Two grassroots organizations in Des Moines are joining a national day of protest this Saturday, June 14, 2025 with a “No Kings” rally, urging residents to take a stand against what they call authoritarian overreach and political corruption.
The event, organized by Seniors for the Constitution and Indivisible Des Moines, will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. this Saturday at Big Catch Plaza, located at the corner of S. 216th Street and Marine View Drive (map below).
Organizers are promoting it as a peaceful demonstration that includes live music, free water, signs, and materials for participants to make their own.
The rally is part of a coordinated national movement protesting President Donald Trump and his allies, whom organizers accuse of threatening democracy, civil liberties, and public welfare programs.
“No Kings” day is a response to “the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies,” according to event materials. The statement cites concerns about attacks on free speech, immigration crackdowns, erosion of court authority, and proposed cuts to Medicaid alongside tax breaks for the wealthy.
The groups, which together claim more than 400 active members, are also using the rally to support the local community. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food or cash donations for the Des Moines Area Food Bank.
“We’d like to see young people and families join us,” said one member of Seniors for the Constitution. “We’re doing this for them, for our grandchildren and yours.”
Parking is available at the plaza, in nearby lots, and along side streets. Carpooling is encouraged to ease congestion.
More details are available at www.seniorsfortheconstitution.org.
Your president voted in by the majority of the legal residents of these United States of America in Nov. election. He ran on the promise to deport all illegal aliens starting with the ones who has committed unspeakable crimes against children. Please stop clutching your pearls and let him do his job as the majority elected him to do. Thank you.
Sadly, this shows that even senior citizens in WA State lost their marbles after being completely brainwashed by the unscrupulous media reporting of the LA’s riots. They have obviously succumbed to the propaganda of their woke goverment officials, which is the result of their hatred for Donnald Trump. How said that people of that age group can be so utterly misguided.
Look in the mirror for a deceived person. The ones protesting are wide awake and on point.
Why didn’t they protest when the borders were open letting 20 million people in illegally. Kings are not voted in but Presidents are elected in.
Donald Trump has overreached his authority and his followers are so devoted that they won’t even acknowledge it. I’m proud of our seniors for taking a stand. Democracy is about its people, and if we don’t monitor presidential overreach then we will indeed have a king.
Rick Steves
nedrsoSpto28a8tf41fhi4u96538ma34g94a5t9tug2i7l9m6h923a801a0g ·
Cursing Trump? America’s ‘Morsi’ Moment Is Fast Approaching
In the spring of 2013, I visited Egypt. It had been two years since the uprisings known as the “Arab Spring” had toppled the government — and in the aftermath, an angry, conservative base ready to make Egypt Islamist again had helped propel the “Freedom and Justice Party” to power and elected their leader, Mohamed Morsi, as president.
Once they were in power, the Freedom and Justice Party largely ignored — and then rewrote — the Egyptian constitution, granting Morsi unrestricted authority, freeing him to ignore any judicial oversight, and earning him the nickname “Egypt’s new pharaoh.”
Assuming their election win gave them a mandate to reinvent the government according to their hardline conservative vision, they turned Egyptian society upside down with a revolutionary fervor. They had no idea how to smartly wield power, but they were armed with a kind of Project 2012 blueprint (their “Renaissance Project”) as they fed the finer points of the Egyptian deep state into a DOGE-like woodchipper. Within a year, Egyptians realized that running a country is more complicated than bumper sticker complaints and angry flag-waving, and the people rose up. After a bloody counter-revolution, Morsi ended up in jail, where he stayed until his death.
Traveling in Egypt during Morsi’s brief but chaotic presidency, the frustrations of being governed by an extreme party that was overreaching in the name of reform were as clear to me as the bread lines at the government bakeries. In fact, whenever previously reliable government-provided services (which the Morsi administration had “fixed”… but actually broken) malfunctioned, people would use their president’s name as a curse. So, instead of “Oh, shit,” they’d simply exclaim, “Morsi.”
Yes, in 2013, the universal way Egyptians would complain about something not working was to slam their fists on the table and cry their president’s name. “Morsi!” A light bulb flickers out with the power… “Morsi!” The garbage truck never arrives… “Morsi!” The internet fails… “Morsi!” A sewer overflows… “Morsi!” The Egyptian currency depreciates in value… “Morsi!” You get bombed by a pigeon? Even then… “Morsi!”
A decade later, here in America, our voters were pissed off at the price of eggs and riled up about the possibility of trans people in their bathrooms — and we, too, have elected a radical and destructive new government that ignores past norms and constitutional limits to implement a so-called “mandate.” To justify firing the dedicated public servants and non-partisan experts whose rarely-heralded hard work keeps things running smoothly and safely, the Trump White House has demonized America’s institutions as the “deep state.” And, as the impacts of that become clear, I predict that we will start suffering our own “Morsi” moments.
When Musk’s firings, justified by claims of waste, fraud, and abuse, lead to a tragedy at an airport… when a natural disaster sweeps through a state, devastating the lives and dashing the dreams of people red or blue… when “legacy media” no longer exists, and the world view of a confused and frightened electorate is shaped by misinformation on social media… when the VOC (Voice of China) replaces the VOA (Voice of America) to cleverly shape perspectives around the globe… when the Department of Justice is no longer blind, but a political tool for a president with an “enemies list”… when politicians are afraid to speak truth to power, for fear of their families’ safety… when a surgeon general who is a quack ideologue doesn’t believe in science, and a pandemic needlessly sweeps across our nation… rather than slamming our fists on the table and cursing “Morsi!”, we will curse “Trump!”
And perhaps then, if it’s not too late, the electorate of the United States and our leaders will wake up, and we’ll work in solidarity to stop this needless and heartbreaking dismantling of so much of what makes America truly great.