Anger and activism rained down in the City of Angels on Saturday. From Burbank to Beverly Hills, tens of thousands denounced the Trump administration’s policies in protests, joining the nationwide “No Kings” movement.

Rallies have mobilized political unrest in Los Angeles—a county nearly ten million strong—in response to raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. 

These rallies, some 2,000 nationwide, were organized by 50501, a grassroots political movement with a mission to “uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach,” according to its website. They also stressed the need for peaceful protests, refusing to tolerate violence of any kind. These calls for peace came after days of tension between protesters and police in Los Angeles, who arrested over 500 people for charges ranging from curfew violations to assault. Following the “No Kings” demonstrations Saturday afternoon, 38 people were arrested in downtown LA.

During these Saturday protests, Trump held a military parade in Washington D.C. to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Army. The parade coincided with his 79th birthday, a move critics say is reflective of those held in authoritarian countries, such as North Korea. Millions across the country organized in mass protest. The “No Kings” movement aims to fight back against actions by the Trump administration that many see as authoritarian or dictatorial.

Downtown Los Angeles

In downtown LA, anti-ICE demonstrators have held protests every day of the last week with hundreds of waving flags, banners, and signs near City Hall—LAPD officers, sheriff’s deputies, and National Guard troops looked on. On Saturday, protesters gathered at Grand Park, chanting and dancing for nearly two hours before making their way across Los Angeles, ultimately ending in Pershing Square.

Brenda, a former teacher who declined to give her last name for safety concerns, expressed abhorrence toward the Trump administration’s policies.

“I am thoroughly disgusted with the [exclusionary] and unjust procedures going on in the United States,” she said. “This isn’t the country that I was born in, … so I want people to be educated so they know what’s really happening.”

Erin, a social justice advocate and daughter of an immigrant mother who declined to give her last name for safety concerns, was one of many members of the Latin American community who made their voices heard Saturday. She highlighted immigrants’ substantial cultural and economic contributions to the U.S. while maintaining the need for systemic change.

“I’m here for them: the most vulnerable people,” Erin said. “Workers who do so much to augment our economy, yet have to live in the shadows because of the cruelty of this administration.”

She added that it is many of these immigrants who “bring beautiful, robust culture and language with them that make the United States what it is.”

James, who held a double-sided sign mocking President Trump with phrases such as “Bad to the bone spurs” and “Wack-O-Lantern!”, hoped that the lighthearted and peaceful nature of the protests would echo beyond Los Angeles, compared to violent scenes often portrayed in the media. James declined to give his last name for safety concerns.

“We have to laugh about this and we have to be generous—even to the people who vote for him—to then express humanity and grace,” James said.

He also hopes that local, state, and federal officials remember their constituents’ desires and that their voices hold power.

“With dignified protest, you need people to vote,” he said. “Hopefully, I think this kind of activism and outreach … is going to make a difference … We care, and we’re decent. It’s not what we’re seeing from the [Trump] administration.”

For people who are not present at “No Kings Day,” Brenda hopes they remember pride in their country and the First Amendment.

“We are on a slippery slope, I believe right now, to dictatorship,” she said, “The fact that we are being threatened right now to lose our basic rights is bone-chilling to me.”

Agitators cause chaos between demonstrators and authorities

While the “No Kings” rally downtown was expected to end around 2 p.m., a group of demonstrators lingered for hours. By the late afternoon, the peace emphasized by 50501 had dissipated. 

At approximately 4 p.m., the LAPD issued a dispersal order along the 300 block of Los Angeles Street. A group of protesters threw rocks, bottles, and other objects at officers, leading them to retaliate with tear gas, pepper balls, and less-lethal rounds. The LAPD’s Mounted Enforcement Detail pushed protesters back with horses, sending them scrambling with pepper balls and flash bangs. The LAPD declared an unlawful assembly around 5 p.m. Among the resulting 38 arrests, 35 protesters were cited for curfew violations, one for failing to disperse, one for resisting arrest, and one was charged with obstructing an officer.

“We started off with 20 to 30,000 participants at its peak, and the protest was peaceful,” LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides told ABC7 Los Angeles. “Not until rocks and bottles and projectiles were being thrown at our officers did we initiate crowd control tactics in an effort to bring peace and calmness in that area and protect the children, families, and protesters that were there to express the First Amendment.”

In an interview with NBC Los Angeles, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell estimated that 1,000 “agitators” were responsible for the unrest across Los Angeles, adding that his officers are “ready for whatever happens” regarding violence at otherwise peaceful protests.

“We will take appropriate action [on] anybody who’s down here, who is not supposed to be here, who [doesn’t] have a reason to be here,” he continued.

Studio City

Earlier in the day, thousands of San Fernando Valley residents packed a busy city street corner roughly a quarter mile in every direction to push back against the Trump administration. 

One of the numerous protests across Los Angeles, locals from Studio City and surrounding towns gathered at roughly 10 a.m. and stayed enthusiastic well past the scheduled end of the event at 1 p.m. 

With constant honking on the road, protesters blanketed the sidewalks carrying signs denouncing the Trump administration’s actions within the city—with primary focus on his mass deportation efforts. 

Waving U.S., Mexican, and Californian flags throughout the event, the crowd represented the melting pot that makes Los Angeles culturally unique. While the protest stayed within a relatively small range, the mass of marchers crossing the streets backed up traffic about a mile in every direction. 

Many protesters like Sam Green carried signs calling Trump an “orange monarch” or “faux-King” and denouncing the executive branch’s actions. 

“He is a domestic terrorist,” Green said, “[The Trump administration is] talking about terrorists, they talk about insurrectionists. That’s exactly what they are, and it’s his administration. I can’t make sense of it. I never thought this would happen in our country.”

Kevin Bachman, who came to the protest with his family, is fighting for his late father, who was transgender, and his autistic son.

“I’m fighting for our voices,” Bachman said. “I’m tired of our rights being taken away and ignored.”

“I’m also Jewish. We know what happens when they take names,” he continued. “So it’s a very scary point in our country. And we just got to make a stand, a peaceful stand.”

Luis Delcid, the son of an immigrant, said he has watched what has been happening with the ICE raids but felt “too quiet.” As a result, he built a non-profit clothing brand that raises awareness and money for immigrant rights organizations. The shirts, which he distributed at Saturday’s protest, have a circle of Latin American flags surrounding the sayings, “Made America Great Already” and “Brown Hands Built Your White House.”

“I feel like for so long, they’ve been using immigrant work and we’re always pushed to the side,” Delcid said. 

Read the rest of The Beacon’s “No Kings” protest coverage here.