NPR noted a claim from event organizers on the \u201cNo Kings\u201d website that Saturday\u2019s protest would \u201cbe the biggest protest in US history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shortly after noon Saturday, hundreds began to march across the Tower Bridge from West Sacramento toward Sacramento\u2019s Capitol Mall, led by three yellow signs reading \u201cNo Kings!\u201d, \u201cWe are the power\u201d and \u201cSomos el poder\u201d (\u201dWe are the power\u201d in Spanish).<\/p>\n
A map shows protests scheduled throughout the Sacramento region<\/a>, from downtown at the Capitol to surrounding suburbs like Folsom, Roseville and Lincoln.<\/p>\n Here is how things looked as of about 2:15 p.m. Coverage will be updated throughout the day.<\/p>\n Speakers get underway outside Capitol<\/p>\n Speakers started addressing the crowd around 1 p.m. in front of the Capitol.<\/p>\n Among them was Sandra Olewine, a bishop of the United Methodist Church\u2019s California-Nevada Conference.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery day we wake up unsure of what new disaster or atrocity this administration might have carried out overnight,\u201d Olewine said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rule of law, freedom of the press, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution itself seems little more than pieces of paper that are torn up and thrown aside by this administration,\u201d she continued, condemning the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cgreed, arrogance, ignorance, and cruelty.\u201d<\/p>\n Another speaker was immigration attorney Karen Pedraza, who described a year of the Trump administration violating the civil rights of her clients. \u201cICE has detained my clients with no due process,\u201d she told the crowd. \u201cThey have unlawfully transferred them to far away detention centers against a federal judges\u2019 orders.\u201d<\/p>\n Immigration agents, she said, \u201chave detained entire families who are following the rightful process set forward by the United States for lawful asylum.\u201d<\/p>\n Protesters stood along L street outside the Capitol, waving flags and holding signs condemning the administration as passing cars honked in support. The cheering and chanting from the protest could be heard loudly from blocks away from the Capitol.<\/p>\n The turnout in Lincoln was smaller, but hundreds of people still stood out on a busy street corner near the city\u2019s Lincoln Crossing Marketplace shopping area, holding signs, flags and cheering as people drove by honking.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m angry about this all the time and coming out here and showing a physical presence is just as important as speaking out online,\u201d said Annmarie Azevedo, 49. \u201cThis is amazing. I never thought that this many people would show up in Lincoln.\u201d<\/p>\n Azevedo was at the Roseville protest earlier in the day but also wanted to show up in Lincoln where she lives. She clanked a cowbell and stood in the crosswalk as people moved from each side of the intersection.<\/p>\n Along Ferrari Ranch Road in Lincoln, Karl and Jan Hess clutched to protest signs.<\/p>\n \u201cOur democracy is going down the tubes,\u201d said Karl Hess, 73, a veteran of many area protests.<\/p>\n He criticized Trump\u2019s cabinet, saying they came \u201cout of a clown car\u201d and lamented that other leaders in government weren\u2019t doing more: \u201cWhere are the checks and balances?\u201d Both he and Jan said it was importantly to be out in the community that they live in and bring awareness all the issues they and the other protesters found concerning.<\/p>\n \u201cIf people get together and organize,\u201d said Jan Hess, 73, \u201cthere\u2019s a lot we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n State Capitol draws demonstrators ahead of event<\/p>\n People began congregating near the state Capitol a couple of hours before Saturday\u2019s event officially began.<\/p>\n These included Eric Scherrer, 59, an Elk Grove resident. He joined the protest with his friend Kitty McVey, 72. Scherrer criticized the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cself-centeredness\u201d and its attack on Iran, asserting that the military action stemmed from the president\u2019s own interest to divert the public\u2019s attention from alleged connections to the Jeff Epstein files.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all business for them,\u201d Scherrer said. \u201cIt\u2019s all money, money, money, money for me, me, me, me \u2014 nothing for the people.\u201d<\/p>\n By just before noon, there was an estimated crowd of at least 1,000 people outside the state Capitol.<\/p>\n Nora Bruce, 50, born and raised in Sacramento, said she joined the protest to \u201cfeel the hope\u201d as the federal leadership centers on \u201cgreed and racism.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here because of the collective grief and the pain that our country is going through,\u201d Bruce said.<\/p>\n She voiced her concern for the U.S. attack on Iran, emphasizing the need for people to keep alert for misinformation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s such a commitment to ignorance in our country … we need to do our own research, and until we all, collectively as a country, do that work, we\u2019re stuck,\u201d Bruce said.<\/p>\n Bailey McCraw, 17, a Sacramento-born C.K. McClatchy High School student, said she joined the protest because she does not want to be an \u201caccomplice\u201d to the Trump administration\u2019s immigration policy.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not giving them due process … it\u2019s scary because they could just do the same thing to any of us,\u201d McCraw said.<\/p>\n A permit for the event at the state Capitol allows for up to 5,000 attendees<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hundreds line sidewalks near Roseville Galleria<\/p>\n The sound of honking horns blared almost constantly while hundreds of people took to sidewalks near the Westfield Galleria at Roseville mall on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n Stan Guido, 73, danced near an intersection by the mall to \u201cHappy\u201d by Pharrell Williams. \u201cIt\u2019s an emotional and spiritual upliftment,\u201d Guido said of dancing and protesting at the same time.<\/p>\n Guido lives in Newcastle, an unincorporated community in Placer County. He had thought about going to downtown Sacramento but decided against it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easier, we don\u2019t have to deal with the crowds,\u201d Guido said.<\/p>\n But the crowd outside the mall was made up of many people just before noon. There appeared to be more than 1,000 people onhand.<\/p>\n Kennedy Crosby, 11, made more than a dozen stickers for the Roseville protest. She was joined by her mom and her brother Cash, 7. Kennedy said she made the stickers for a previous protest and planned to do so again.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople really love stickers,\u201d she said. One had a picture of a Monarch butterfly, with a message that this was the sole \u201cOrange Monarch we want!\u201d<\/p>\n The Roseville protest had mostly cleared out by about 12:30 p.m. A protest in nearby Lincoln was set to begin at that time.<\/p>\n Protesters prepare, march from West Sacramento<\/p>\n At the entrance to River Walk Park, Yolo Indivisible volunteer Noelle Ploof greeted arriving protesters while standing next to a sidewalk chalk block of text reading \u201cStep into your power.\u201d Arrivals had been steady through the morning and she expected them to only increase, she said.<\/p>\n By 11 a.m. hundreds of people were gathered on the banks of the Sacramento River ahead of a noon march over Tower Bridge down the Capitol Mall to the state Capitol.<\/p>\n Ploof, 49, was driven to get involved in the protests by a sense of panic about what she saw occurring in America. \u201cThe overreach, the criminality, I feel like we\u2019re on the precipice of going in a really horrible direction,\u201d Ploof said.<\/p>\n Mass protest was increasingly important because right-leaning tycoons were growing their influence through the mergers and acquisitions of media companies, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re understanding how to use propaganda,\u201d Ploof said.<\/p>\n Craig Lundgren from Davis was handing out six different types of signs to those who wanted them. \u201cAnother stupid war?\u201d one side said, in a reference to the United States\u2019 bombardment of Iran. \u201cHave you had enough yet?\u201d read another while a third called on people to \u201cSupport Science.\u201d<\/p>\n But the sign going fastest, by far, Lundgren said, was a white sign with red letters proclaiming the message: \u201cLove your neighbor.\u201d The sign defined people of all different types of race, religious creed, sexuality and ability as a \u201cfully human neighbor.\u201d About 85% of sign-takers were picking this sign.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought the war signs would be a lot more popular,\u201d Lundgren said.<\/p>\n Lynda Jolley wore a shirt she\u2019d had since the first Trump administration that called for the president\u2019s impeachment. During his first term, Trump was impeached twice and convicted neither time in subsequent Senate trials. He has been more empowered in his second term. \u201cI just can\u2019t stand it,\u201d Jolley said of the second Trump administration\u2019s actions and rhetoric. \u201cI hate feeling powerless.\u201d<\/p>\n Though she is naturally averse to large crowds, she joins protests because they provide her a relief from that feeling of powerlessness, she said. \u201cIt helps to be active,\u201d Jolley said.<\/p>\n People began to march toward the state Capitol at about noon. Ahead of the march, Deema Tamimi, an organizer from Davis, urged people drawn out by outrage over the Trump administration to channel that frustration into broader social justice movements.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it\u2019s ICE raids that brought you here,\u201d Tamimi said. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s this war in Iran. Maybe it\u2019s Palestine. Maybe it\u2019s watching authoritarianism creep closer and closer to home.\u201c<\/p>\n Protest movements grow, Tamimi said, when \u201cwhen people begin to see things clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n The size of the protest appeared to measure well into the thousands by about the time people were marching from West Sacramento. It took 15 minutes or more for the crowd to finish crossing Tower Bridge. During that time the flow of people was thick and steady.<\/p>\n Mark Lizcano, a Sacramento resident and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, marched carrying the flag of his armed forces division \u2014 on a day the New York Times reported a force of more than 2,500 Marines<\/a> had arrived in the Middle East with the potential for a ground incursion in the war in Iran.<\/p>\n Lizcano disagreed with the Iran war, which he said was not lawful and seemed designed to create profit for military contractors with ties to the Trump administration.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything he does is for money,\u201d Lizcano said of the president.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the people in the military following his orders right now, they\u2019re in a tough spot,\u201d he said. \u201cBut some of them should stand up and say no.\u201d<\/p>\n Crowd gathers at Folsom bridge<\/p>\n An estimated crowd of more than 300 people had gathered by 10:30 a.m. at the Lake Natoma Crossing bridge on Folsom-Auburn Road.<\/p>\n The crowd was there for a demonstration organized by the Folsom Area Democratic Club.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t support a war that we didn\u2019t ask for,\u201d said Susan Cunningham, a vice president of the club. \u201cWe might be in a blue state, but it\u2019s very red here.\u201d<\/p>\n Dave Phillips, a Folsom resident, clutched a pole flying the American flag, and called it the \u201cOG anti-king symbol.\u201d He said he was particularly distressed by what happened on Jan. 6, 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an insurrection supported by the president,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cI was really let down that he wasn\u2019t held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n Ruth Haskins, an OBGYN, stopped a reporter to say that rising gas prices following the country\u2019s attack on Iran have led patients to not come in for appointments. \u201cThe gas prices are making a real difference in health,\u201d Haskins said. \u201cThat\u2019s what made me want to come out today.\u201d<\/p>\n Haskins said one of her patients may give birth later in the day, but she wanted to be at the Folsom protest.<\/p>\n Julia Garland waved a sign at the protest reading: \u201cMy grandkids will know that I did not stay silent!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see almost every day that we have our rights being taken away and trampled,\u201d said Garland, who has four grandchildren, all under 13 years old. \u201cIf we don\u2019t resist now, I\u2019m afraid it will be too late.\u201d<\/p>\n Homemade signs included slogans like, \u201cUntrump the world\u201d and messages denouncing war and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 28, 2026 at 10:17 AM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n![\"Protester](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SAC_0348_PK_20260328_NOKINGS.JPG\" "\\"SAC_0348_PK_20260328_NOKINGS.JPG\\"")
Protester Gene Romagna of Sacramento applauds during a “No Kings” rally at the state Capitol on Saturday. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SAC_0035_PK_20260328_NOKINGS.JPG\" "\\"SAC_0035_PK_20260328_NOKINGS.JPG\\"")
Protesters hold signs during the “No Kings” rally at the state capitol in Sacramento on Saturday, March 28, 2026. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com Smaller but vocal protest in Lincoln<\/p>\n![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0373.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_0373.jpeg\\"")
Protesters with the \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally against the Trump administration gather on the sidewalk Saturday afternoon near the Lincoln Crossing Marketplace shopping center in Lincoln. Stephen Hobbs shobbs@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"Protester](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SAC_0728_PK_20260328_NOKINGS.JPG\" "\\"SAC_0728_PK_20260328_NOKINGS.JPG\\"")
Protester Deborah Womack holds a sign that says “fight fascism” during a “No Kings” rally at the state Capitol on Saturday. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com ![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260328_112308.jpg\" "\\"20260328_112308.jpg\\"")
Eric Scherrer, left, and Kitty McVey show off their protest signs Saturday morning at the Capitol in Sacramento as part of the \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest against the Trump administration. Chaewon Chung cchung@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"Hundreds](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260328_113941.jpg\" "\\"20260328_113941.jpg\\"")
Hundreds of demonstrators stand at the Capitol building in Sacramento on Saturday morning before the start of the \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally protesting the Trump administration. Chaewon Chung cchung@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"Hundreds](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0340.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_0340.jpeg\\"")
Hundreds of demonstrators rally Saturday morning at the Westfield Galleria mall in Roseville during a \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest against the Trump administration. Stephen Hobbs shobbs@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0354.jpg\" "\\"IMG_0354.jpg\\"")
A sticker made by 11-year-old Kennedy Crosby reads \u201cThis is the only Orange Monarch we want\u201d as seen during a \u201cNo Kings\u201d demonstration protesting against the Trump administration on Saturday outside the Westfield Galleria mall in Roseville. Stephen Hobbs shobbs@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_1681.jpg\" "\\"IMG_1681.jpg\\"")
A protester arriving at West Sacramento\u2019s River Walk Park walks over sidewalk chalk that reads \u201cStep into your power\u201d before a \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally Saturday morning. Andrew Graham andrew.graham@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"Susan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0325.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_0325.jpeg\\"")
Susan Cunningham of the Folsom Area Democratic Club shows a sign depicting President Donald Trump during a No Kings rally Saturday morning as demonstrators prepared to march across the Lake Natoma Crossing bridge in Folsom. Stephen Hobbs shobbs@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"Julia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0334.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_0334.jpeg\\"")
Julia Garland holds a sign for passing traffic on the Lake Natoma Crossing bridge in Folsom during a \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest rally Saturday. Stephen Hobbs shobbs@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SAC_4089_GrahamWomack_HA_250908.jpg\")