{"id":242275,"date":"2026-03-29T16:33:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T16:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/242275\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T16:33:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T16:33:28","slug":"no-kings-rallies-return-to-san-diego-county-with-40000-marchers-on-downtown-streets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/242275\/","title":{"rendered":"‘No Kings’ rallies return to San Diego County, with 40,000 marchers on downtown streets"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Crowds pass through Ash Street and Pacific Highway in downtown San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"Ava Stieler (right) is waiting for her girlfriend, a Marine, to return home from deployment to Iran. She marches in the \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally with her friends in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"The \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally speaker stage at Waterfront Park outside the County Administration Center in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"Protesters applaud \u201cNo Kings\u201d speakers at Waterfront Park outside the County Administration Center in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"Mary Decker and her moral authority, Kermit the Frog, at Waterfront Park outside the County Administration Center in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"A woman dressed as Lady Liberty sits with burning Constitution signs at Waterfront Park outside the County Administration Center in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"Bobby Wallace leads a Kumeyaay land acknowledgement for the \u201cNo Kings\u201d protesters gathered at Waterfront Park outside the County Administration Center in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"Protestors gather at Waterfront Park outside the County Administration Center in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"Crowds pass through Ash Street and Pacific Highway in downtown San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"A man launches bubbles into the air during the \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally in downtown San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"A man dressed as President Trump in a prison jumpsuit on North Harbor Drive in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"Protestors, young and old, gather at Waterfront Park outside the County Administration Center in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"\"The \u201cNo Kings\u201d march rallied at Waterfront Park outside the County Administration Center in San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Murphy\/Times of San Diego)\"PeopleDemonstrators march as a bus passes by them during the \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest in Chula Vista on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)\"AProtesters line the street during the \u201cNo Kings\u201d demonstration in El Cajon on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)\"ProtestersDemonstrators gather for the \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest in El Cajon on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)(\"ADemonstrators hold up their signs as part of the \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest in El Cajon on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)\"AProtesters display their signs and banners along the street as part of the \u201cNo Kings\u201d demonstration in El Cajon on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)\"AProtesters line the street during the \u201cNo Kings\u201d demonstration in El Cajon on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)\"AA demonstrator holds up two signs while standing behind a street post during the \u201cNo Kings\u201d march and protest in El Cajon on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)\"AtAt the El Cajon \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest on Saturday, March 28, 2026, a man holds a sign supporting efforts to curb ICE, with an American flag behind it. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)\"PeopleProtesters wave at a vehicle passing by during the \u201cNo Kings\u201d demonstration in Chula Vista on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)\"ProtestersProtesters display their signs along a street corner during the \u201cNo Kings\u201d mass demonstration in Chula Vista on March 28, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)<\/p>\n

The third \u201cNo Kings<\/a>\u201d protests swept across San Diego County Saturday, with tens of thousands of protesters \u2014 young and old \u2014 unifying across a wide range of issues against President Donald Trump\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor those who are first timers, welcome to the resistance. Welcome to the \u2018No Kings\u2019 rally!\u201d said local labor union president Crystal Irving.<\/p>\n

The Waterfront Park protest has grown substantially since last June\u2019s first major \u201cNo Kings\u201d event, rising from 20,000<\/a> to approximately 40,000<\/a> people, according to San Diego police estimates Saturday.<\/p>\n

They marched through downtown, as part of the nationwide movement, their steps emphasized by loud music, as they wore costumes, and bore launchers to fill the air with bubbles. Beyond the city center, San Diegans gathered at 18 locations across the region, from Oceanside to El Centro.<\/p>\n

According to local organizers, more than 77,000 people attended one of the regional events, including 2,000 people each in La Mesa, Mira Mesa and Carmel Valley. Nationally, organizers have estimated that the last round of No Kings rallies drew more than 7 million people\u00a0in October.<\/a>\u00a0They expected 9 million participants Saturday \u2013 though it was not clear if those expectations were met \u2013 across\u00a0more than 3,100 events<\/a>\u00a0in all 50 states.<\/p>\n

The White House, in a statement, dismissed the gatherings. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson called them the product of \u201cleftist funding networks\u201d with little real public support.<\/p>\n

Some signs in San Diego focused on Trump directly, while others called out specific issues and entities, a list that has grown since October. War with Iran, the Epstein files, government surveillance and ICE activity were among Saturday\u2019s biggest concerns, based on protesters\u2019 signs. Many issues carried over from previous rallies, including immigration enforcement, abortion rights and the Israel-Palestine war.<\/p>\n

Some of the people marching said there were things that had upset them during Trump\u2019s second term, but many had slipped to the back of their minds as new issues developed. The gathering, they said, and the grievances illustrated on signs and banners, served to remind them of all the current and lingering issues at hand.<\/p>\n

Slogans on signs included plays on words, from calling the GOP \u201cGuardians of Pedophiles,\u201d to altering MAGA to stand for \u201cMorons are Governing America\u201d or \u201cMolesting Adolescent Girls Allowed.\u201d Other very popular signs read:\u00a0 \u201cSame Sh*t, Different Hat,\u201d atop photos of a MAGA hat, KKK hood, a confederate cap and a Nazi soldier\u2019s hat; \u201cYou can\u2019t bomb your way out of the Epstein files\u201d and \u201cSmile Palantir is watching you,\u201d in reference to the data software company chaired by tech magnate Peter Thiel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kevin Machado held a sign that read \u201cNo corporate kings. No SDG&E kings.\u201d He said like most, there are too many reasons to list why he is protesting, but one of the first things that came to his mind was the war in Iran. Seeing signs about the Epstein files was a reminder of that issue for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had kind of put it to the back of my mind, but it\u2019s such a big issue, all of the victims who are not getting justice,\u201d Machado said.<\/p>\n

Elousia Sanchez is a 24-year veteran of the Marine Corps, who was formerly stationed in San Diego. This is her first time protesting in America.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that I\u2019m retired, I can actually speak my voice without being prosecuted for it. President Trump has assaulted me as a Mexican, an immigrant, a woman, a veteran \u2014 the list goes on and on. It\u2019s a shame someone like him was elected to the highest office,\u201d said Sanchez.<\/p>\n

The USS Boxer carried 2,200<\/a> Marines from Camp Pendleton to the Middle East on March 20. Sanchez describes this as a \u201ctouchy subject.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in before 9\/11. Right after, we went to Kuwait, Iraq and Syria. It\u2019s shameful that more innocent lives will be lost for this man and all his friends to keep getting rich. Whether (the casualties are) ours or theirs, it\u2019s unfounded and embarrassing,\u201d said Sanchez.<\/p>\n

Many older participants came out to support younger generations. Saturday was Scott and Janice McFarlane\u2019s first \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally together. Both remember a version of America that they could \u201cfeel proud of.\u201d Now, it is \u201caltered to the point of being unrecognizable,\u201d according to Scott.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung people are so discouraged right from the start, they\u2019ve lost hope \u2014 that just breaks my heart. You care more about your kids and grandkids, you want the world to be better for them,\u201d said Janice.<\/p>\n

Ava Stieler is a student at SDSU who came to protest the war. Her girlfriend is a Marine who was a month away from returning home, before being sent to the Middle East to fight a war \u201cshe doesn\u2019t agree with\u201d according to Stieler.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the future of our country. It\u2019s our job to make sure our country stays a democracy, stays faithful to its roots and the Constitution,\u201d said Stieler. \u201cI appreciate all the older generations coming out and supporting (the rally). It\u2019s so heartwarming to see people with canes and wheelchairs leaving their houses to protest what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s up to younger generations to make sure that this movement continues,\u201d said Stieler.<\/p>\n

Many protesters were focused on the midterm elections, believing that casting their ballots in November will set the country back on track.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sarah Flores and Chris Horgan got off of their cruise ship as the No Kings protest started. They are from Philadelphia and said they have attended most protests in their city. When they docked Saturday morning, they saw the march and immediately jumped in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do have to say I\u2019m surprised to see the number of people here because I just didn\u2019t know what to expect, I\u2019ve never been here before,\u201d Flores said of being in San Diego.<\/p>\n

Both Flores and Horgan said it was encouraging to see all of the different signs and issues that people were passionate about, but it also points toward how rapidly things have been changing., That feeling was heightened on their cruise as they lacked access to cell service while at sea.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can no longer not have internet for a week, come back and nothing has changed. There are more atrocities,\u201d Horgan said.<\/p>\n

Both of them agreed that the march was a joyful one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s interesting because in Philly, we tend to be, or appear more aggressive, but I kind of like the idea of bringing joy,\u201d Flores said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just us being angry, it\u2019s about imagining what kind of world we could have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another added element for the March rally? Vendors looking to capitalize on the event through selling \u201cNo Kings\u201d merchandise. Along the main set-up of booths near the fountain in front of the County Administration Building, different organizations offered information alongside vendors who sold shirts. They also walked among the crowds selling large \u201cNo Kings\u201d flags.<\/p>\n

Smaller \u201cNo Kings\u201d rallies took place in all parts of the county, including El Cajon, where around 200 people packed along three blocks holding signs in support of preserving democracy and referring to the Epstein files. In Chula Vista along Broadway at H Street, up to 150 marched, held signs, such as \u201cNo ICE, no war, no Trump,\u201d and urged motorists at the busy intersection to honk to show their support.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Engagement producer Tessa Balc and the Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

Updated 10 p.m. March 28, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Crowds pass through Ash Street and Pacific Highway in downtown San Diego, CA, on Saturday, March 28, 2026.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242276,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[7733,7361,74,84,76,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-242275","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-no-kings","9":"tag-protests","10":"tag-san-diego","11":"tag-san-diego-county","12":"tag-san-diego-headlines","13":"tag-san-diego-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}