An estimated 100,000 people rallied in neighborhoods in L.A. County and marched Saturday Oct. 18 to say “enough” to the Trump administration.
Gloria Molina Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles was the main gathering site for thousands of people who marched and protested at the “No Kings” rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
Similar scenes unfolded in neighborhoods across Los Angeles, including Filipino Town, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Torrance, Glendale and East Los Angeles.
The hot, sunny day in downtown L.A., and the music of Los Jornaleros del Norte energized rallygoers to defend democracy at risk and to oppose what they consider the unlawful seizure of power by the president.
They were fired up and chanted, “No kings, no kings in America.”
People danced and sang along as the music played, while others enjoyed the famous L.A. hot dog wrapped in bacon, served with cooked onions and peppers.
Demonstrators marched around Civic Center Square. They carried political signs and chanted “no kings, no kings.” They walked west on 1st Street to Grand Avenue and headed toward East Cesar Chavez Avenue, then turned south on Spring Street to arrive in Grand Park.
It was a peaceful event where demonstrators had the opportunity to express their anger and frustration with current politics in Washington, D.C.
“I’m here peacefully protesting the abuse of power because we cannot normalize violence and the control of working people,” said Joshua, who only shared his first name and came dressed in a unicorn suit.
Some of the concerns included the recent immigration raids that target Latino communities and the use of federal troops against civilians. Protesters also worry about a president who seeks to prosecute and exact revenge on his political enemies.
SEIU Local 721, UTLA, the Invisible Los Angeles Chapter, 50501 SoCal and BLM are among the local groups that organized the rally. Approximately 7 million people participated in 2,700 demonstrations across the country, for one of the largest single-day protests in U.S. history, according to MoveOn network.
A large group of demonstrators wore humorous inflatable animals — frogs, unicorns, pigs, and cows — to counter the narrative propagated by Republican leaders that antifa demonstrators were organizing “Hate America” rallies according to Joshua.
“As ridiculous as it is impressive, we do not endorse the violence he has inflicted on the people,” he said. “The only resource we have is to act as ridiculously as his policies and his abuse of power. We are peacefully protesting because we do not want more violence in our community,” Joshua said. “No Kings, no kings in America.”
According to the latest figures from the MoveOn network, since April 3, 3 million protesters participated in 1300 Hands Off events. On June 5, 5 million protesters took part in 2,100 “No Kings” events. On Oct. 18, 7 million demonstrators took to the streets and attended 2,700 “No Kings” events across the country.
“There is a momentum, and the movement is booming and growing stronger every day,” according to a press release statement from the MoveOn network.
Richard Martinez (he/they) is an award-winning editor, photographer and designer hailing from San Salvador, El Salvador. They are the former copy chief of Los Angeleno, an arts and culture publication that celebrated the various idiosyncrasies that define Los Angeles. They currently work for the Los Angeles Press Club, managing communications for the non-profit.
Richard is a former president of the LA chapter of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and currently leads the chapter’s communications and events committees, developing programming that aims to build and strengthen connections among Southern California’s queer and trans journalists, news media professionals and creatives. They also serve on the board of the LGBTQ+ Editors Association, heading the group’s events committee with the goal of creating opportunities for LGBTQ+ editors to build community, discuss industry-specific issues and advance their skills.
Aside from advocating for the death of the Oxford comma, Richard spends most of their time staring lovingly at the 60 or so plants threatening to take over their house. They also do a bit of photography and print design when the stars align.