Bay Area 'No Kings' marches, rallies, and protests expected to draw hundreds of thousands Saturday
No Kings rallies set for March 28
Dozens of protests around the Bay Area, and thousands around the country, are being planned for this Saturday. Millions of Americans are expected to turn out to voice their disapproval of the Trump administrations policies.
EL CERRITO, Calif. - No Kings marches, rallies, and protests across the San Francisco Bay Area are planned for Saturday, March 28, as part of a nationwide day of action against what some say is an overreach of power and policies by President Trump and his administration.
What we know:
Thousands of events in all 50 states are planned.
No Kings organizers say the number of participants has grown larger at the two previous events, and they are preparing for even bigger crowds Saturday.
"No thrones, no crowns, no kings," Nancy Latham, the No Kings Oakland organizer said. "No Kings One was 10,000, and No Kings Two was conservatively 20,000. We do anticipate there will be more. I think the fact we are bombing Iran will bring out a big anti-war contingent."
Non-violent protest
The Oakland march and rally from City Hall to Lake Merritt aims to maintain the No Kings spirit and principles of non-violence.
"Non-violent civil resistance is the only thing that has brought down dictators historically, so we are relentlessly non-violent," Latham said.
Adam Sheehan, the No Kings San Francisco organizer, says the march from the Embarcadero to San Francisco City Hall will include new features.
"I think we had 100,000 to 110,000 people last time. We're expecting more this time," Sheehan said.
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New information fair
There will also be a new info fair.
"We get a lot of questions. This march was great. What do we do next? So this info fair will have over 50 different organizations... different causes," Sheehan said.
No Kings organizers are also asking people to wear yellow on Saturday.
"The reason is that it's highly visible and historically, it's a symbol of optimism," said Latham.
UC Berkeley political science professor Eric Schickler, who is co-director of the Institute for Governmental Studies, says in the short-term the No Kings protests likely won't impact a Republican-controlled Congress.
The large rallies might have the potential, however, Schickler says, to impact the mid-term elections.
"It sends a message to Democrats that their voters and constituents really want them to do everything they can to resist the Trump administration's policies." Schickler said. "I think that in turn creates worries if you're a politician, say a Republican in a swing district or contested area, that there are a lot of people angry at the administration and could turn out."
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Oakland's 'No Kings' protest draws more than 10,000 to Lake Merritt
Indivisible East Bay, which helped organize the event, says more than 10,000 people marched peacefully from Wilma Chan Park, through Downtown Oakland, before gathering at the Lake Merritt amphitheater.