Organizers across the U.S. joined each other in protest of President Donald Trump for the “No Kings” protest on Oct. 18. Protestors took it to the pavement as they marched in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, and Boston.
It is the second installment of organized protests from a progressive collective network of organizers referred to as “No Kings.” The first “No Kings” protest took place on June 14, a few days after the June 6 deployment of the national guard into Los Angeles.
Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass immediately spoke to CNN on Saturday and noted that all protests in Los Angeles were peaceful.
“We know he’s (President Trump) not a king, but we don’t want to see our democracy slide backwards into authoritarianism and that’s what protests are about,” said Bass. The Mayor of Los Angeles went on to say that the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles, dating back to this past summer, has been “frightening”.
14 people were arrested as police officers rode horseback into the crowd to disperse protesters near the Federal Building in Downtown Los Angeles. The 14 people included two underaged youth and 12 adults according to LAPD. One police officer was injured. The LAPD posted on their social media an account of what occurred once officers rode in on horses. After thousands of people gathered to express their constitutional 1st Amendment rights peacefully earlier in the day, nearly a hundred agitators marched over to Aliso and Alameda.” The post on X continued, “During the demonstration at that specific location, lasers and industrial size flashing lights (constant and strobe) were used against officers and the pilot of an LAPD Airship. A dispersal order was issued and the demonstrators were dispersed from the area.”
Reports from “No Kings” organizers estimate that almost seven million people attended the protest in total nationwide. The focal point of the rallies was to stand against President Trump’s policies and executive orders. Some organizers have even said that they were defending their first amendment rights while opposers have disagreed, calling them anti-American, according to multiple reports. There were also other smaller protests across Southern California and even in Northern California, most notably Sacramento and San Francisco.
Before the protests took place, California Governor Gavin Newsom took to his X account and urged protestors to remain peaceful. On Oct. 19 he posted another message on X and said, “7 million Americans turned out yesterday to peacefully protest a monarchy. It was the biggest protest this country has ever seen. And despite the GOP’s best efforts to sow hatred and chaos, you stood firm in peace and unity. That’s what real patriotism looks like.”
Republican officials shared their thoughts about the protests. House Speaker Mike Johnson referred to the protests as a “hate American rally,” and Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman said, “Who cares?” according to an NPR report.
In response to Saturday’s protests President Donald Trump posted a 19-second AI video of himself in a fighter jet dropping feces out of the jet onto protestors, on his Truth Social account according to multiple news reports. He has yet to release an official statement, post protests.