By Victoria Andrews

By Noon on Saturday, June 14, 2025, the crowd had already begun gathering, a full hour before the official start time.

Des Moines Police Chief Ted Boe, mindful of the potential for unrest, surveyed the scene and praised Seniors for the Constitution and Des Moines Indivisible planners for their excellent organization. His eyes took in the numerous volunteer monitors in yellow vests, the pop-up tents, the DJ playing a set list of throw-back protest songs, ready-made signs for those who didn’t bring their own, plus extra sign-making materials, and the food bank donation table.

Hundreds of bottles of water were provided to the estimated 1,650 or more filling Big Catch Plaza and lining both sides of Marine View Drive from 216^th Street to south of 220^th Street.

A member of Seniors for the Constitution noted that:

“…at our other previous demonstrations, it’s mostly been people our age, but there are a lot of families here.” There were still plenty of seniors, though, and one woman’s sign read, “I did not protest in the 60s, so I’m doing it in my 60s.”

Young and old were seen smiling and snapping selfies with their creative signs. Over and over again organizers were thanked for their efforts, particularly those who joined in from Burien, where there was no event scheduled. One mother told a volunteer she had been to one other protest and she was glad she brought her young daughter to this one because it was festive and she felt safe. And a young Latina rolled down her car window to say:

“Thank you for caring for my people.”

As cars honked their support, monitors walked among the sign-waivers, making sure they didn’t stray into the street and thanking them for coming. One woman responded, “It’s my duty to the democracy.” A doctor was on-hand and was able to assist two participants who felt faint in the sun midway through the two-hour event. Crowd monitors had whistles ready should they want back-up for any reason, but Chief Boe needn’t have worried. It was, instead, a joyful celebration of Americans standing together for our fragile democracy.

521 Pounds of Food for Des Moines Food Bank

People kept arriving throughout the demonstration with bags of food, even after the official closing. The Des Moines Food Bank reported that 521 pounds of non-perishable food was collected and $1,560 in cash donated by the attendees.

And just as the event was ending, a bald eagle was spotted soaring above the crowd. It was the perfect symbol of what we all are fighting for.

When asked, “What’s next?” Carol Hosler, one of the leaders, said:

“We’re waiting a few days to see if another national day of protest will be declared. We’d want to be a part of that. This effort is not over until we’re assured that our democracy will be restored. We’ll post our decision on the Indivisible website.”