Santa Monica will participate in a nationwide "No Kings" protest Saturday as local authorities prepare for an estimated 1,000 demonstrators to gather at Palisades Park in opposition to President Donald Trump's policies.
The Santa Monica rally is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the north end of Palisades Park near Ocean Avenue and Montana Avenue but there’s an expectation the event will last into the afternoon as it is one of hundreds of demonstrations planned across the country as a "Nationwide Day of Defiance" against what organizers call authoritarian overreach. The event is timed to coincide with Trump's 79th birthday and Flag Day.
Santa Monica was looted in 2020 following a local offshoot of the Black Lives Matter protests that had swept the nation and the Santa Monica Police Department said it would not tolerate another instance of mass violence in the city.
"We expect to receive outside assistance in order to ensure that we have clear enough coverage to take care of events and those attending," said Police Chief Ramon Batista during a recent briefing. "We have to think about riding a vehicle into a large crowd. We have to think about bad actors who invent themselves and the legitimate protesters."
Batista emphasized that while the department will protect everyone's rights, criminal activity will not be tolerated. "I'm not going to allow for any of that yet risk anyone that comes within intent to conduct crime or abuse, disorder or chaos that will not be allowed," he said.
The Santa Monica protest will feature speakers including State Sen. Ben Allen, City Council members Jesse Zwick, Ellis Raskin and Natalya Zernitskaya. Demonstrators plan to meet at Montana Avenue at Ocean Avenue and spread out along the park creating a visible line of protest along the bluff.
Organizers have coordinated with law enforcement and emphasize their commitment to nonviolent action. Event guidelines instruct participants to stay on public park property, avoid entering streets or bike paths, and hold signs down while walking from parked cars until reaching the park space.
The Santa Monica rally is part of a coordinated web of "No Kings" protests within the Los Angeles region. In downtown Los Angeles, a large march and rally dubbed the "50501 SoCal Flag Day March" will begin at 10 a.m. outside City Hall and run until about 2 p.m., potentially making it one of Southern California's largest Flag Day gatherings.
Other Westside communities are hosting affiliated rallies, including West Hollywood Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Culver City Hall starting at 11 a.m. Each protest shares the anti-authoritarianism theme while maintaining its own local character. The West Hollywood event is expected to draw LGBTQ+ activists and progressive city officials, while Culver City's rally will likely feature neighborhood leaders and possibly city council members.
Organizers encourage participants to bring creative signs and "noisemakers" ranging from drums to pots and pans. The protests welcome participants of all ages and are intended to be energetic but orderly.
"No Kings Day" was conceived as a direct response to Trump's plan to stage a grand military parade in Washington, D.C. on his birthday, which critics said was fit for a monarch rather than an American president. The movement takes its name from the founding American rejection of monarchy, with the motto "No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings."
The coalition was announced in early May by grassroots network Indivisible and includes organizations such as the American Federation of Teachers, Black Voters Matter, National Action Network and Public Citizen. Organizers say over 1,800 protests nationwide have been planned for June 14. It gained momentum in Los Angeles following the recent immigration raids and accompanying protests.