LA community protests Trump presidency, fights for democracy
By Gerardo Sanchez, October 28, 2025
Signs bobbed across packed streets, voices unifying in chants invigorated the crowds, live music celebrated Mexican and American culture as thousands of protestors channeled their energy into a single message: No thrones, no crowns, no kings.
Protestors showed up in hundreds in smaller communities and in thousands in larger cities. Signs displayed variations of ‘No Kings’, criticisms against ICE and demands to release the Epstein files. Chants grew in volume as people combined their voices together, and people dressed in attention-grabbing inflatable costumes of dinosaurs, chickens and frogs, following the viral video of a protester who has been dubbed by fans as the “anti-fascist frog.”
Crowds demonstrated their camaraderie by taking pictures with their friends and family and laughing at clever wordplay on each other’s signs while volunteers passed out water and people helped each other cross busy streets.
“My favorite thing about this protest is unity,” said Rancho Cucamonga resident Gilbert Salinas. “Just seeing everybody out here for one reason, to say no to Donald Trump.”
The 200-plus organization coalition, which includes activism groups like College Democrats of America, 50501, Indivisible and United for Democracy held its second protest across the U.S. Oct. 18 to resist the current presidential administration and president Donald Trump.
Hundres of thousands of citizens took to the streets during the first protest in June, speaking up against Donald Trump’s presidency and the surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and deportations.
Since then, the movement has only grown in size, with the second protest amassing millions of people across the world.
“My favorite thing is that the people ain’t afraid,” said Ontario resident Powerful Justice Guerrero. “They have the courage to come outside and stand up for what’s right.”
Smaller protests in Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario saw hundreds of protesters not only on sidewalks but also driving by honking and waving their own signs to show support. Tents were also available to people looking for a break in the shade, and volunteers handed out papers with information on dealing with ICE and registering to vote.
Larger protests like in Los Angeles saw thousands of protestors assembling on the steps of City Hall before playing Latin music while they marched in the streets. Celebrities like Pedro Pascal and Olivia Rodrigo, as well as political commentator Hasan Piker, were in attendance, bringing in a virtual audience to join the protest if they could not join in person.
Activism organizations such as Indivisible helped coordinate some of these protests through millions of their members by building partnerships, running media campaigns, developing advocacy strategies and coordinating movements with other groups, according to their website.
“I’m here to support democracy,” said Indivisible leader Linda Sciandra. “I think it’s really important that people know that they have the right to come out and express their viewpoints. I want to show that I am against the terrible things going on like ICE taking people out of their homes. We need to have a government that respects human rights.”
Coverage from other protests shows a few arrests in Southern California were made across the hundreds of protest sites, with news sites reporting the event as peaceful. A tweet from the LAPD Central Division reported the use of lights to push back law enforcement, with ABC7 News stating at least one person was arrested.
As communities continue to show up and the media continues to highlight the growth between both protests, the No Kings movement demonstrated that Americans have not lost the patriotic fire from 1775 and will continue to burn until there are no thrones, no crowns and no kings in America.
Images courtesy of Gerardo Sanchez