Protesters remained in downtown long after the 2 p.m. finish time, as the LAPD issued a dispersal order spanning numerous city blocks. What had remained a peaceful demonstration soon descended into chaos Saturday afternoon, as some demonstrators reportedly hurled rocks, bricks and bottles while officers deployed tear gas and less lethal rounds in response.

Footage from NBC Los Angeles shows officers moving protesters back at the corner of Aliso St. and Los Angeles St. just after 4 p.m. An unlawful assembly was declared an hour later. Officers have since formed skirmish lines on horseback to continue the dispersal process. At least one horse from the Mounted Enforcement Detail sustained injuries as the unrest continued.The city’s continued curfew goes into effect at 8 p.m. PT.

—Jordan Pagkalinawan, Los Angeles

At roughly 3:30 p.m., following the conclusion and dispersal of the “No Kings Day” march and rally across Center City in Philadelphia, dozens of sanitation sweeper trucks and foot crews descended on Benjamin Franklin Parkway to clear trash, signs, and other debris left by protesters on Saturday. As crews worked to clean the streets around Love Park and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, road closures in the area remained in effect, enforced by Philadelphia police squad cars.

–Bryan Hecht, Philadelphia

Although the scheduled end to this protest has come and gone, the crowd continues to expand through the city streets. With no end in sight, the crowd’s determination and hope for change has only become more apparent as the summer heat blankets the valley.

–Riley Goldman, Los Angeles

Natick Common had hundreds of people lined up on each side E Central St Saturday afternoon as citizens participated in the national “No Kings Day” protest.

The crowd chanted “No Kings!”, cheered at cars, and held a wide range of signs protesting President Donald Trump on June 14, the president’s birthday and Flag Day.

The protest lasted from 12:00pm-1:30pm.

–Sam Shipman, Natick, Mass.

In an advisory posted to X, LA Metro has altered its downtown routes to operate away from the central business district, where the protest is taking place.

“Due to crowds & street closures, DTLA Metro bus service is shifting to outside of central business district,” their post read. “That means that DTLA bus service will run along these boundaries: Cesar Chavez (north), Figueroa (west), Alameda (east) and Olympic (south).”

The “No Kings Day” protest is expected to wrap up around 2 p.m. PT.

—Jordan Pagkalinawan, Los Angeles

As the crowd continues to grow, a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter started to circle above, but no police force are on the ground.

People have began to march up and down the few blocks being occupied, continuing their chants and calling for Trumps removal from office.

–Riley Goldman, Los Angeles

At 3:00 p.m. the “No Kings Day” rally event concluded at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Protesters began to lazily make their way back across the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Love Park as the rain finally abated.

–Bryan Hecht, Philadelphia

The first speaker who took the stage following a rock performance by local band Trash Boy was Bishop William J. Barber, national co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign. 

He led the crowd in a prayer and moment of silence over the deaths of Minnesota lawmakers Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and for the wounding of State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in an additional shooting, all of which took place early Saturday morning in what state officials have called a political assassination attempt.

Barber’s speech was followed by remarks from U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who served as lead impeachment manager in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump in 2021. He also served on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

“The spirit of Philadelphia is the spirit of America; we’ve got no kings here,” Raskin told the crowd, decrying Trump’s military parade and his consolidation of power. 

“President Trump, happy 79th birthday. I’m sorry we couldn’t make it to your party, but we did pay for it,” he continued. “The moment that somebody in public office begins to act like the master of the people, that is the moment to evict, eject, reject, impeach, die, confess, and start all over again.”

Throughout his speech, Raskin continually tied back the importance of the “No Kings” movement to the legacy of the crowd gathered in Philadelphia, a city that once housed the founding fathers of the Constitution and laid the foundation for American democracy.

“[Trump is] auctioning off pardons to Republican criminals in DC like [he’s] selling cheesesteaks in Philadelphia,” he said. “But you know what? I don’t see anybody trembling in Philadelphia today … It’s raining and I see nothing but tens of thousands of patriots for a higher power. And we paid for our own rally today.”

Raskin’s speech was followed by more speakers who represented a diversity of backgrounds, from community leaders to military personnel. As the speeches continued and light rain began to fall again, the crowds thinned out back along the Parkway.

“So let’s be clear, in our America, we say no to Kings with secret police, we say no to separating mothers from their children,” Lorella Praeli, co-president of Community Change Philadelphia, said, before ending her speech in Spanish to celebrate her roots and upbringing as an undocumented immigrant from Peru.

“We believe our solidarity is stronger than their fear. So what do we do? We hold the line and then we move the line,” Praeli said. “We are not just resisting, we are reshaping and rebuilding this country from the ground up.”

Naveed Shah, a Veteran of the U.S. Army and Operation Iraqi Freedom, from Virginia, also spoke at the rally, criticizing the president for deploying National Guard and Marine troops to anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles as well as the cutting of veterans’ insurance funding by his administration.

“What’s the point of a military parade if you are going to disrespect the troops and their families,” Shah said.

—Bryan Hecht, Philadelphia

Thousands now march along Broadway St. in LA, with chants and music continuing to rain across the crowd. American and Mexican flags have lined the streets, as are signs supporting immigrants and criticizing ICE.

—Jordan Pagkalinawan, Los Angeles

With a background of drums, tambourines, and car horns, protesters join in song to fill the Los Angeles air with chants like “Hey hey ho ho Donald Trump has got to go!” and “no Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.”

–Riley Goldman, Los Angeles

In the Boston Common, Jack, a young volunteer with Refuse Fascism, handed out flyers and “calls to conscience” in order to raise awareness about the “elimination of civil and democratic rights.”

“It’s really important that we link these two movements and causes to unite and become stronger and and really provide the resistance that we need to get this regime out,” he said of the No Kings Day protests bleeding into Boston Pride 2025.

Over 3,000 people marched in the pride parade that still flanks the edges of the Common, with hundreds more in tents selling jewelry, flags, and more. In the distance, chants of “No Justice, No Peace” can still be heard.

–Meg Richards, Boston

Lining a busy Studio City street, thousands of protesters gather with American flags and “No Kings” posters to protest what are being called authoritarian actions taken in Los Angeles.

To a cacophony of car horns followed by eruptions of cheers. These Angelenos have shown up in full force to protest the Trump Administration.

–Riley Goldman, Los Angeles

At 1:00 p.m., thousands of protesters in Philadelphia arrived at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The famous facade, which has been the setting for scenes in the Rocky film series and the backdrop for Eagles Super Bowl victory parades, was today covered with a raised stage featuring banners denouncing kings, where community leaders and politicians took the stage to deliver speeches to the crowd. 

A large billboard next to the stage compared the price of Trump’s military parade in Washington D.C with the cost of providing healthcare to veterans.

Additionally, a replica of the famous bronze statue of Rocky Balboa, a depiction of the fictional Philly boxer played by Sylvester Stallone, and a much-flocked city photo op that sits at the base of the stairs, was placed at the top of the iconic steps where it sat overhanging the stage during Saturday’s event. 

Before speeches began, live rock music was performed on the stage as protesters arrived en masse on foot from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Large television monitors and speakers projected the sounds and images out toward the Washington Monument Fountain across the street from the museum, where thousands more protesters sat and watched.

–Bryan Hecht, Philadelphia

After congregating around City Hall for the last couple hours, protestors are beginning to make their way south along Spring St.

–Jordan Pagkalinawan, Los Angeles

Protestors have filled the LA air with chants against the ongoing ICE raids, including “Move ICE, get out the way!” and “Education Not Deportation!”A large Trump diaper balloon, with LGBTQ+ flags around its neck, is also making its way toward City Hall.

–Jordan Pagkalinawan, Los Angeles

Brenda, a former teacher, expressed disgust 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 and I am very proud of, so I want people to be educated so they know what’s really happening. … I’m here today to hopefully make a difference.”

She emphasized that elected leaders—regardless of party affiliation—see the current issues and “see that people are not ready to rubber stamp what this administration is doing.”

Despite the presence of thousands in Los Angeles, Brenda believes the message may not get through to the “top echelon” of the federal government, “because they are unwilling and small-minded to see what’s going on.” Instead, she hopes the message reaches politicians at the local and state levels.

“They know their constituents,” she continued. “I’m hoping our state representatives get a spine. I’m very proud to be in California, because I have representatives [who] speak up. But I think in the red states and the swing states, they need to get a spine and know that their constituents are not in favor of this.”

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

“We are on a slippery slope, I believe right now, to dictatorship,” she said. “And I never in a million years thought that I would say these words on U.S. ground. I’ve traveled extensively. I know what other countries are living under, and the fact that we are being threatened right now to lose our basic rights is bone-chilling to me.”

–Jordan Pagkalinawan, Los Angeles

As marching protesters in Philly came to the historic Logan Square park fountain along their march route, some scaled the central fountain waving flags and chanting. The park is a part of the original Philadelphia city plan designed by William Penn and was used for public executions until 1823.

–Bryan Hecht, Philadelphia

Thousands of protesters gathered in Love Park in Philadelphia, crowding the area around City Hall clad in ponchos to keep out the oncoming rain as well as American flags, pride flags and lots of signs showing off their outrage over immigration actions of the Trump administration as well as a distinct Philly pride.

Many of the various signs held by protesters connected their city to the Constitional Convention and the origin of American democracy, decrying Trump as a threat to its safety. Another sign mocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as being Dallas Cowboys fans, the football rival of the hometown Philadelphia Eagles.

Additionally, the gathering brought together a solidarity of causes with dozens of Pro-Palestinian protesters in attendance and a sea of rainbow flags and armbands showing supporting for the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month.

Protesters led chants of “Philly is a union town!,” and “Stand up fight back!” and “Whose streets? Our streets,” as they began marching down Arch St. towards the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 12:15 p.m.

–Bryan Hecht, Philadelphia

Rain and clouds didn’t dampen pride celebrations in Boston’s Copley Square. Attendees are on double duty today, as Boston’s No Kings Day protest occurred at the same time and place. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell were also in attendance. This year’s parade also had floats and displays from the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, ACLU Massachusetts, and NBC Channel 10.

–Meg Richards, Boston

Millions are beginning to assemble on Saturday for anti-Trump protest actions decrying the administration’s deportation efforts and the president’s expansion of his executive powers, which some say represents a slide toward authoritarianism.

These protest actions, while they may end up becoming the biggest anti-Trump mobilization since January, are far from the first, following weeks of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids against immigrants in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, and other major cities.

In Los Angeles, hundreds of protesters mobilized last week in response to immigration raids on various local businesses. The ensuing protests resulted in Trump ordering the California National Guard and later active-duty Marines to the city in an unprecedented move, and more than 160 arrests related to assault and obstruction charges for protesters in the city.

In Philadelphia, 15 people were arrested at an anti-ICE protest on Tuesday, facing disorder charges and in one case, assault on a police officer. Philadelphia is poised as one of the next cities to receive ICE tactical teams, or SWAT tactical units, who were responsible for the raid actions in Los Angeles that sparked protests earlier in the week. District Attorney Larry Krasner told reporters during a Thursday press conference that anyone breaking the law during Saturday’s demonstrations, whether that is looters, law enforcement, or ICE agents acting outside their authority, will face arrest.

In Boston, during the month of April, anti-Trump protesters mobilized in some of the largest protest actions since the inauguration, calling for the administration to take their “Hands Off!” causes like healthcare funding and diversity programs. Additionally, thousands gathered in the city center on May 1 for a rally that combined a large solidarity of anti-Trump messages.

As protest actions prepare to get underway in these and other cities across the nation, No King’s Day organizers have stressed on their website “a commitment to nonviolent action,” to “act lawfully,” and a need for de-escalation of confrontations with opposing parties. 

–Bryan Hecht, Philadelphia

While the Trump administration plans to kick off his 79th birthday today with a military parade estimated to cost in the tens of millions across Washington D.C, millions more will soon take to the streets in cities across the country to protest his deportation initiatives and take a stand against authoritarianism.

The roughly 2,000 associated nationwide demonstrations planned for June 14th under the banner of “No Kings Day” are expected to be the largest anti-Trump protest action since his inauguration last year. 

To prepare for the day of mass mobilization, various cities have issued closures and restrictions. 

In Washington, D.C, the military parade route will impact significant closures across the city’s streets and bridges, many of which will remain in effect until Monday morning. “No Kings Day” organizers said they will not take their protests to the D.C streets during the parade march, opting instead to demonstrate in many major cities outside the capital. They will also plan to demonstrate in many suburban areas surrounding Washington, which coincides with many smaller protests planned outside major urban centers nationwide.

In Philadelphia, streets and parkways near the protest route from Love Park to the Philadelphia Museum of Art will be closed during demonstration hours, alongside detours of public transit in affected areas, city officials announced earlier this week. Additionally, barricades were set up in the central meeting place of Love Park before the protest.

In downtown Los Angeles, city officials issued a new curfew ordinance yesterday, which closed many central areas to the public beginning at 8 p.m. last night until 6 a.m. this morning in anticipation of protests.

In Boston, the protest demonstration will coincide with the annual Boston Pride Parade, which will begin Saturday morning in Copley Square, and regularly draws over a million participants of its own. While the events are not organized together, organizers from Mass 50501, which is responsible for the Boston “No Kings Day” protest, emphasized the congruence of their movements on their event page and urged protesters to come support the parade and the following Pride festival on Saturday. 

–Bryan Hecht, Philadelphia