‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump Draw Huge Crowds Across the Bay Area

Large crowds gathered in more than two dozen towns and cities around the Bay Area Saturday, for the third round of “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration.

The rallies are among thousands taking place across the country, with protesters calling out what they see as the administration’s attacks on free speech, voting rights and the war in Iran.

“Those of us who are standing up for American values are united in our anger, but also in our love for each other and our love for this country,” said Joey Raff, an organizer with Oakland’s “No Kings” protest and Indivisible East Bay.

Last October, over seven million people joined events in all 50 states, according to national organizers.

Organizers for San Francisco’s “No Kings” rally estimate 100,000 people were in attendance for last October’s event alone. At least 20,000 protesters joined in the Oakland march and rally, more than doubling figures from the prior rally, according to Indivisible East Bay.

Raff said the protests are just one way to get ready for the November midterms, and to honor those who’ve been killed by federal immigration agents in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“At the end of the day, the crimes of the Trump regime are inflicted on individual people,”  Raff said. “We want to  remember them. We want to celebrate them.”

The rallies have drawn support from left-leaning groups across a range of issues, with some who say fighting the Trump administration needs to be the first priority.

“There are lots of people who organize for different causes and different things all coming together to say that if we don’t do something about this out of control authoritarian regime, none of the causes we care about are going to survive,” said  Michelle Merrill, an organizer for the San José “No Kings” rally.

“We are all in trouble, but the good news is we can unify and we can all come together and say, this needs to change,” said Merrill, who is part of the climate contingent.

Seema Kanani, a medical social worker in Milpitas, went to the last two rounds of protests in the South Bay.

“Us regular people, working people are gonna lose healthcare. We’re losing food assistance … community clinics have closed in our neighborhood,” Kanani said. “For me, it’s not only personal and professional, but a matter of advocating as a social worker.”

KQED’s Lakshmi Sarah contributed to this report.