nation that passes a big, ugly bill that takes away healthcare for millions and food from children so that billionaires can get tax breaks. Pity the nation that demonizes people for whom they love, where they are from, for being their authentic selves, pity the nation for starting wars to distract from the Epstein files. But we can’t wallow in pity,” Haschak finished. “It is time to take action.” 

Bill Govan served as a peacekeeper and crossing guard for the protest, taking march organizer Willits Indivisible’s nonviolence training to prepare for his dual roles. At previous protests, Govan wore his pink pussyhat, popularized after the 2017 Women’s March, but this year he opted for a different pink hat, more practical for the late March California weather: a light pink baseball cap that said, “resist.”  

“Why would we ever want to have a president that if you had a daughter, you wouldn’t want that daughter to date them?” Govan said. “I have two daughters, and I wouldn’t let anybody, anything similar to him [Trump] near them.” 

Govan expressed something he found to be ironic about rhetoric surrounding anti-fascism, often referred to by conservatives as “antifa.” 

“The fact that the Republicans and Trumpers can talk about being anti-fascist as a bad thing means they don’t understand that means they’re pro-fascist., T Hitler and Mussolini and Franco, those were fascists. Trump’s right there with them.” 

Govan said it’s time to get back to American values, like the Golden Rule. 

“Do unto others, as you would have had them do unto you,” Govan quoted. “That’s kind of what the Constitution was written about. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect when it was written, but we’ve been trying, until recently, to continue moving towards the original ideals, and at this point, we’re moving in the opposite direction, which is really disheartening.” 

Govan said he would like to see an administration that wants to help working-class people.  

“I would [like to] see the focus becoming on helping average Americans, rather than giving billionaires all the benefits in the world and having a president who’s just constantly making money and selling our country to line his own pockets.” 

Alex Rounds, a protester with a sign that depicted Toad from the Frog and Toad children’s books said the character Toad came to mind as he is known for being optimistic. Rounds expressed her reasons for being at the protest. 

“The assault on democracy is ubiquitous. It’s all aspects from the rights of the people of the United States to the rights of immigrants, feelings of safety, the abuses of ICE,” Rounds said. “Abuses of power, mismanagement of tax dollars. It’s kind of endless.” 

The scene at the park was lively with folks swaying to the music near the stage and others mingling and chatting around the park. Booths offered free water and snacks and a place to sign up for the Willits Indivisible mailing list. As the speeches ended and people began drifting away, kids clambered on the playground equipment and dogs raced across the grass. It looked like any weekend day in Willits—but for the hundreds of homemade signs and tired faces.