Bay Area organizers of Saturday’s “No Kings” protests expect biggest crowds yet
Blind submission to authority or favoring a concentration of power in a leader or an elite not constitutionally responsible to the people is Merriam-Webster s definition of authoritarian It s also the threat organizers say is fueling the No Kings protests that are expected to draw tens of thousands of people into Bay Area streets Saturday Oct part of a mass movement planned across all states to speak out against President Donald Trump s policies that participants see as attacking American freedoms including his aggressive immigration enforcement push as well as ongoing threats to healthcare care ballot integrity and coaching funding In the South Bay organizers with San Jose s Indivisible chapter will lead a rally at North nd Street East Saint James Street from p m Contra Costa County organizers expect about people to join the -minute rally in Walnut Creek s Broadway Plaza and have also set up events in Pleasant Hill Pittsburg Antioch Brentwood and several West County locations The No Kings coalition in Oakland will be donning yellow on their noontime march to Lake Merritt An estimated people will meet at Wilma Chan Park located at Jackson St across the street from the Lake Merritt BART Station before arriving at the amphitheater bordering the lake between th Street and st Avenue Mayor Barbara Lee Rep Lateefah Simon D-Oakland and other society members are planning to speak by p m followed by performances from local dancers poets and musicians Saturday s demonstrations come less than four months after the first No Kings rallies held this summer which drew more than million people according to counts from the American Civil Liberties Union which co-sponsored the protest recorded among the largest single-day mobilizations in US history That included more than protesters who took part in protests in the Bay Area during the nationwide day of defiance on June according to a Bay Area News Group survey of local organizers Even bigger crowds are expected this weekend for No Kings An estimated to people hit San Jose s streets for the No Kings protest in June mentioned Rebecca Elliott with Indivisible San Jose who helped plan the march and rally at St James Park She s one of several organizers who mentioned the bigger numbers projected this around are likely related to the Trump administration showing no sign of backing down from critics of its policies I think more people are aware and more people are afraid Elliott stated I think more people have been impacted financially They expect participants to voice opposition to ICE crackdowns on immigrants and Trump s deployment of the National Guard to U S cities Elliott commented On other specific issues participants also are likely to voice encouragement for Democrats to press for the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies being part of a deal to reopen the federal administration Still more protesters will be there to drum up backing for Proposition the ballot measure that could reshape the state s congressional map and deliver up to five new Democratic seats in the US House On social media longtime Berkeley resident Robert Reich former Clinton labor secretary and UC Berkeley professor emeritus noted mass movements like No Kings play an major role in the groundswell of opposition to Trump As we resist Trump s tyranny through protest as we gain in solidarity we feel more courageous Reich disclosed in a TikTok this week linking to the No Kings website that lists more than locations where protesters will be participating nationwide As we feel more courageous and stand up to Trump we weaken him and his regime As with the June No Kings protest and the weekly protests taking place across the Bay Area over the past eight months Saturday s event is designed to be peaceful and uplifting organizers say On a nationwide Zoom planning meeting Thursday before more than people Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin noted We want this to be joyful He and his wife Leah Greenberg suggested protestors incorporate American flag iconography into their signs and outfits or even dress up in inflatable-animal costumes a trend started by Portland protesters Levin announced there s power in millions of people coming together to say collectively no kings ever in America Kathryn Durham-Hammer who leads the Indivisible Resisters chapter in Contra Costa County reported that these protests allow people to build district around shared values Every time we come out and protest together we build bonds with each other and we let new people know that we are here and that we care about liberty and justice for all she announced For April Verrett president of the Amenity Employees International Union No Kings Day is about claiming what communities across the U S have already built Working people built this country not billionaires Verrett revealed We re protecting what we ve built and we re building what s next Let s go get it
