Tens of thousands of Angelenos gather for 'No Kings' protest, LAPD arrests dozens for alleged curfew violations

Tens of thousands of people joined yesterday's "No Kings" rally in downtown L.A. for hours of peaceful protest before police enforced a dispersal order around a federal building. The enforcement caused tense confrontations between protesters and law enforcement and police deployed less-lethal munitions and mounted units.

Dozens of arrests related to protest activity were made by police on Saturday, according to LAPD. In all, there were 35 arrests for curfew violation, one for failing to disperse, one for obstructing a police officer, and one for resisting arrest.

It’s unclear how many protesters may have been injured due to police tactics. The department said in an emailed update that three officers were injured.

An estimated 30,000 people demonstrated, according to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.

“I had the opportunity to go up in the helicopter with our Chief of Police and I went over all of the locations and every protest was peaceful, as was the one downtown,” Bass said in an interview with LAist media partner KCAL News.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell also told KCAL News that he was “disappointed” that there were some instances of violence later in the day.

“About mid-afternoon or so it got violent, when you had agitators in the group start assaulting officers with missiles, rocks, bottles, fireworks," McDonnell said.

The LAPD deployed munitions and mounted units.

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Spencer Platt

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Getty Images

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Protesters face off with police outside of a federal building in downtown Los Angeles Saturday for an anti-Trump "No Kings Day" demonstration.

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Spencer Platt

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A curfew was in place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in certain areas of downtown, and officials said the curfew would probably last through the weekend.

What happened during the dispersal order?

Shortly before 4 p.m. on Saturday the LAPD had issued a dispersal order and told anyone remaining on Alameda Boulevard south of Aliso and north of Temple streets to "immediately leave the area." The area was also closed off to traffic.

Following the end of the organized march, some protesters gathered at the Federal Building on Temple Street and faced off with Marines standing guard. By the time the LAPD ordered people to leave, the scene had grown more chaotic as flash bangs were set off and mounted police pushed the crowd away.

Sergio Olmos, a reporter with LAist partner CalMatters, reported the LAPD was setting off tear gas at the site.

Bass said that the other side of the story was that police got rough with protesters first. She said “everything will be evaluated.”

The LAPD said there have been 561 arrests related to protest activity since last Saturday when demonstrators began hitting the streets in response to ICE sweeps in SoCal. The department said a dozen officers had been injured since then.

The scene earlier

Numerous "No Kings” demonstrations took place across the U.S., including in dozens of locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Thousands of people filled Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown L.A. in the morning, with more pouring into the space outside City Hall and spilling into nearby streets.

The atmosphere through much of the day was festive, with creative signs and music, the protesters made a big loop around downtown, walking down Broadway to 5th Street before circling back to City Hall.

The official protest was scheduled to end at 2 p.m. While many left after that time, some protesters moved to the Federal Building on Temple Street, where the federal detention center is located.

The building was the site of skirmishes between protestors and law enforcement last weekend. By Saturday afternoon, a line of Marines faced protestors. The mood appeared largely upbeat, but there have also been boos and chants of "shame" aimed at the Marines standing guard.

The "No Kings" rally in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.

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Etienne Laurent

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Many protestors were defending the constitution

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Jared Bennett/LAist

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Earlier, while the message was serious, the vibe of the permitted demonstration was joyful, with minimum police presence.

John Perez, a former farmworker, was clear on why he came out. "Donald Trump cannot claim power that our Constitution does not give him," he said.

"For the military to be turned on its own people.... is just totally against everything this country stands for," he said. "We're the civilians, they are under our orders. He is breaking all the protocols of how civilian deployment should be happening in this country."

There was also plenty of art and live music, including a performance by long-time L.A. band Ozomatli from the bed of a truck.

"Art, music and culture is something that people can relate to," said Alex Favacho, a sound engineer for the band. "No matter the color of your skin, no matter the language you speak, it's universal."

Protestor Helen Taylor said the atmosphere was infectious. "It's almost like when you go to a concert, you know, when you just get so absorbed in the positivity of the community," she said.

See more of the eye-catching signs from marchers. Click here >

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Andy Cheatwood

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What are the 'No Kings' protests?

Dubbed the “No Kings” protests, they're organized by 50501, a national group that stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement. The group has staged protests regularly against the policies of the Trump administration. Officials said they're aware of at least 200 protests across California on Saturday, with at least 40 events across L.A. County.

Why Saturday?

Saturday is Flag Day, and Trump is hosting a military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday.

June 14 is also Trump’s 79th birthday, which is why the protests are falling on that day, according to the "No Kings" website.

What law enforcement told protesters

Authorities had warned that anyone who engaged in violence or vandalism would be arrested this weekend at the rallies.

“ We will not allow violence, vandalism or threats to public safety to undermine the rights of those who are demonstrating lawfully," McDonnell said Friday.

The scene elsewhere in Southern California

One person attending the No Kings protest in Claremont today was Tony Baltierra, a 79 year old Vietnam veteran who's lived in the community since he was a kid.

He brought to the demonstration a homemade sign that nods to a recent nickname that has emerged from President Trump's on-again off-again tariff threats.

" I read in the paper that he was very annoyed when they were calling him, "taco" — Trump always chickens out," he said. "I played with it for a while, but I liked it."

Tony Baltierra and his "Don Taco" homemade sign

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Baltierra says he’s started going to protests a few months ago, and stepped it up over the past month. And he always invites his friends at the Claremont Senior Center to join him.

Meanwhile in Torrance, a protestor, who gave her name as Shelly, said thousands had turned up even before the event was due to start, despite Torrance being traditionally a Republican city. Her friend, Leah MacKinney-Buckley, had dressed up for the occasion.

Leah MacKinney-Buckley at the protest in Torrance

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Courtesy Shelley

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In Laguna Woods, Karen Miller said along with the large crowd, there was a lot of honking from drivers and semi trucks driving past.

"The honking and the support of the people driving by is just exhilarating," she said. "I mean, it's very encouraging given that Orange County can be pretty red. [We're] just maybe feeling somewhat hopeful being out here."

Looking ahead

The protests come after a federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s federalization of the California National Guard and deployment in L.A. were illegal and violated the Constitution.

The judge ordered the troops to be brought back under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s control. However, an appeals court put that on hold until at least June 17, when a hearing on the matter is scheduled.

Local and state officials say Trump’s decision to deploy Marines and National Guard troops to L.A. in response to immigration enforcement protests have only fanned tensions and made things worse.

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How we're reporting this story

Jared Bennett and Robert Garrova are reporting from L.A. City Hall. Makenna Sievertson, Aiko Offner , Sharon McNary and Dañiel Martinez are making calls and contributing reporting. Josie Huang is LAist's Weekend Edition host, Suzanne Levy is writing and editing. Megan Garvey, Fiona Ng, and Tiffany Ujiiye are contributing editing.

This is a developing story. We fact check everything and rely only on information from credible sources. Sometimes, however, we make mistakes and/or initial reports turn out to be wrong. In all cases, we strive to bring you the most accurate information in real time and will update this story as new information becomes available.