'No Kings' Protests Draw Crowds Across US

A call to mobilize in opposition to a president they see as an authoritarian threat to democracy drew people to town squares, city streets, and parks in every state on Saturday. Large crowds turned out in about 2,000 small towns and major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles—site of a street and courtroom showdown over President Trump's immigration enforcement policies, the New York Times reports. "A lot of times it can feel very doom and gloom," said Carlie Woods, 21, who protested in Springfield, Massachusetts, with her father and sister, "but this makes you feel like you're not alone, to be around so many people fighting for our future."

The "No Kings" demonstrations took place while officers in Minnesota searched for a suspect in the assassination of a state legislator. Another lawmaker was shot in a separate attack, and both politicians' spouses were shot, one fatally. Protest organizers canceled plans for gatherings in Minnesota. And the protests coincided with Trump's Army parade in Washington. A teacher who traveled from Melbourne, Florida, to an Atlanta protest wore a red, white and blue shirt bearing the stars of the American flag. To honor her grandfather and other relatives who fought in World War II, she carried a sign saying, "Our Veterans Did Not Fight for This." Ellen Frank's hopes were tempered. "I feel like in the past, protests like this would get the attention of senators and congressmen," the 60-year-old said. "But at this point … I feel like we don't even have that."

Organizers said more than 100 of the protests calling for resistance were planned by volunteers this week alone in response to the administration's immigration raids and military deployment in Los Angeles, per Politico. Demonstrators on Saturday likened the Army parade to the demonstrations of power in countries with autocratic governments such as Russia and North Korea. In Philadelphia, Stephanie Henderson carried a sign showing past autocrats defeated by Americans, per the Washington Post. It read: "We fought a king in 1775. We fought a dictator in 1945. We will fight whatever the hell this is in 2025." (More No Kings stories.)