SAN ANTONIO – Thousands of protesters gathered at Travis Park Saturday for the “No Kings Day” rallies.
San Antonio is just one of more than 2,500 cities holding the protests.
Local rallies stayed peaceful as groups raised their voices together. Many of them say they want changes from DC.
Hundreds of footsteps marched through downtown calling for the attention of leaders in Washington to defend healthcare, immigrants and minorities in the United States.
“We’re out here first and foremost to stand up for the constitution of the United States,” said one demonstrator named Betsy, a retired veteran. “We believe the current administration has kind of balled it up and thrown it in the trash.”
The protest brought together elders, teens and everything in between. The shared their fear that President Donald Trump operates under his own will, not the constitution.
“It means what America should be, freedom,” said 18-year-old Georgia. “It’s no kings. We’re not living under a dictatorship. This is America, and it should be actively treated as such.”
Some people showed up in costumes , and not because of Halloween. It’s to show non-violence.
Betsy said her costume is meant to be silly, but her reason for being here is no laughing matter.
“This is not a time for people to be on the fence if you feel oppressed, if you feel things are not right, it’s okay,” she said. “It’s also okay to be somebody that supports President Trump and to not agree with everything that’s going on.”
“I think that means the government should be listening,” said another woman. “If it’s a big demographic of people, the only people you don’t see out here are billionaires. So that’s important.”
Teens we spoke to say they’re fighting for the future — taking matters into their own hands.
“It’s our future, so we need to fight for it,” Georgia added. “I feel like it’s important, especially the younger we are. We see all these old people out here, and they shouldn’t be doing it. It’s our turn. It’s our future.”
Local leaders like Representative Joaquin Castro thanked the youth for coming out. He and several other elected officials like Representative Greg Casar, and Senator Roland Gutierrez were also at the rally.
They didn’t mince words when speaking to the crowd, saying they’re fighting for everyone in the United States.
“Here’s our job,” Gutierrez said. “It’s not just to march today. Our job is we must not remain silent because silence is complicity.”
Ahead of today, some people called these rallies ‘Hate America’ protests.
We asked participants for their opinion. They said using their first amendment rights is one of the strongest ways to show your love for your country.