After June’s ‘No Kings’ protests brought out millions nationwide, the rabble-rousers are having another go at it this Saturday, with more No Kings demonstrations scheduled for SF, Oakland, Berkeley, and other Bay Area municipalities.
If you’ve been following the current government shutdown talk in Washington DC, you may have noticed that House Speaker Mike Johnson has been referencing what he calls a “Hate America Rally” coming up this weekend. That’s because he’s trying to demonize any opposition to the much-opposed President Trump, and the event he refers to is the next iteration of the No Kings nationwide protests that are scheduled around the country this Saturday, October 18.
And the Chronicle reports there will be No Kings protests all across the Bay Area this Saturday as well. If you’re planning to protest, that’s great. If you’re not planning to protest, realize these demonstrations may throw a curveball into your travel and logistics plans for Saturday afternoon.
The last No Kings protests in June were a direct response to the Trump military parade he had in Washington, DC, and to some degree, the Los Angeles ICE raids that were ongoing at the time. These demonstrations drew tens of thousands of people in the Bay Area, and an estimated five million protesters nationwide, ranking it as one of the largest single-day protests in US history. The Bay Area protests were largely peaceful, save for one incident where a Tesla driver rammed into and injured a 69-year-old marcher.
We’ll see if Saturday’s sequel draws the same sizable crowds. “Millions of people across the country are all going to be out saying, united, with one voice, that we don’t want kings in America,” Joey Raff of co-organizer Indivisible East Bay Organizer said to the Chronicle. “We don’t have kings in America. We’re standing up for our fundamental rights and values as a country.”
Here in San Francisco, there will once again be two separate protests within the city. The first is an 11 am “human banner” at Ocean Beach, which is likely to manifest similarly to the one from June seen in the above Instagram post. Though larger crowds are likely at the 1:30 pm Saturday gathering at Sue Bierman Park and Embarcadero Plaza, which will then proceed down Market Street to a rally at Civic Center Plaza. So do expect disruptions to downtown Muni bus service.
Screenshot: No Kings
Meanwhile, there are dozens of protests scheduled in the Bay Area, among hundreds if not thousands nationwide. The Oakland protest starts at noon at Wilma Chan Park and will then march to the Lake Merritt Amphitheater, Berkeley’s protest is more of a sign and banner display on the University Avenue Bridge at 1 pm.
So definitely expect traffic disruptions and delays on Saturday afternoon, particularly if you plan to drive near downtown. SFPD spokesperson Evan Sernoffsky told the Chronicle that the department would be “fully staffed” on Saturday, and added, “We don’t expect any disruptions to overall public safety in our city.”
Related: Bay Area Joins Millions Nationwide in Record-Breaking ‘No Kings Day’ Marches Against Trump [SFist]
Image: SF Democratic Party via Twitter