As almost 7 million people marched nationwide on October 18 as a part of the “No Kings” movement, Los Angeles saw over 100,000 people gather across nearly 40 different rallies in Los Angeles County with thousands gathering in Downtown Los Angeles to rally at City Hall.
The demonstrations, aimed at the Trump administration, focused largely on immigration and the deployment of ICE and the National Guard to U.S. cities. Demonstrators also voiced opposition to a range of other policies, including the administration’s relationship with Israel, tariffs on foreign countries and Medicare cuts.
Many participants expressed support for Proposition 50, a Democrat-led redistricting measure proposed in response to Republicans in Texas approving a new congressional map that will allow Republicans to likely flip five currently Democratic seats.
“It’s not gonna hurt you,” said Pat Sanders, vice chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. “Everybody should be voting yes on Proposition 50. I don’t want [Trump] screwing around with nobody.”
The rally’s central message was a rejection of what attendees described as the administration’s authoritarian and “fascistic” tendencies.
“[In] America, we don’t have kings and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption and cruelty,” the official No Kings website states.
Stretching across the greenery of Gloria Molina Grand Park and all the way up to the stairs of Los Angeles City Hall, large swathes of people from all walks of life had gathered. Signage ranged from the symbolic cardboard cutouts of crossed out crowns, to humorous quips such as “I Prefer My Ice Crushed” and direct demands of “Trump Must Go.”
0 of 6
The rally was organized by the Democratic Action Network and joined by other Southern California groups, including 50501 SoCal and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721. Many other groups, such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Democratic Socialists of America, were also in attendance.
“Our representation here is very important,” said Shannon Rivers, a member of the Akimel O’otham Nation and a worker at the California Native Vote Project.
“[Donald Trump] is trying to separate us [...] Diversity helps us understand who we are as people, as a country, and as a nation.”
By 3 p.m., the initial gathering – which included speeches from the organizers and a band that performed a handful of anti-Trump songs – had begun to move. People streamed out of Grand Park, following behind a flatbed truck prominently displaying a black banner reading “No Kings” on its side, beginning the about 1.5 mile march through the streets.
Dozens of American flags – both upright and inverted – Mexican, Palestinian, and pride flags waved above the procession.
The march remained largely peaceful, though tensions briefly flared when a handful of demonstrators clashed verbally with a lone counterprotester dressed in black. However, no physical violence occurred during this incident.
According to the No Kings website, the movement “is dedicated to nonviolent, lawful demonstration” and urges participants “to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.”
The march returned to City Hall near 4 p.m.. With the rally scheduled to go on until 5 p.m., most left shortly after the conclusion of the march.
Smaller groups remained in Downtown Los Angeles into the evening, clustering near the Federal Building and the Metropolitan Detention Center. LAPD declared an unlawful assembly and issued multiple dispersal orders before forcefully removing protestors from the area, arresting fourteen individuals, according to KABC-TV.