Ocean Beach
Protesters gathered at Ocean Beach across from Beach Chalet restaurant to spell out “No Kings! Yes on 50!” on the shore. The ”Yes on 50” was a reference to California’s Proposition 50, which will gerrymander California’s congressional map with the goal of gaining more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives for Democrats.
Leigh Anne Varney, who does public relations for the “No Kings” protests, said the turnout and the number of RSVPs increased compared to the first protest in June.
Varney said the widespread publicity of the June 14 protest, as well as their partnerships with Indivisible SF and Mobilize, contributed to the growth of volunteers and participants.
“[It] made national television, like Seth Meyers did a whole combinating griff about it. It made Rolling Stone magazine, New York Times, Washington Post,” Varney said. “I think it put us on the map.”
Participants walked onto the beach and across the sand to form the human banner on the shore as waves rolled onto Ocean Beach. The human banner dispersed around 11:30 a.m. and migrated to Sunset Dunes and downtown San Francisco.
Embarcadero
Karissa Yee, an East Bay resident, has participated in past protests in the Bay. Yee wasn’t able to attend the first “No Kings” protest.
Yee came to the downtown rally dressed as Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the U.S. She held signs with quotes by Franklin that read, “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority” and “Rebellion against tyranny is obedience to God.”
“I think it’s important to have both sustained action that will make change in your community, as well as large, mass, peaceful actions that will send a message that the American people are not going to accept what’s happening right now,” Yee said.
Chants like “The people united will never be defeated” and “Hey hey! Ho ho! These billionaires have got to go!” echoed throughout Market Street as protesters marched westward.
A woman with a microphone chanted “What do we do?” when marchers responded with “Stand up! Fight back!” as they walked to Civic Center Plaza at 2 p.m. The chant leaders were on an Enterprise truck that had speakers pointed at every direction as they drove down Market Street.
Civic Center Plaza
Thousands of demonstrators flooded Civic Center Plaza for the final destination of the “No Kings” protest. The crowd sang “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers while they waited for the rally to begin.
Louise Swig, a San Francisco resident for the past 70 years and a San Francisco State University alum, sat in the grass at Civic Center Plaza.
“Trump seems to be aiming for a totalitarian government. He wants to send the national guard to San Francisco; it’s all just terrible ideas,” Swig said. “I love San Francisco. I’ve lived here for decades. We don’t need the national guard, and no other city does either.”
As the rally began, more protesters started to trickle in to watch the guest speakers. One of the speakers was Dr. Angela Davis, an activist and former professor at SFSU, who holds a doctorate in philosophy. Davis has been involved in many justice movements all across the world.
Davis’ speech began with stating that those present are not complicit with fascism.
“Trump — I hate even mentioning his name — he might have won the last election, he would not have won if it weren’t for the billionaire capitalists,” Davis said in her speech.
San Francisco resident Adam Berns stood in admiration of the people who attended the event today. Berns said that since the government shut down, it’s gotten to a level where people are starting to understand that specific policies are going to affect their lives negatively.
“Since the first ‘No Kings’ protest, there’s been a lot of hostility from the Trump administration — especially with him sending in the national guard to different cities, especially blue cities,” Berns said. “It’s affecting people on a more individualistic level, that’s why you’re going to see a bigger influx of people today.”
This “No Kings” protest was predicted to have a larger turnout than the previous one held last June.
Another guest speaker at the rally was SFSU alum Cleve Jones. Jones is an American human rights, AIDS and LGBTQ+ activist. He was under the mentorship of the city supervisor and activist Harvey Milk until his assassination in 1978.
“They did not come to govern, they came to destroy,” Jones said to rally-goers. “The danger to our lives and liberty is very real; the beast is at the door. We will not comply. This is our country.”
James Maxwell, a San Francisco resident, said the city “shows a lot more grit than other places.”
“Not only do a lot of people come out, it’s a mix of everyone,” Maxwell said. “It’s important to show that we care.”
Just out of high school, Maxwell was interested in joining the military, but now he isn’t sure how he feels due to the current political climate.
“As a Black American, there’s a lot of dangers for joining the military for me,” Maxwell said. “I have to figure out where I stand. I think it’s a good opportunity as long as certain individuals don’t affect that.”
As protesters began to fade out of the plaza around 5:30 p.m., the energy carried to the walk to the BART station. The signs remained held, chants were said and protestors mingled with one another.
“We get rowdy here, we get colorful here, we’re very prideful here of our city,” Berns said.
Protesters hold an American flag during the “No Kings” protest at Ocean Beach on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Braelyn Furse / Golden Gate Xpress)