On Saturday, at least 5 million Americans attending about 2,000 events in all 50 states protested the autocratic presidency of Donald Trump. These protests made the case for democracy and against the continued attempts of Trump and his acolytes to create an oligarchic one-party state, stifle dissent, limit legitimate inquiry, and deny equity.

It is heartening to see so many people pushing back. I am guessing that some people now protesting voted for Trump or sat out the election, and now see that things are worse than they expected. We should welcome these people into our movement. There were some challenges and tragedies related to this weekend’s “No Kings” protests. In Minnesota, State House Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home that morning, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were shot shortly after, but survived. The suspect, who had additional weapons and lists of government officials throughout the state, has been arrested. Prior to that, the murders and attempted murders had prompted state officials to ask that the protests in Minnesota be cancelled. The protest went ahead anyway.

In addition to the mayhem caused by one murderous right-wing fanatic in Minnesota, there were related events in Virginia and Utah.

In Utah, the Governor warned that any protest-related crimes would be prosecuted, a statement likely to deter turnout and preemptively blame peaceful protestors. During the protest, a man brandished an AR-15–style rifle. When two volunteer “peacekeepers” drew guns and told him to disarm, he refused. One fired, wounding the rifleman and killing bystander Arthur Folasa Ah Loo. Police have charged the rifleman with murder, rightly holding him responsible.

In Virginia, a man “intentionally accelerated his vehicle into the dispersing crowd, striking at least one person.” He has been charged with reckless driving.

There is no doubt that we live in dangerous times. However, it is heartening that millions of brave protestors continue to show up and do the work, exercising their right to assembly and free speech, despite the attempts of criminals and collaborators with the Trump regime to silence them.

Aside from these incidents, the protests were peaceful, and demonstrated that Americans will stand up for their rights and the rights of their fellow Americans—as well as the undocumented—among us.

We need to keep doing the work of protest, and do it as safely as possible. On that note, see especially the Wired and Intercept stories below. Also, click the image above to see more photos from the Albuquerque protest.