“No Kings” protest draws thousands to Downtown LA

Demonstrators traveled to City Hall to call out President Trump as part of a national movement with over 8 million participants total.

By: Alejandro Garcia and Daimler Koch, Staff Writers

A man holding an upside-down American flag crosses Spring Street to join other protesters in front of City Hall, Downtown LA, just before the beginning of the second No Kings protest on March 28. (Angel Rangel for the Valley Star)

Over tens of thousands of people headed to Downtown LA on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s controversial actions as part of an international “No Kings” rally with over 3,300 locations nationwide.

This third No Kings protest was an international event arranged by Indivisible, a nationwide organization that assembles protests across the county. People joined in from large and small cities across the US — including New York City, San Francisco and Minneapolis, Minnesota — as well as from Berlin, London and Paris. Over 8 million people took part in it nationwide. Across LA County, smaller community protests like those at CSUN and Studio City took place alongside the main event at City Hall in Downtown LA.

Protestors took to the streets for a variety of reasons. Trump's recent actions in Iran headlines his recent contentious agenda. 

“I’m here basically because of a myriad of issues, the war in Iran, the ICE violence happening all around, the stripping of rights from minorities,” stated an El Camino Community College student, Taji. “So I am just here to show that I’m not really satisfied with any of that.”

The LA Metro B line departing from North Hollywood to Union Station was packed with protestors making their way to the several No Kings gatherings all across the Los Angeles Area. Various age groups stemming from toddlers to older adults marched their way out of the Civic Center/Grand Park station preparing posters and signs portraying images of Trump as a tyrannical leader with a crown. 

Two different protests took place in Downtown LA: one that went from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and one that went from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

The morning protest happened at Historic Filipinotown where protestors gathered at Unidad Park and Community Garden. The park, located on Beverly Boulevard approximately three miles away from City Hall, is a historical community center and staple in the Filipino community. Labeled as a sanctuary city for immigrants, the park holds an historic mural paying homage to prominent labor leaders and union organizers such as Larry Itliong and Phillip Vera Cruz.

Filipino leaders rallied as one key location for the protest. Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia took the stage denouncing Trump’s agenda and voicing concerns on the insufficient funds and support for the Latino community. 

“We have to make sure we have representation, we have funds for our most vulnerable, especially our immigrant communities,” said Mejia. 

For the afternoon protest, protestors began gathering at Gloria Molina Grand Park in front of City Hall at around 2 p.m. The protestors filled up the steps of City Hall and Grand Park, chanting “let’s start marching” and beating drums and tambourines. 

Organizations like United Teachers Los Angeles, SEIU 2015 and the California Teachers Association showed up to give their support as well. The UTLA and CTA protested how Trump was taking away resources from poorer communities, while the SEIU voiced their concerns about the high concentration of billionaires in the country.

Around 3:40 p.m., the protestors started marching down Spring Street, letting out a whoop as they did so. One protester burned incense in a tin bucket, the smoke wafting behind him over the crowd. A large white truck with a band played live Latin music, and towards the back, a group of protesters flew a giant balloon of Donald Trump wearing a diaper. The demonstrators turned left onto Sixth Street, then onto Main Street and headed back towards City Hall, where many of them dispersed around 5. 

There were no uniformed law enforcement officers present at the protest. Several choppers and drones hovered overhead during the entire event.

Afterwards, a smaller protest at the Metropolitan Detention Center led to police showing up, deploying tear gas and pepper balls, as well as arresting 75 people.

“If you don’t show up, you don’t get to complain about what happens to you after,” protestor Caitlin Kimmicks said. “Freedom has to be fought for. And if you’re not willing to fight for it, people will take it away from you.”