NO KINGS PROTEST
RAZA AND OTHERS DEMONSTRATE AT THE NO KINGS RALLIES.
My favorite sign – a very succinct and telling placard—at this past weekend’s protest in Pasadena, California read simply: “Arrogant, Depraved Racist.” The protest sign appeared above photos of Donald Trump and Stephan Miller, the diabolical architect of Trump’s immigration policies and tactics. Miller and other White House sycophants were common targets at the latest No Kings protests held in hundred cities across the country. Peaceful demonstrators showed up to express their displeasure with Trump’s misguided, anti-democratic antics – from the evisceration of civil liberties, the dismantling of protections of the environment, the slavish genuflection to the oil company billionaires, to the gestapo actions of his ICE minions to his reckless war with Iran. Yeah, there was a lot to demonstrate against. An estimated eight million people left the comfort of their couches to head to the sidewalks in order to stand up to Trump and his dangerous pendejadas.
In big cities and suburbs and even small rural towns, they showed up, picket signs in hand and voices primed to rhythmically shout “No Kings in this country.” The demonstration in downtown Los Angeles drew an estimated one-hundred thousand No Kings protesters. Pasadena, a cozy satellite city east of L.A., drew an estimated eight-thousand, considered a solid turnout. We had great weather. Overall, there was a palpable sense of urgency and earnestness reflected in the crowd. But there were also examples of light-heartedness and whimsy among the protester. As we viejitos learned during the days of anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, the issues may be serious but you can’t (and shouldn’t) lose your sense of sarcastic humor.
A slender woman dressed as a winsome walking, talking Statue of Liberty drew applause from fellow protesters. I guess my favorite (and darkly humorous) sign was actually on a tee-shirt worn by a middle-aged guy enjoying the sunshine as he walked among the folks at the Pasadena protest. He wore a black tee-shirt with crisp white lettering. It read “Is he dead yet?”
And, of course, there were the ubiquitous signs that proclaimed “Phuck Trump”. Some spelled it differently. Another sign that is worth absorbing came from a small but potent demonstration on the Navajo/dineh reservation (a place where I’ve spent some time). An elder held up a sign that read: “No Kings on the Rez.” Hard not to choke up watching that.
As it happens, I’ve been to all of the No Kings protests. During the first couple of demonstrations in downtown L.A. and in Pasadena I noticed it seemed that everyone was an old guy, such as I. Understandable, but a little discouraging. Where are all the college-aged folks? I know they have letters to identify their generations these days; I kinda forget who’s whom. Linguistic alphabet soup. But this time around, I was pleased to see there were lots of folks of an age characterized by remaining student debt and long before they’ll receive solicitations to join AARP. Welcome to the public fight. Also encouraging to me was the fact that there was a good chunk of raza on the streets. The nefarious actions of ICE are surely one factor getting Latinos to join the marches. Hooray! And ya era tiempo.
The organizers of the No Kings demonstrations tell us this past Saturday’s event was the largest single-day demonstration in the country’s history. They may be right. Again, the estimate is that eight million men and women (and some kids) turned out. Again, hooray!
Apparently, the Orange Pendejo watched it on TV from his couch in Florida. He didn’t react specifically to the outrage against his policies and his personality. One of his sycophants issued a written statement, however.
The White House dismissed the events, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson calling them “Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions.” Not to be outdone in the absurdity/sycophant/pendeja/tonteria sweepstakes, Maureen O’Toole (oh, what a tool!), a spokesperson for the Republican party offered this: “These hate America Rallies are where the far left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone.”
Oh, dear Ms. Maga O’Toole. It puts me in the mind of what Alice said when she encountered surreal but real realities while wandering through Wonderland: “If you drink too much from a bottle marked ‘poison’ it is certain to disagree with you sooner or later.”
See you at the next demonstration.
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Copyright 2026 by Luis R. Torres. All photos copyrighted by Barrio Dog Productions Inc. Luis Torres is a veteran journalist and writer who lives in Pasadena, California. To contact Torres write: Luis.r.torres@charter.net