Oaklanders fill the streets on No Kings Day

OAKLAND, Calif.—As she took the mike in front of City Hall on June 14, No Kings Day, U.S. Representative Lateefah Simon, a Democrat representing Oakland and surrounding communities, told the Trump administration, “We are coming! We are coming with ballots, we are coming with protests. We are coming with policy. We are coming with the poetry of the truth. No crown will save you, no fear will break us. And we will never kneel to a tyrant!”

That was the spirit some 10,000 participants brought to No Kings Day in Oakland, as they marched through packed streets to rally in Frank Ogawa Plaza, cheering and applauding as speaker after speaker—elected officials, community, labor and faith leaders—challenged Trump administration actions they said violate Constitutional rights and declared the people will stand united for each other and for democracy. 

“We smell the stench of fascism,” Simon said, “and we are here to bring a bright light, to bring clarity.” 

“I want to be clear that I stand with Mr. Padilla,” Simon said as she recalled what happened just two days earlier in Los Angeles, when U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was thrown to the ground and handcuffed after trying to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question during a press conference.

“There will be no kings on this soil,” Simon told the crowd. “There will be no return to the days when the power belonged only to the wealthy and to the white. We are building something, brothers and sisters, that is ancient and new. We’re building a democracy for us right here. We were promised it!”

Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area, said ICE actions a week earlier had “terrorized thousands of people in our communities,” taking them hostage. In San Francisco, she said, two Palestinian visitors who had come “to speak to Jews and Christians about life in apartheid Israel” were detained and not allowed to enter the U.S., at the same time that Israel was opening a new front in the Middle East, bombing civilian infrastructure in Iran.

“We are here to say, no kings, no genocide, and no normalization,” Billoo said. “And to every politician enabling terrorism here and abroad, we are watching! We are organizing. Whether you are in the White House or in Tel Aviv, you either stand for justice or you don’t. 

“Let’s keep raising our voices,” she told the crowd. “And let’s make sure they know we will not stop until all of us are free!”

“I know a king when I see one,” said California Assemblymember Mia Bonta, who represents Oakland and nearby communities. “I know a king in David Huerta, our leader in SEIU California, who went out to stand up not only for working people but for everybody. We saw David Huerta—that is a king!

“I know a king when I see a father clinging to his princess daughter in front of an immigration court, having to plead with them not to take away her mother. I know kings – this other one, who’s running our government right now—Mr. Trump, you are no king!”

Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas told the crowd about the committee she chairs, Alameda County Together for All, or ACT for All, formed by the Board of Supervisors earlier this year to fund county-wide initiatives, including legal defense against deportations. 

“We allocated $3.5 million. We have a tremendous Public Defender here in Alameda County, and if you are in a deportation proceeding, you will have a right to counsel through our Public Defender’s office,” Bas told the crowd.

She urged rally participants to know their rights, make a safety plan, and be aware that Alameda County has a rapid response line, 510-241-4011, to verify any potential sightings of ICE enforcement, emphasizing that callers need to be sure the information they share is accurate.

“And lastly,” said Bas, “please remember as you’re out and about, joy and culture is a form of resistance. To all of our artists, culture keepers, musicians—you are playing an incredible role together with our organizers and advocates, to be a part of this resistance. Thank you!”

Abdi Soltani, executive director of the  American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California, was the rally’s final speaker. “On this sunny day here in Oakland,” he said, “I think we are the rain on Donald Trump’s parade. We are in this together, side-by-side!”

Soltani cited the ACLU’s role in defending farmworkers and day laborers after Border Patrol raids in California’s Central Valley, supporting Mahmoud Khalil in his fight against deportation, fighting for the rights of detainees held as far away as El Salvador, and upholding the rights of transgender members of the U.S. military.

“And last week, when our neighbors in Los Angeles were facing the same kind of raids we sued over in Kern County, we are on the side of the residents of Los Angeles,” he said. 

“You have the Constitution of the United States on your side,” he told the rally participants. “And most of all, you have each other by your side!” 

Among other speakers outside City Hall: Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife, SEIU Local 1021 Chapter President Antoinette Blue, and Pastor Mike McBride. 

Among those addressing marchers at Wilma Chan Park before they set out for the rally were Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, City Councilmember Charlene Wang and Chinatown community leader Dr. Stewart Chen.

Earlier in the day, as the start time for No Kings Oakland neared, it was becoming clear the mobilization would be big. Demonstrators on their way to the march’s starting point, including this writer, found themselves totally unable to cram into packed BART rapid transit trains that usually run empty on a Saturday morning. And as they walked from a more distant stop on a different BART line, they found sidewalks so full of fellow marchers carrying home-made signs and banners that reaching the starting point became a demonstration in itself.

Along the way, marchers shared why they were participating. 

“What brings us out here today? I think it’s really everything,” said Elaine. “The United States is in a really terrible situation right now … We are on the verge of an authoritarian fascist takeover in this country. So, how can people not come out and do whatever we can? People are at risk, immigrants are at risk. We are university professors—our profession is at risk. Education in our country is being demolished.”

Said Connor, “I think the action that sent us out here most proximally was the lack of due process afforded to legal residents and questionable legal residents of this country before immigration actions are being taken against them. It’s a lack of due process.”

A man who asked not to be identified said it “honestly sounds like it’s every little thing that’s been going on. It’s attacking immigrant communities regardless of people’s legal status, it’s the attack on our freedoms, the attacks on the judicial system, betrayal of the Constitution—everything!”

A woman added, “I think people coming out here today is part of building community and showing up for community, especially when folks are experiencing fear. And this is what makes the community stronger.”

“I have always personally been able to understand both sides,” said Sunayana, “but this is the first time with a lot of things that I can’t justifiably close my eyes and be like, Oh, I can understand the point of view. We’re in month seven, and it’s not like this is going to get better before it gets worse. For me, it was really like just knowing about it is not enough, we’ve also got to do something.”

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