{"id":107776,"date":"2026-03-29T12:45:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T12:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/no-kings-protests-against-trump-draw-huge-crowds-across-the-bay-area\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T12:45:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T12:45:34","slug":"no-kings-protests-against-trump-draw-huge-crowds-across-the-bay-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/no-kings-protests-against-trump-draw-huge-crowds-across-the-bay-area\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018No Kings\u2019 Protests Against Trump Draw Huge Crowds Across the Bay Area"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Some people attended the No Kings march for the first time, but others, like Shelley Facente, had attended all three. \u201cI felt more resolute even today,\u201d she told KQED in San Francisco, comparing this moment to the previous ones. \u201cIt was that much more important that we double down and keep showing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Protesters hold a banner reading \u201cEnd the wars, stop ICE, general strike\u201d during a rally at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco on March 28, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez\/KQED)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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(From left) Amy and Sarah Blanchard rally at the Embarcadero in San Francisco before the start of the third No Kings protest on March 28, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento\/KQED)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the thousands of people taking part in the march were people of all ages. Elderly participants rode mobile scooters, and young parents hoisted their children on their shoulders. With a handmade sign in one hand and his daughter in the other, Jesse Bell made his way through the San Francisco crowd. \u201cThis was a place, this country, where we were able to gather together to say how we felt, and I wanted to take advantage of that and show my daughter the power [of people],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This was the third No Kings event in nine months, and Kaelyn Abbott had been to all three: one in Santa Cruz, one in San Jos\u00e9, and now San Francisco. She said so much had happened since the last protest and that \u201cwe needed to have one once a month, to be honest, in order to keep up with all the grievances people had and to keep momentum. More people were finally understanding that we really needed to stand up for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A protester\u2019s head, marked with \u201cNo Kings,\u201d is seen during a rally at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco on March 28, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez\/KQED)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many people in the crowd carried handmade signs critical of recent actions by the Trump administration, and hundreds donned a wild array of costumes, from inflatable bald eagles to a human-size U.S. Constitution with a hole for the head. Many people also carried the U.S. flag. Rachel Strom, who wore the flag like a cape in San Francisco, said, \u201cIt was so important that we take back patriotism because the Left had been branded as \u2018hating America.\u2019 I protested because I loved America and feared the destruction of democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last October, over seven million people joined events in all 50 states, according to national organizers. Organizers for San Francisco\u2019s \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally estimate 100,000 people were in attendance.<\/p>\n

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Protesters walk down Market Street on their way to Civic Center during the No Kings rally in San Francisco March 28, 2026. (Gustavo Hernandez\/KQED)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Protestors march along Market Street in San Francisco as part of the third No Kings Protest on March 28, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento\/KQED)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rallies have drawn support from groups across a range of issues, including some who say opposing the Trump administration should be the top priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all in trouble, but the good news is we can unify and we can all come together and say, this needs to change,\u201d said \u200aMichelle Merrill, an organizer for the San Jos\u00e9 \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally.<\/p>\n

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Congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti records a video as he marches along Market Street in San Francisco as part of the third No Kings Protest on March 28, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento\/KQED)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A large crowd gathers outside City Hall as the No Kings rally continues at the Civic Center on March 28, 2026, in San Francisco. (Gustavo Hernandez\/KQED)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The scene in downtown San Jos\u00e9 was part street protest, part block party \u2014 with a Trump pi\u00f1ata overhead, costumed demonstrators weaving through the crowd, musicians playing anti-war songs and hundreds of signs demanding an end to the war in Iran, ICE enforcement and what many called executive overreach.<\/p>\n

A few thousand gathered at St. James Park by noon, many saying it was their first time at a No Kings rally. Groups like South Bay Swing Left have seen membership triple over the last year as a result, said Leesa Lovelace, a San Jos\u00e9 native and organizer with the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s all this horrible stuff happening in the world, especially in Washington, D.C.,\u201d Lovelace said. \u201cBut to be here, you really get a sense that there are people that care, there are people that want to change things for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff takes a selfie with attendees at the \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally in San Jos\u00e9 on March 28, 2026. Schiff led the crowd in a call-and-response, telling them democracy must be fought for and cherished by every generation. (Ayah Ali-Ahmad\/KQED)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A rhythmic drumming led a procession of thousands through the streets, a cultural call to resistance that 888 Taiko Collective\u2019s Janet Koike, a third-generation Japanese American, said was rooted in a dark chapter of local history. Koike, whose parents were interned during World War II, noted that the current political climate feels like a repeat of the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe phrase mou shimasen means never again,\u201d Koike said. \u201cI\u2019m just grieved beyond belief that we are having to raise our voices and say never again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Sam Liccardo told the audience he hopped on an early morning flight after a late-night vote to stand with his constituents against what he described as a \u201ccircus\u201d in the White House. Liccardo took aim at the administration\u2019s military actions and economic policies, specifically targeting the war in Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got our women and men in uniform fighting in a war that Congress never authorized,\u201d Liccardo said. \u201cYou have every reason to be frustrated and angry. I am too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Adam Schiff joined the chorus of \u201chell no\u201d chants, warning that democracy is not inevitable and must be \u201cfought for and cherished by every generation.\u201d The sentiment was echoed by South Bay Rep. Ro Khanna, who emphasized the intersection of anti-war sentiment and domestic civil rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud of the big crowds that showed up,\u201d Khanna told KQED. \u201cOver a thousand people are here to stand up against the war in Iran\u2026 here to stand against ICE abuse. People want our democracy back.\u201d<\/p>\n

KQED\u2019s <\/em>Lakshmi Sarah<\/em><\/a>, Ayah Ali-Ahmad<\/a> and Billy Cruz<\/a> contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n