Devynn Alston, Contributing Writer
Roughly 20,000 people marched through Richmond for Saturday’s anti-Trump “No Kings” protest — some of them being members of the Artists Against Deportations collective, a newly formed bundle of creative activists standing with the Latino community across mediums.
Over 50 local visual artists, musicians, writers and even culinary artists make up the collective, which formed in light of surging immigration enforcement actions under President Donald Trump.
Virginia is a hotspot for immigration enforcement, data shows. Over 2,000 Virginia residents received deportation orders in March alone — 300 of whom were in the Richmond area. Arrests in June 2025 were six times higher than in June 2024.
The Hackensaw Boys, Solera, Art School and the Auricular — a popular local music publication — are all among the growing list of over 200 groups who have signed a petition calling out “Trump’s war on immigrants.”
“For Latinos living in the United States, their violent displacement is the faded reflection of the violent political and economic intervention waged upon their home country,” the petition reads. “And this goes beyond Latin America. From Argentina to Burkina Faso, from Palestine to Korea, migration is manufactured.”
Artists Against Deportations, or AAD, is a direct evolution of Richmond Defensa, a community organization that alerts locals through Telegram and WhatsApp when Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is conducting operations around the city.
“As artists, we have a lot of both cultural power and cultural sway by using our different mediums to help serve our community,” said Neve Coppersmith, one of AAD’s leaders.
AAD brought local rock band Dead Billionaires to the “No Kings” protest to perform a set in Monroe Park, once the march concluded. They played their song “15 Words,” the lyrics of which read “F*** white supremacy wherever it stands.”
Warren Campbell, Dead Billionaires’ lead singer, said performing allows him to use his privileges beneficially. His favorite part of advocating through his music is the ability to stand up for others.
“People are scared of the things going on right now, and being loud and standing up to it is important,” Campbell said. “Using my privilege as a white, cisgendered male, I can do what others can’t.”
Another group that signed the petition was “Punks4Liberation” a group of volunteers looking to focus the hardcore sound towards liberation and advocacy. They provide mutual aid to Richmonders and serve as crowd marshals for the “No Kings” protest.
A protester going by the name “Judas” runs “Punks4Liberation.” He has been an active organizer of “No Kings” events in Richmond.
“At the heart of the hardcore genre is advocacy, so if you are anything less than an ally or a supporter, you shouldn’t consider yourself a fan of the genre,” Judas said.