Hundreds of protesters gathered at Redding City Hall on Saturday morning for the No Kings/Kick Out the Clowns demonstration, one of 14 No Kings protests scheduled in the North State over the weekend.
Demonstrators protested along Cypress Avenue in what No Kings movement organizers say is President Donald Trump’s and his administration’s overreach and flouting laws limiting presidential powers, anti-immigration policies and use of the military and law enforcement to suppress opposition.
“We don’t fall for the fear mongering, we want ICE out of California and we won’t let our elected officials be attacked,” said Brooke McGowen, a Redding resident who attended similar past protests.
Trump supporters showed, too, driving vehicles along Cypress with pro-Trump messages on flags and banners attached to their vehicles.
The protest was peaceful and no one reported any problems, said Redding Police Sgt. Paul Slagle on Monday.
Redding police didn’t have an estimate on crowd size, but a few of those people present, and who represented either side of the political aisle, estimated as many as 2,000 people attended, some leaving early or arriving late.
Saturday’s rally was the latest of several demonstrations in Redding, which began less than two weeks after Trump took office on Jan. 20. Protests broke out nationwide in response to the administration’s massive funding cuts to social programs and federal land preservation efforts, and to its aggressive sweeping deportations of immigrants who the Trump administration identified as criminals.
Organizers at NoKings.org also invited demonstrators — of all political affiliations and independents — to No Kings protests scheduled Saturday in Trinity, Siskiyou, Butte, Lassen and other North State counties.
There was also a North State No Kings virtual event at 1 p.m. Saturday. Part of the No Kings Movement, the event and others are a “peaceful demonstration of our commitment to the principles that make America strong: Accountability, justice, and the rule of law,” according to the hosting organization Women’s March.
As of Thursday, NoKings.org registered approximately 2,000 protests across the country. To see real-time coverage of No Kings events around the country, click here.
Why ‘No Kings’ demonstrators say they’re protesting
Nationwide non-partisan No Kings protests on Flag Day follow chaotic demonstrations in Los Angeles over the immigration enforcement actions. Protester numbers grew and tempers heated, with some clashing with law enforcement, after Trump mobilized the California National Guard and the U.S. Marines.
California lawmakers including Gov. Gavin Newsom protested the action, receiving criticism from the Trump administration, and Trump himself.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference, pushed to the floor and handcuffed by law enforcement officers last Thursday, after he interrupted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s speech, shouting his concerns over the handling of the Los Angeles protests and immigration raids.
“If Trump and his goons think they can pull off a fascist coup, they didn’t reckon with the American love of freedom and democracy,” McGowen said.
(This story was updated with new information.)
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding protesters crowd City Hall lawns for anti-Trump No Kings rally
Reporting by Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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