Thousands expected for ‘No Kings’ protests in Bay Area

Throngs of peaceful protesters were expected to take to Bay Area streets on Saturday as part of nationwide No Kings rallies seeking to cast President Donald Trump as an authoritarian ruler In the Bay Area Democratic-aligned groups had planned about protests for Saturday afternoon in San Jose Oakland San Francisco Palo Alto Walnut Creek Hayward Pittsburg and a slew of other cities according to the event s website Organizers include local chapters of the Democratic activist group Indivisible the SEIU labor union and a constellation of unions and progressive groups The president thinks his rule is absolute web pages for the protests read But in America we don t have kings and we won t back down against chaos corruption and cruelty Trump has pushed back against his characterization as a king House Speaker Mike Johnson a Republican ally of the president has blasted the marches as un-American and noted Democratic lawmakers in Washington D C are seeking to drag out the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal regime In Oakland protesters were slated to gather at Wilma Chan Park in the city s Chinatown neighborhood at a m and march to Lake Merritt Organizers expected crowd sizes to surpass those of the No Kings rallies in mid-June when protesters exhibited up Activists in San Jose planned to congregate at N nd Street and E Saint James Street in the city s downtown at noon More than people protested there in June according to organizers All described more than attended the mid-June anti-Trump protests in the Bay Area The protests were largely peaceful and organizers announced ahead of Saturday s protests they are committed to nonviolence