Hundreds of protesters, many saying they were tired of the current state of the U.S. government, gathered Saturday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protests calling for early voter turnout in the upcoming Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Around noon, several hundred people gathered at Gloria Molina Grand Park, holding signs proclaiming “No Kings” with photos of President Trump.
The sun set, keeping attendees in the shade until about 1 p.m., when speeches began before a planned march through downtown.
One sign read “Dethrone Dementia Don,” with a photo of the president sitting on a toilet wearing a crown.
“Not voting is the leading cause of unwanted presidencies,” reads another.
Booths lined the park, including one promoting ranked-choice voting.
State Sen. Sasha Renee Perez (Pasadena Democrat) appeared at the rally before the march through downtown, leading the crowd in a call and response against Trump, ICE, and fascism.
Perez spoke about the Trump administration’s increased immigration raids as a method of voter intimidation, pointing to a competitive congressional race in the Central Valley where a Republican congressman faces a well-funded Democratic challenger.
“We must protect our voting rights here in the state of California,” she said. “If your vote wasn’t so powerful, we wouldn’t see this administration spending millions of dollars on Operation Safe California to terrorize our community, but I’ll tell you a secret, and that’s when we organize, we win.”
After living in Los Angeles for 40 years, Marlene McRae said she is committed to fighting the current administration.
“I am so disgusted by what is happening in our country,” she said, carrying a yellow parasol to shield herself from the bright sun.
Voting is important, she said, because it gives you a voice, and coming before the midterm elections, she felt it was important to voice dissent.
Progress comes in stages, she said. “I try to take a lot of small steps.”
“I can’t tell you how to vote,” one speaker told the crowd. “But vote for people who have a conscience and a moral compass.”
Saturday’s protest marked the fourth installment of this national movement over the past year, each promoting a different message. Previously, the rallies were aimed at protesting President Trump, crackdowns on immigration and customs, the war in Iran and high gasoline prices, as well as rising food prices.
“No Kings: Vote Early is the next step in regaining our power after a year of mass mobilizations,” according to the No Kings coalition website. “This is a day of nonpartisan voter participation, of being in community with each other and ensuring that every eligible voter has a plan, knows their options and is ready to make their voice count.”
During the midterm elections, President Trump’s suggestions – made without evidence – of widespread voter fraud, specifically committed by non-citizens, in the United States.
Election experts refuted these allegations, saying there is no evidence of such problems on a significant scale.
Just three weeks before the midterm elections, the The Trump administration sued California on Thursday over its handling of election fraud allegations and asked a federal court to immediately enjoin the state from counting the ballots of 20,000 voters statewide, a majority in Los Angeles County who the administration says are “likely non-citizens,” and to open an investigation.
The lawsuit sparked a retaliatory exchange between the Los Angeles County registrar/clerk, who pushed back, and the Justice Department, which warned that county election officials who tabulated flagged voters’ ballots could face criminal prosecution.
California voters have already started voting this month in the Nov. 3 midterm elections via mail-in ballots.
In downtown Los Angeles, a speaker acknowledged that Saturday’s protest was “significantly smaller than in the past.” The last “No Kings” rally, in March, attracted thousands of demonstrators to the city center alone.
More than a dozen marches and rallies took place Saturday in parts of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.
Unlike some liberal strongholds holding protests, Temecula and Riverside County voted in favor of a second Trump term in 2024. There are still about 500 protesters in Temecula, about 55 miles (85 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Riverside County resident John O’Connor, 70, said a lot has changed since then.
“You don’t see as many Trump flags and signs as you did two years ago,” said O’Connor, who wore a “Why I’m a Democrat” shirt at the protest.
O’Connor attended several rallies and said they reminded him of his youth, when he protested the Vietnam War.
“These are two spirited rallies, but I would say there is more desperation in these,” he added.
For Riverside County resident Susan Collins, 74, it was deeply personal.
The naturalized US citizen, who emigrated from Australia at age 5, said she was “appalled by Trump’s treatment of immigrants, refugees and the poor.”
“The damage he did by defunding USAID while enriching himself is incredible,” said Collins, daughter of the late William Ross Adey, the famed UCLA professor who led research on the effects of electromagnetic fields. “I will continue to protest because this is not acceptable.”
Trump nevertheless had his supporters.
An unknown man driving a gray Ford Ranger drove laps around Duck Pond in Temecula, the site of the protest, holding horns continuously for 30 seconds to 1 minute as he drove by, flipping the bird and mooning protesters.
The biggest joy of the day came when a Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy got behind the driver and escorted him from the scene.
One of the first protests in the South Bay saw a neat column of about 50 demonstrators marching south on the boardwalk connecting Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach.
Around 10 a.m., the crowd was small enough and social enough to squeeze past a group portrait in the plaza in front of the Hermosa Pier.
At the count of three, the crowd shouted “VOTE!” »
The No Kings coalition encouraged participation in person and online, but there was a problem with online support. The organization said on its website that the main Instagram accounts of the “No Kings” coalition were frozen and deleted early Saturday.
“The No Kings administrator has lost access to the account,” the statement said. “We are unable to connect and this happened at the height of our national day of action.”
The account remained inaccessible for almost 2 hours before being restored and visible to the public.
Coalition members who manage the social media account were still unable to access its backend as of 1:30 p.m.
“While it is public, it is not operational at this time,” said Hunter Dunn, a spokesperson for the coalition.
The Times contacted Meta Platforms Inc., which owns Instagram, but did not receive a response before publication.
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