Demonstrators outside Houston City Hall for a No Kings protest on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media)
Demonstrators outside Houston City Hall for a No Kings protest on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media)
A sign reading “Anti-Fascists standing up for democracy” at a No Kings protest outside Houston City Hall on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media)
An American flag waves before protestors outside Houston City Hall at a No Kings protest on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media)
A sign reading “Pro America Anti Trump” at a No Kings protest outside Houston City Hall on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media)
A sign reading “We R Not Okay” at a No Kings protest outside Houston City Hall on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media)
Demonstrators outside Houston City Hall for a No Kings protest on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media)
A sign reading “Love thy neighbor” at a No Kings protest outside Houston City Hall on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo Credit: Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media)
Thousands of people protested in downtown Houston on Saturday afternoon as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protests taking place across the United States.
The “No Kings” demonstration outside Houston City Hall was the second in four months as an event in June also drew thousands of participants. There were more than a dozen protests across the Houston region Saturday in opposition to President Donald Trump and his policies, along with similar demonstrations in Texas cities such as Austin and Dallas.
The latest protest in downtown Houston did not appear to turn violent, nor did a Houston Public Media reporter witness any arrests made. As many as 100 law enforcement officers stood by the protest, which had shut down traffic near City Hall for much of the afternoon.
Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Law enforcement officers stand next to a “No Kings” protest outside Houston City Hall on Oct. 18, 2025.
Labor leaders, elected officials and activists spoke throughout the event outside of Houston City Hall, where the largescale demonstration mostly took place. Earlier in the day, demonstrators marched from Discovery Green to City Hall.
A chorus of cheers roared from the crowd as Democratic U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas took the microphone.
“We know what lawlessness looks like,” Crockett said. “Lawlessness looks like ICE going and disappearing people. Lawlessness looks like Donald Trump, who just happens to be convicted of 34 felony convictions, sitting in the White House. Lawlessness looks like going after your political enemies just because.”
Annise Parker, former mayor of Houston and a Democratic candidate for Harris County judge, walked among the protestors calling for action on Election Day, which is Nov. 4.
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“I believe in supporting our First Amendment right, upholding our First Amendment right,” Parker told Houston Public Media, “but a protest is a moment in time. If you don’t take the energy and the passion and turn it into voting and in the ballot box and into activism, it is meaningless. So what I hope that comes out of today is that people look around, they see they’re not alone, and then they go back in their communities and turn this into action.”
Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Demonstrators outside Houston City Hall for a “No Kings” protest on Oct. 18, 2025.
Several demonstrators wore large inflatable costumes, emulating such attire from protests in Portland. Many boasted signs that read “What a faux-king joke,” while others called for releasing files pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with whom some politicians and public leaders, including Trump, have been tied.
One woman held a sign that read, “I need to be able to tell my grandchildren I did not stay silent.” Nearby, sister and brother Sharon Dixon and Terry Flenniken held signs that labeled themselves as “Grandparents against MAGA,” adding “We are gran-tifa.”
Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Demonstrators including Sharon Dixon, left, and Terry Flenniken, middle, hold signs that read, “Grandparents Against MAGA” at a “No Kings” protest outside Houston City Hall on Oct. 18, 2025.
“I’m doing this for my grandkids,” Dixon said. “I want to leave a better America for them than what we’re heading to … where they have freedom, where the Constitution and laws are honored, where we have a president who believes in the law and the Constitution, where we have representatives and senators who believe in it.”
Flenniken, a retired judge from Brenham, said he was motivated to be able to tell his grandchildren that “at least their grandfather pushed back to the extent that I could.”
“I think that’s very important for my grandchildren to know that I spoke out,” he added.