State Senator Fadi Katura and leaders from the ACLU of Indiana and local clergy addressed a crowd at the No Kings 2 rally in Indianapolis, saying elected officials and corporations should not be allowed to “buy” political power.

“Our nation and our state and our democracy is now up for sale. Our democracy is not up for sale, and we refuse cutting deals behind closed doors,” State Senator Fadi Katura said, urging attendees to unite across party lines. He identified himself as “your servant in the Indiana State Senate.”

The rally, organized by Indivisible and Mad Hoosier, combined music and spoken-word performances with a program of civic speeches. Danielle Drake of the ACLU of Indiana said the event was a response to actions she described as anti-democratic: “It has been 271 days since Donald Trump returned to office. Since then, we’ve relentlessly witnessed what happens when power is used not to serve the public, but to serve the powerful,” Drake said.

Speakers named redistricting, closed-door negotiations and pressure from outside actors as immediate concerns. Reverend Dr. David Green, president of the Indianapolis Concerned Clergy, told the crowd that maps and other political decisions should “reflect the people, not protect the powerful,” and called for sustained voter engagement beyond headline elections.

Organizers instructed the crowd to remain nonviolent and to report problems to marshals wearing blue vests. An event speaker reminded attendees of First Amendment protections, reciting the amendment’s language about free exercise, speech, press and assembly, and another speaker read language from the Fourteenth Amendment on equal protection and due process.

The program repeatedly returned to themes of inclusion and support for immigrant communities. Katura said he stood “with our immigrant neighbors” and criticized proposals he said would break families. Danielle Drake framed the rally as a defense of civil liberties and described the gathering as part of continued mobilization rather than an end itself.

Performances and poetry were woven into the event; several artists and poets delivered politically framed songs and pieces that organizers said were intended to build unity and underscore the rally’s message. Organizers said additional speakers from local civic groups would follow throughout the program.

The event closed its prepared remarks with calls for continued organizing and voting. Organizers and speakers urged attendees to channel the rally’s momentum into advocacy, community engagement and turnout in future elections.