Big crowds of protesters are expected Saturday in thousands of places around the U.S. in opposition to what some are characterizing as increasingly authoritarian practices by President Donald Trump.
It’s the second “No Kings” protest and third mass movement against the administration this year, and it comes amid an intensifying conflict between federal law enforcement and protesters nationwide.
Some conservative politicians have condemned the protests as “Hate America” rallies, while others say that it represents a “patriotic” fight for First Amendment rights.
Here are the latest updates on the “No Kings” protests across the Bay Area:
4:39 p.m.: Protestors gathered in front of a stage with a banner reading “No dictators” in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza.
3:15 p.m.: People holding signs gathered on the sidewalk of El Camino Real and Hillsdale Boulevard in San Mateo.
2:34 p.m.: San Francisco demonstrators march with a large “No Kings” banner. A vehicle was seen leading the group, also with a “No Kings” banner on its side.
1:50 p.m.: Aerial footage shows hundreds of people flooding the streets of San Francisco, marching and holding signs.
1:06 p.m.: Aerial footage shows hundreds of demonstrators holding signs and marching in Oakland for the “No Kings” protest.
1:28 p.m.: Demonstrators were seen at the corner of El Camino Real and 31st Avenue in San Mateo. The demonstrators appeared to be on all corners and walking back and forth each time traffic lights allowed them to cross.
1:04 p.m.: Large crowds were seen marching in Santa Cruz holding signs as part of the “No Kings” protests.
9:01 a.m.: Santa Rosa officials warn residents to expect delays in the downtown are due to a planned march
Thousands gathered in San Francisco for “No Kings 2” rally
One of the Bay Area’s largest rallies drew thousands to San Francisco Saturday.
Large crowds lined Market Street for a march to Civic Center Plaza, carrying with them a range of concerns about the Trump administration.
Some people that NBC Bay Area spoke to said they came into San Francisco to be part of something larger, be with likeminded people who say they’re tired of what’s happening in the country.
“We believe there should not be kings luring over America, we believe in the constitution not in any one person or administration and we would like to see that go back to the way it was before January,” said Carol Baumann, who lives in the North Bay.
Baumann spent the night in the city to be ready bright and early. She brought a reusable sign.
“We were coming several times I decided to make it detachable so I can put different signs on different signs, and I have a pile of them I can use,” Baumann said.
There were a lot of messages broadly opposing the trump administration – but one of the clearer messages focused on immigration policy.
“ICE this is the kind of thing that once again our parents fought against, we have people in our own country in masks and unmarked vehicles pulling people off the streets,” said Bill, a protestor.
Adam Sheehan is with Indivisible SF, one of the groups that were organizing Saturday’s event.
“People have their personal reasons to be here it’s a big tent that’s how we win we come together to go after big cause saving democracy,” Sheehan said.
Along Market Street, the march seemed to keep going and going – all heading toward a rally at Civic Center Plaza.
“What’s happening in the country it’s alarming and very discouraging, [I] just want to be around hope and happiness,” said Darwin Choy, who attended the rally.
-Christie Smith
Demonstrators marched 12 blocks in Oakland for “No Kings” protest
In Oakland, thousands of people gathered at Wilma Chan Park and marched about 12 blocks to Lake Merritt.
To the beat of drums, carrying homemade signs, people of all ages gathered to denounce the president and his policies.
“I’m seeing creeping fascism. I’m seeing compliance and acquiescence to people who I don’t think are that powerful. It’s amazing how quickly this is happening,” said Dr. Nicholas Baham of Oakland. “We do have to take a stand at all of these sort of intentionally designed crossings of the Constitution.”
Organizers urged everyone to remain peaceful, and overall, calmness and even comedy prevailed.
“The signs are really funny. If you read these, there’s a lot of really talented people that are doing it,” said Brian Mell of Oakland.
Several demonstrators even showed up dressed in inflatable costumes to make a point.
“The whole protest movement shouldn’t be as serious. We’re Americans and we love our country,” said Allison of Oakland. “Our diversity is our unity, and it brings us all together.”
Others reimagined Burger King crowns, reinforcing the No Kings theme and others brought their pets.
The message at Lake Merritt Amphitheater took on a more serious tone. US Representative Lateefah Simon rallied the emotionally charged group with words of warning.
“Today, all across the nation and every state in the nation. We are extremely clear we don’t bow down to a wannabe king,” Simon said.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee encouraged people to fight for their beliefs.
“We love this country. Not as a monarchy, not as a dictatorship, but as a democracy, of, by and for the people,” Lee said.
Organizers say they will continue to come together to push others to speak out and, in their words, uphold democracy.
-Laura Sambol
‘No Kings’ events in the Bay Area
Below is a breakdown of several “No Kings” demonstrations scheduled in the Bay Area. For more information, visit nokings.org.
San Francisco ‘No Kings’ protests
- “No Kings” march and rally organized by Indivisible SF, 50501 SF and other community leaders starting in Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park at 1:30 p.m. The march begins at 2 p.m., continuing onto Market Street to Civic Center Plaza, where there will be a rally at 3:30 p.m.
- Demonstrations in Ocean Beach will start earlier, including a human banner at 11 a.m. and gathering in Sunset Dunes at 12 p.m.
Palo Alto ‘No Kings’ parade
- Indivisible and It’s Blue Turn will host a “No Kings” parade starting at 11:30 a.m., gathering at both sides of Embarcadero and El Camino near Town and Country. The parade will continue to Rinconada Park for a democracy fair.
‘No Kings’ protest in San Jose
- 50501 San Jose is partnering with Indivisible San Jose to protest the Trump administration. The rally will start at 12 p.m. and will be held at St. James Park, 180 North First St.
8-mile sidewalk rally on El Camino Real
- A “No Kings” protest is scheduled to target 16 high visibility intersections along an 8-mile route on El Camino Real starting at 12 p.m.
- Organizers will move to Gateway Plaza at Castro and El Camino from 2 p.m. onward, supplying information on the upcoming election.
‘No Kings’ march in Oakland
- A “No Kings” march is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and will start at Wilma Chan Park, 810 Jackson St. Demonstrators will march to Lake Merritt Amphitheater, where there will be community performances and local vendors.
‘No Kings’ march in Santa Rosa
- Indivisible Sonoma County will host two “No Kings” marches to Doyle Park. The earlier one will begin at Santa Rosa Junior College at 9 a.m. and the second march will begin at Juilliard Park at 10 a.m. Marchers will converge at Doyle Park for a community event at 11 a.m.
‘No Kings’ Protests Saturday Oct. 18, 2025
Click a circle on the map to learn more about a protest, zoom out to see more protests happening around the world.
var pymParent = new pym.Parent(‘no-kings-map’, ‘https://visuals.otsops.com/projects/no-kings-map/index.html’, {title: ”, parenturlparam: ”, parenturlvalue: ”});Source: No Kings
Organizers aim to boost political engagement
Ezra Levin, a leading organizer of Saturday’s protests, said the demonstrations are a response to what he called Trump’s “crackdown on First Amendment rights.”
Levin, the co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible, pointed to Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, his unprecedented promises to use federal power to influence midterm elections, restrictions on press freedom and retribution against political opponents.
He said those steps cumulatively represented a direct threat to constitutionally protected rights.
Protests are planned for more than 2,500 locations nationwide — from the country’s largest city, New York, to small unincorporated, rural communities like East Glacier Ridge, Montana, with roughly 300 residents.
Organizers will consider the day a success, Levin said, if people are galvanized to become more politically involved on an ongoing basis.
Mostly peaceful protest in June
The last “No Kings” protest took place on June 14 in thousands of cities and towns across the country, in large part to protest a military parade in Washington that marked the Army’s 250th anniversary and coincided with Trump’s birthday. “No Kings” organizers at the time called the parade “coronation” that was symbolic of what they characterized as Trump’s growing authoritarian overreach.
Confrontations were isolated and the protests were largely peaceful.
Police in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration enforcement raids erupted the week prior and sparked demonstrations across the country, used tear gas and crowd-control munitions to clear out protesters after the formal event ended. Officers in Portland also fired tear gas and projectiles to disperse a crowd that protested in front of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building well into the evening.
One protester was killed during the Salt Lake City march in June. A safety volunteer shot at a person allegedly pointing a rifle at demonstrators, but inadvertently struck and killed protester Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, a beloved fashion designer.
Utah organizers focus on healing
Four months later, no one has been charged. Experts have said state gun laws may shield both the shooter and the man who brandished a rifle but didn’t fire shots.
Jamie Carter, an organizer of Saturday’s rally, said Utah activists considered not participating in this round of “No Kings” demonstrations, but “we also felt that we really had to get back out there.”
Organizers are not affiliated with the groups who put on the June demonstration that turned deadly. Safety volunteers will be present but unarmed, and all have received de-escalation training, said Carter, of Salt Lake Indivisible. Attendees have been asked not to bring weapons.
“We really want this to be a very uplifting, happy event of people coming together in a community to kind of try to erase and replace some of the bad memories,” she said.
Concerns about large political demonstrations remain heightened in Utah, where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was also assassinated during a speaking event last month.
Crackdown on protests
Trump’s crackdown against protests, especially in Democratic cities, has intensified since the June marches. He has since sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tenn. His efforts to deploy troops to Chicago and Portland, Oregon, have stalled in federal court.
Organizers in Chicago are expecting tens of thousands of demonstrators at a popular Lake Michigan park, followed by a downtown march.
Federal immigration agents have arrested more than 1,000 people in Chicago, the nation’s third largest city, with increasingly aggressive tactics since September. Protests have been frequent and well attended in recent weeks, and have boiled over in intense clashes outside a suburban federal immigration processing center.
“People are angrier. It feels so much more immediate,” said Denise Poloyac with Indivisible Chicago. “They’re very concerned about what’s happening in Chicago and around the country.”
The “No Kings” organizers have led numerous virtual safety trainings leading up to the protests with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is listed as an official partner on the “No Kings” website.
The trainings informed viewers about their rights during protests — such as whether you are required to carry ID or if wearing a mask is allowed (both vary according to each state) — and emphasized de-escalation techniques for encounters with law enforcement.
Each official protest has a safety plan, which includes designated medics and emergency meeting spots.
Mixed response from elected officials
The protests have already drawn swift condemnation from some of the country’s top politicians, with House Speaker Mike Johnson dubbing the event the “Hate America rally” at a news conference on Wednesday.
Some state leaders, like Texas’ Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, have decided to activate the National Guard ahead of the protests.
“Texas will deter criminal mischief and work with local law enforcement to arrest anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property,” Abbott said in a statement.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom struck a more optimistic tone, saying he hopes Californians turn out in large numbers and remain peaceful. He said Trump “hopes there is disruption, there’s some violence” that he can exploit.
Source: NBC Bay Area