‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump Draw Huge Crowds Across the Bay Area

Large crowds gathered in more than two dozen towns and cities around the Bay Area Saturday, for the third round of “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration.

The rallies were among thousands taking place across the country, with protesters calling out what they see as the administration’s attacks on free speech, voting rights and the war in Iran.

“Those of us who are standing up for American values are united in our anger, but also in our love for each other and our love for this country,” said Joey Raff, an organizer with Oakland’s “No Kings” protest and Indivisible East Bay.

Some people attended the No Kings march for the first time, but others, like Shelley Facente, had attended all three. “I felt more resolute even today,” she said, comparing this moment to the previous ones. “It was that much more important that we double down and keep showing up.”

Among the thousands of people taking part in the march were people of all ages. Elderly participants rode mobile scooters, and young parents hoisted their children on their shoulders. With a handmade sign in one hand and his daughter in the other, Jesse Bell made his way through the crowd. “This was a place, this country, where we were able to gather together to say how we felt, and I wanted to take advantage of that and show my daughter the power [of people],” he said.

This was the third No Kings event in nine months, and Kaelyn Abbott had been to all three: one in Santa Cruz, one in San José, and now San Francisco. She said so much had happened since the last protest and that “we needed to have one once a month, to be honest, in order to keep up with all the grievances people had and to keep momentum. More people were finally understanding that we really needed to stand up for our country.”

Many people in the crowd carried handmade signs critical of recent actions by the Trump administration, and hundreds donned a wild array of costumes, from inflatable bald eagles to a human-size U.S. Constitution with a hole for the head. Many people also carried the U.S. flag. Rachel Strom, who wore the flag like a cape, said, “It was so important that we take back patriotism because the Left had been branded as ‘hating America.’ I protested because I loved America and feared the destruction of democracy.”

Last October, over seven million people joined events in all 50 states, according to national organizers.

Organizers for San Francisco’s “No Kings” rally estimate 100,000 people were in attendance for last October’s event alone. At least 20,000 protesters joined in the Oakland march and rally, more than doubling figures from the prior rally, according to Indivisible East Bay.

Raff said the protests are just one way to get ready for the November midterms, and to honor those who’ve been killed by federal immigration agents in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.“At the end of the day, the crimes of the Trump regime are inflicted on individual people,”  Raff said. “We want to  remember them. We want to celebrate them.”

The rallies have drawn support from left-leaning groups across a range of issues, with some who say fighting the Trump administration needs to be the first priority.

“There are lots of people who organize for different causes and different things all coming together to say that if we don’t do something about this out of control authoritarian regime, none of the causes we care about are going to survive,” said  Michelle Merrill, an organizer for the San José “No Kings” rally.

“We are all in trouble, but the good news is we can unify and we can all come together and say, this needs to change,” said Merrill, who is part of the climate contingent.

Seema Kanani, a medical social worker in Milpitas, went to the last two rounds of protests in the South Bay.

“Us regular people, working people are gonna lose healthcare. We’re losing food assistance … community clinics have closed in our neighborhood,” Kanani said. “For me, it’s not only personal and professional, but a matter of advocating as a social worker.”

KQED’s Lakshmi Sarah and Billy Cruz contributed to this report.