It’s being billed as a “nationwide day of defiance,” and the rejection of authoritarianism, but organizers say a “No Kings” protest against the Trump administration, set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Houston City Hall, will be a peaceful event.
Up to 5,000 people are expected to gather and march in opposition to Trump’s policies, specifically on immigration and ICE raids, at the Houston event. Other No Kings protests are scheduled Saturday in Sugar Land, Katy, Cypress, Conroe and locations across the country.
The rallies come in the wake of riots in Los Angeles and mass arrests of undocumented persons seeking asylum in immigration courts.
Last weekend, Trump mobilized thousands of National Guard troops to diffuse the Los Angeles demonstrations, drawing an outcry from politicians including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other politicians, advocacy groups and legal experts. Trump has since deployed Marines to the city, which has escalated fear and unrest, observers say.
But Saturday’s Houston protest is about more than immigration, says Jackie Anderson, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers. Anderson said she’s attending to ask that democracy be restored in the United States.
“Our participation is saying that we want good public schools,” Anderson said. “We want people to have the freedoms that the Constitution allows them to have. Our democracy is being usurped by the oligarchs, by the billionaires.”
Texas Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons, D-Houston, and representatives from the Houston chapter of the NAACP are also expected to attend.
Ironically, there’s not a No Kings protest planned Saturday in Washington, D.C., where Trump will be celebrating his 79th birthday and hosting a military parade to honor the U.S. Army and, some say, himself. It’s also Flag Day, and protesters say the flag does not belong to Trump but to the American people.
A Houston Police Department public information officer said HPD is aware of the gathering but declined to comment further about safety protocols and whether ICE agents or the National Guard are expected to be there. An organizer with No Kings said the organization is providing trained security guards.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt urged Houston Mayor John Whitmire and County Judge Lina Hidalgo this week to “prepare for the worst,” offering federal resources and noting that the demonstrations in Los Angeles have been anything but peaceful. Both leaders rejected the offer and said the city and county are well-equipped and encourage people to express their views.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has indicated he will deploy the National Guard as needed.
Safety is a key concern, Anderson added.
“We have not planned for anything other than a safe and friendly protest so we can say what we think about what’s going on,” she said. “We are working with the Houston Police Department to make sure that we are within the boundaries, that we stay safe, that we do what we came to do, and leave.”
No weapons are allowed on civilian protesters at the rallies, even if a person is licensed to carry, said a Washington, D.C.-based No Kings organizer, who asked to remain anonymous.
“We recognize that any sort of violent outburst dampens our voices and is a huge distraction,” he said. “What we’re seeing around the country and particularly in Houston is that people, regardless of party affiliation, are on guard and upset with what’s going on, especially with mass deportations.”
“We’re hoping to peacefully make our voices heard.”
No Kings Day is backed by the progressive organization Indivisible, founded by Ezra Levin and his wife Leah Greenberg, who were once named among Time’s 100 most influential people in the world. The No Kings movement gained “overwhelming interest” in the aftermath of the Trump administration’s response to immigration-related protests in Los Angeles, Levin told MSNBC.
“In America, we don’t do kings,” reads the organization’s website advertising the nationwide protests. “They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too far.
“On Flag Day, President Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle made to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else.”
Anderson scoffed at the allegation that paid protesters are being flown in to Houston to cause a disturbance.
“I’ve heard them say that on the news but I don’t know of anyone that’s getting paid,” she said. “I think these people have a genuine concern about what’s going on and they want to express that. I would encourage people who have a different agenda, please don’t show up. Don’t use our platform to destroy the message we’re trying to put out.”
That message, she said, is democracy.
“That’s it,” she said. “That’s all we want to see. I hope the message is loud and clear that we don’t do kings here. We can do things democratically without having a problem here in Houston. We don’t want to have a Los Angeles. We don’t want to see that.”
