A message of anger in peaceful ‘No Kings’ protest at California state Capitol
Protesters began gathering early on the west steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento as a so-called “No Kings” protest against Trump administration policies, part of a nationwide day of demonstrations meant to coincide with a military parade marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army that also falls on Flag Day and the birthday of President Donald Trump.
The demonstrations, which were estimated to draw as many as 5,000 people in Sacramento and hundreds of thousands more nationwide, come against a backdrop of ongoing protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids and Trump’s subsequent deployment of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city, over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The day opened with news that two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota and their spouses had been shot by a man wearing a police uniform, heightening anxieties and tensions.
The event is sponsored by Indivisible Sacramento, which is part of a national coalition of groups that was founded after President Trump’s election in opposition to his policies and expansion of the powers of the executive.
Crowds want no kings — unless they play basketball
As the noon hour approached on Saturday, the crowd of protesters was densely packed on the west side of the Capitol and onto 10th Street and beyond, leading police to close the block to automobile traffic.
By late morning, the number of people in attendance had surpassed the 5,000 anticipated by the event’s organizer, the California Highway Patrol said.
Ellen Chapman, a leader of the organization Indivisible Sacramento, said online sign-ups for the event spiked in the past week after Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles during protests over immigration raids. Participation rose again after U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forced to the ground and handcuffed as he tried to ask a question of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a news conference on Thursday.
“It was anyone’s guess after that,” Chapman said.
One demonstrator, Linda Cabatick, a 73-year-old retired lawyer from Sacramento, stood under the shade of a towering tree on the Capitol’s western lawn, holding a poster that put a local spin on the nationwide protests’ message.
“The Only Kings We Support Are The SACRAMENTO KINGS,” the sign said.
Elected officials take part
As the crowd swelled, longtime Sacramento Congresswoman Doris Matsui urged protesters to also express their views at the ballot box.
“I don’t want to leave behind a broken democracy,” she said. “Do you?”
Protesters roared back: “No!”
Sacramento City Councilmember Roger Dickinson told the crowd he was troubled by the Trump Administration’s disregard for court orders and the treatment of Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., on Thursday.
“I come here as you do,” he said. “To speak up, to speak out.”
Assemblymember Maggy Krell, D-Sacramento, told the crowd about her experience helping a mother and son go through the immigration process and be reunited after they were separated during the first Trump administration.
“They are like family to me, and you know what? I’m ... terrified for them,” she said.
Protests pop up beyond downtown
Protests under the banner “No Kings” were unfolding across the capital region Saturday, with demonstrations extending far beyond the state Capitol grounds.
In Rancho Cordova, demonstrators were spotted lining an overpass spanning westbound Highway 50 near the Mather Field Road exit. Protesters held signs and banners visible to passing motorists, signaling their opposition to President Donald Trump’s actions.
These scenes echoed throughout the Sacramento area with events in Auburn, Woodland and Elk Grove as part of a coordinated day of nationwide demonstrations. In Woodland, participants marched from the new courthouse to the old one downtown. In Elk Grove, about 1,000 protesters gathered outside a shopping center on Laguna Boulevard. Folsom demonstrators were meeting near East Bidwell Street and the Highway 50 overpass.
In Auburn, a group of demonstrators sang “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical “Les Misérables,” adapted to make reference to modern politicians including Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
Pat Ferguson, who helped organize the event with the local group Indivisible Auburn, said 500 people had registered in advance but she suspected a greater number were present.
Coming on Flag Day, she said, the nationwide “No Kings” protests allowed the president’s critics to emphasize their patriotism.
“The MAGA people try to portray themselves as the only lovers of the flag, the only patriots. And that’s not true,” she said. “We love the flag. We are patriots.”
Saturday’s protests aligned with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army — being celebrated with a parade at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time. While the official celebration in Washington, D.C., centered on a military parade, Sacramento-area demonstrators emphasized grassroots civic engagement as a contrast to the event that coincides with Trump’s 79th birthday.
According to the No Kings coalition, about 2,000 such events were scheduled coast to coast.
Bubbles and a giant balloon
A child wearing a gold-colored crown blew bubbles and a 10-foot-tall balloon of Elon Musk towered over protesters on the southwest corner of Capitol Park as speakers began to rally the crowd on Saturday morning.
“In a democracy, the power is with the people,” Carmen-Nicole Cox, an adjunct professor of law at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, told the crowd. “And we ain’t giving it up!”
The inflated Musk wore a black MAGA hat and Tesla shirt while executing the same Nazi-like salute his human counterpart made at Trump’s second inauguration in January.
The inflatable is the work of a group called Tesla Takedown Sacramento, which protests the billionaire’s involvement in the federal government and his work slashing jobs and programs with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
“When Elon created DOGE and really went into the administration, we were all appalled,” said Tesla Takedown Sacramento organizer Nate Sands.
Maya and Sam Rivers brought their almost 2-year-old daughter to the west steps, one of several children playing in the grass, some waving flags.
It was not the child’s first protest, they said.
“I think our daughter needs to see that this is what it looks like to come together.” Maya Rivers said.
Newsom orders CHP on alert for protests
Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered the deployment of nearly 700 California Highway Patrol officers statewide in anticipation of large-scale protests expected this weekend. The move includes activating all eight CHP Special Response Teams and placing the agency’s Southern Division in Los Angeles on tactical alert.
The pre-deployment, coordinated with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, is aimed at supporting local law enforcement, protecting peaceful demonstrators and preventing violence, vandalism and looting.
“California has zero tolerance for those who plan to take advantage of peaceful demonstrations with violence,” Newsom said in a statement Friday. “We’re pre-deploying resources to maintain safety — and we will prosecute those who break the law.”
CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee emphasized the agency’s commitment to ensuring First Amendment rights are protected.
“Our officers stand ready to ensure these rights are exercised safely and lawfully,” he said.
Cal OES Director Nancy Ward added in the Governor’s Office’s statement that while no significant requests for mutual aid have been made, the agency remains in close contact with local governments.
In a separate video posted to social media, Newsom urged Californians not to remain silent amid what he described as a critical national moment.
“We will lose this democracy ... so much faster than people think if we are silent,” he said.
American flags and the Declaration of Independence
Glenda Hillman was one of the first people to arrive on the west steps of the Capitol building in downtown Sacramento. She wore a blue t-shirt emblazoned with the American flag and text that draws on the Declaration of Independence.
“We the people,” it read. “No kings in America.”
Hillman said she also protested against Trump and Elon Musk in April.
“I’m just an old lady from the ‘60s and ‘70s who knows how to protest,” she said.
Air Force veteran Steven Cook wore a hat in the shape of a taco, a reference to the disparaging catch-phrase “Trump always chickens out.”
His wife, who is in a wheelchair and doesn’t usually participate in political events, was also in attendance.
“She felt so strongly about this and she wanted to be here,” Cook said.
Police increase security
Law enforcement presence in downtown Sacramento was visibly heightened Saturday as crowds gathered for a protest and other planned events around the Capitol.
The Sacramento Police Department confirmed it had deployed additional resources in response to the demonstration, though officials declined to disclose specific numbers, citing officer safety. The California Highway Patrol, which is responsible for securing the Capitol building itself, also acknowledged the event but said it does not discuss operational plans with the public.
At 10:30 a.m., CHP officers stood in groups on the perimeter of the protests stopping people with large flag poles but otherwise had minimal interaction with demonstrators.
The increased security comes amid national concern following Saturday morning’s fatal shooting of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. Authorities in Minnesota say a second state lawmaker, Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife were also shot multiple times at their home, and a manhunt is underway for the suspect, according to the Associated Press.
“This is appalling,” Newsom wrote on X. “Lawmakers are now being shot and assassinated — targeted for their political beliefs. We pray for their families. We grieve with Minnesota. We call for peace in our politics.”
About half an hour later, Newsom posted another message on X, seeming to reference the day of “No Kings” protests, asking for a peaceful gathering. “You don’t have to match the chaos. Choose calm. Choose peace,” the governor wrote.
By late afternoon on Saturday, Sacramento police said no arrests had been made.
Sheriff promises to protect peaceful protest in Placer County
Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo issued a statement late Friday reaffirming his office’s commitment to public safety and constitutional rights as nationwide demonstrations scheduled for 3 pm approached in Auburn.
In a message shared on social media, Woo emphasized the Sheriff’s Office would protect both the right to peaceful protest and the safety of residents.
“Peaceful protest is a fundamental right enshrined in our Constitution,” Woo said. “We stand in support of individuals exercising their freedoms of speech and assembly in a lawful and respectful manner.”
But Woo drew a clear line against unlawful conduct:
“There is zero tolerance for violence,” he wrote. “Any acts that threaten public safety or property will be met with consequences.”
Deputies are prepared to respond swiftly to any actions that jeopardize order or endanger residents, Woo said.
Marchers break off after event ends
After the state Capitol event ended at about 1 p.m. a group of protesters broke off and began marching north on 10th street, ultimately arriving at the Sacramento office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on N Street.
After pausing there to chant slogans and expletives opposing Trump’s immigration policies, the group, large enough to fill just under a single city block but growing, continued to march through downtown and appeared headed toward the Tower Bridge. The Sacramento police department estimated the group was comprised of a couple of hundred people.
The group later made its way back to the John Moss federal building, where the ICE offices are located.
Kimberly Gutierrez stood with a megaphone in one hand and American flag in the other.
She gestured toward the building.
“That’s where they’re holding our people,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter what skin color you are,” Gutierrez continued. “There are Asian immigrants, Hispanic immigrants, Polish immigrants, Ukrainian immigrants, anyone.”
This story was originally published June 14, 2025 at 10:28 AM with the headline "A message of anger in peaceful ‘No Kings’ protest at California state Capitol."
