Thousands spilled out into San Gabriel Valley-area streets on Saturday, in an array of No Kings protests and marches.
From Pasadena eastward, marchers decried the policies of President Donald Trump, joining many cities across Southern California and the nation doing the same thing.
The protests were often loud but peaceful, authorities said.
In Duarte, more than 300 people congregated in front of the city’s Civic Center along Huntington Drive and spent four hours waving flags, cheering horn-honking cars, listened to fellow protesters, watched a folklorico dancer and waved signs and American flags.
Three people who didn’t know each other organized the local “No Kings” rally in 24 hours.
All Duarte residents, Debbie Ortiz, 36, a senior program manager, George White, 36, who works in security, and Victor Salazar, 31, reporting for duty with the U.S. Army next week, messaged each other on Facebook and organized themselves into a trio of activists.
“All of us together are stronger than one administration,” Ortiz said, marveling at the turnout, pointing out the people of all ages and races from Duarte and nearby cities such as Glendora, West Covina and Monrovia who showed up.
Jason Samuelian, 45, of Monrovia talked about the history of immigration and this week’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the Los Angeles area with his 10-year-old daughter Carys. Together, they made a sign that read “For Those Who Have No Voice,” which Carys decorated with pink and red heart stickers.
“I was on a flight watching the news, crying and texting my family,” Samuelian said. “This is not okay. It is not okay to pick up law-abiding citizens just doing their jobs.”
Ruth Morquecho of El Monte brought her twin sons Caleb and Kaliel to the protest, where they toted their own handmade signs and also brought their mother to tears with a speech they made to the crowd.
“This is our first protest and thank you for standing up for democracy, for our country, for us,” Kaliel said. “Clap if you don’t like ICE.”
Caleb told the crowd, “You’re really doing good. Thank you for standing up for America.”
The protests were happening against a backdrop of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which spurred many on Saturday.
Trump ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to L.A. That came following protests over his administration’s stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws.
Dozens of workers have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in a series of raids that started in L.A.’s fashion district and at Home Depot parking lots in Southern California.
Federal immigration authorities have been ramping up arrests across the country, with a goal of fulfilling Trump’s promise of mass deportations with a goal of making the nation safer.
Todd Lyons, the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended his tactics earlier this week against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed. He has said ICE is averaging about 1,600 arrests per day and that the agency has arrested “dangerous criminals.”
Echoing Lyons at a news conference on Thursday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the enforcement operations were targeting violent criminals. During her news conference, photos of criminals detained during the Southland operations were shown on video screens.
“We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor (Gavin Newsom) and that this mayor (Karen Bass) placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into this city,” Noem said, pointing to the state and city’s so-called “sanctuary” policies, which prohibit the use of state and local resources and personnel for federal immigration enforcement.
As for the No Kings protests, Trump himself this week told reporters: “I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.
“A king would say ‘I’m not going to get this … he wouldn’t have to call up [House Speaker] Mike Johnson and [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune and say, ‘Fellas you’ve got to pull this off’ and after years we get it done. No no, we’re not a king, we’re not a king at all.”
Several thousand protestors rallied in Pasadena, where attendees waved American flags, chanted “ICE out of Dena” and held up signs such as “Liberate Kristi Noem from her delusion.”
In one instance, a hot dog street vendor motioned to a Mexican flag-waving protestor: “Give me your flag” he said. The vendor — after having a photo taken — then marched with his cart while waving the flag to the cheers of the crowd, which city officials estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000.
“Everything is out of control,” said Mikaila Buchanan, a 39-year-old biologist from Arcadia, “from human rights, to immigration, to the attack on science, the disregard for our constitution, our democracy.”
Janice Dangerfield, a 75-year-old retiree, said she protested during the civil rights movement but didn’t expect she’d have to protest again until the ICE raids in Southern California pushed her to action.
“I don’t want a king,” she said. “We have a White House full of fascists and we’ve got to get them out.”
Charlie Bloomer came from Orange County with his wife Amber and daughters Tyler and Aaryn to push his 91-year-old mother Lee in a wheelchair for the protest.
The family wound up in the middle of Colorado Boulevard holding their signs aloft. Lee Bloomer has attended many protests, she said. But none as impactful as this, she said.
“I wake up every morning to chaos and disruption of our democracy,” she said.
Along with Duarte and Pasadena, protests planned in cities including Covina, Sierra Madre and in Whittier.
Back in Duarte, Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Covina, listened to people’s immigrant stories and asked the crowd if the protest needed the National Guard and Marines present.
“I want to thank you for being here today to contrast what the President is doing today in Washington, D.C.,” Cisneros said, referencing the parade in Washington D.C., celebrating the the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. “We don’t need an authoritarian tyrant leading our country, and the only way we’re going to change that is if all of you raise your voices in a peaceful manner. Democracy will live.”
Virginia Classick, 82, of Duarte, knows about the power of protests. She was 20 when she marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge days after “Bloody Sunday” when peaceful protesters were attacked there.
Diana Marquez, 21, her brother Alfred, 14, and their friend Carlos Gonzalez, 20, held signs that read “Trump Has Mugshots. My Parents Don’t” and “Deport Racists, Not Humans.”
Marquez said her mother is an immigrant and she’s proud of her Mexican heritage.
“We’re here to support those who can’t use their voices,” she said.
Gonzales, who is a nursing student at Pasadena City College, said he is supporting his immigrant parents as well as past American presidents who across the political divide supported immigrants.
“I’m saying I don’t agree with what’s going on,” he said. “This administration is blaming everything on immigrants and dehumanizing them.”
Councilmembers Samuel Kang and Martin Calderon and Mayor Cesar Duarte spoke to protestors and passed out iced bottles of water.
Kristen Willet, 52, of Glendale said the rally was an “intensely positive thing in horrifying times.”
Willet said because she is White, she isn’t a target now, but “I don’t know how to protest the people who are dear to me. I’m surrounded by diversity and I love it. I just don’t know what else to do aside from calling my senator and my representatives and lose my composure.”
In Sierra Madre, Brittany Shafferman joined hundreds of people at the corner of Sierra Madre Boulevard and Baldwin Avenue to protest. The gathering was canceled, then reconvened days before June 14.
“I’m attending the No Kings Rally because I believe it is both a moral and civic duty to speak out when democratic principles are under threat,” she said.
By close to 5 p.m. the largest of the San Gabriel Valley protests appeared to be wrapping up in Pasadena, where police had mainly been engaged in traffic control. A message from the city read: “As we conclude our demonstration, we thank the public for their peaceful assembly and cooperation. Please have a safe night.”