VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Demonstrators gathered at the Virginia Beach Town Center for a "No Kings" protest, one of several taking place across Hampton Roads.
Organizers expected thousands to attend the event to exercise their First Amendment rights and voice concerns about national issues. Attendees said their goal is to be seen and heard.
While most of the demonstration remained peaceful, a small counter-protest took place nearby. Police arrested one protester who is accused of kicking a truck.
In response to the demonstrations, a White House spokeswoman issued a statement.
"The only people who care about these protests are the reporters who are paid to cover them," the spokeswoman said.
Army veteran Danitta James attended her first "No Kings" protest to raise awareness and advocate for others.
"It is very important that I'm here today so that I can inform the community about what is going on with service members who are non–U.S. citizens," James said.
"It really continues to show younger generations that this is what we fight for," James said.
Other attendees said the movement is growing as more people feel the impact of national issues. Many expressed shock and disappointment over changes in the country since the last protest.
"Since the last time we were here, we have now started a war, and I believe our economy is crashing," Melissa Ukeson said.
"We need more people, we need more voices, we need more people stepping up—because we do not feel like they are listening to us. It's important to have a strong presence here," Ukeson said.
"We're seeing larger crowds at every single event we've done, because as things begin to impact people, they start to see something is wrong," Ukeson said.
Demonstrators said they plan to continue speaking out about the issues they believe need to be addressed.
