Thousands of protesters filled the steps of the California State Capitol on Saturday, Oct. 18, reviving the “No Kings” movement in an act of opposition against President Donald Trump’s administration.
The protest was organized by the 50501 movement in conjunction with roughly 200 national organizations, such as the Service Employees International Union, The American Civil Liberties Union and Indivisible Sacramento.
Ellen Chapman, a member of the leadership team for Indivisible Sacramento, she was on the planning committee for the demonstration at the capitol on Saturday.
“We had the event in June, and since then, things have just intensified,” Chapman said. “We have moved from what we refer to as authoritarian breakthrough to authoritarian consolidation.”
Chapman said that, since June, Trump has heavily escalated what she sees as a push toward authoritarianism. She said that ICE has continued to “terrorize” immigrant communities with the threat of immigration enforcement, and the president has misused his powers in the deployment of the National Guard and “weaponization” of the Department of Justice against his political enemies.
Clint, who declined to give his full name, is a Vietnam War veteran who participated in Saturday’s protest. He said the actions of the president are “detrimental” to the image of United States military servicemen.
“I don’t believe our current president is representing our nation well, nor making decisions that are good for our country,” Clint said. “His behavior mimics a monarch, and I don’t support that.”
Earlier this year, Indivisible Sacramento, alongside groups such as the ACLU, MoveOn and 50501, organized the first “No Kings” protest at the State Capitol on June 14. It became the third-largest single-day protest in U.S. history at the time, drawing an estimated 5 million participants over 2,000 demonstrations nationwide.
RELATED: Gallery: Thousands gather at State Capitol for “No Kings Day” protest
Chapman said that she was confident the crowd on Saturday exceeded 10,000 participants in Sacramento alone.
Reports indicate that the total number of participants for the October “No Kings” protest was roughly 7 million, making it the second-largest single-day protest in all of American history.
The protest at the Capitol had 11 speakers during its two-hour duration, including Sacramento City Council member Caity Maple, U.S. Congresswoman Doris Matsui and U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell.
Hotencia Morales, another attendee, said she wanted to make a stand against the president. She said that she has always fought for civil rights herself, and she hopes to see more young people and children at protests.
“I’ve always been marching for civil rights, and I want to make a stand before I die,” Morales said. “That’s who’s going to be affected: our young kids, our grandkids.”
Common reasons cited by attendees for participating were worries about civil rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals and Republicans’ rhetoric regarding transgender individuals in recent years. Christopher, who declined to give his last name, was one such individual.
“For me, it was a matter of representation,” Christopher said. “When one of us in our community is in danger, we’re all in danger. I felt it was my opportunity and required of me to come out here and represent my community and help those being attacked.”
This protest came in response to several actions taken by Trump and his administration during the first 10 months of his second term, including an increased focus on immigration control, attempts to rescind foreign funding and executive actions targeting the LGBTQIA+ community.
As chants of “No kings!” echoed through the Capitol steps, many said they felt a renewed sense of hope for the future. Michelle was another participant at the protest who declined to give her full name.
“It’s good to know there are this many people in the community that feel the way we do, that are willing to stand up and say ‘no,’” Michelle said.
Another participant, Lam Duong, held a pirate flag from the Japanese anime “One Piece,” citing its symbolic resistance against tyranny as a theme in the show. The flag has seen increasingly popular use in protests over the past year.
“It feels like there’s a war of common ground here,” Duong said. “I hope we’re seen. I hope this makes a huge impact, I hope this pisses off Donald Trump.”
Additional reporting by Ruth Finch, Ellie Appleby & Eli Keller
