Orange County, CA — On Saturday October 18th, more than 45,000 people throughout Orange County joined in 10 rallies and protests to say “No Kings” in OC and America. Participants included people from all walks of life, with diversity in age, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and political orientation.
Hundreds of unpaid volunteer organizers and activists from dozens of grassroots community groups participated in advance planning and day-of teams for de-escalation, traffic safety, first aid, and more – no incidents were reported. Events were filled with music from local DJs, curated playlists, and live musicians. Participants wore costumes and carried colorful hand-made signs. Community leaders and elected public servants inspired the crowds with patriotic speeches about freedom, democracy, healthcare, the environment, and human rights. Messages of ICE Out of OC and YES on Prop 50 were consistent themes at all the events.
“We’re here to stand up for our neighbors,” said one organizer. “This administration is attacking the most vulnerable people in our communities – immigrants, trans people, people with disabilities, hungry children. It’s right out of the fascist playbook. We’re not going to wait until they come for the rest of us, like the poem says. We’re doing something NOW.”
Protest organizers used measures of crowd density and protest areas plus aerial photography and attendee photos and videos to determine attendance. Conservative estimates follow.
- Aliso Viejo (5,200) Hosted by Kasey of Aliso Viejo Resistance, an Indivisible CA 40 team
- Dana Point (5,000) Hosted by DWSOC and Indivisible SJC
- Huntington Beach (6,500) Hosted by community organizers
- La Habra (3,500) Hosted by Amber and Bridget of Indivisible La Habra
- Laguna Beach (2,500) Hosted by Laguna Beach Democratic Club
- Laguna Hills (3,900) Hosted by Laguna Woods Democratic Club and Laguna Woods Indivisible
- Newport Beach (3,000) Hosted by Kim Nida of Indivisible CA 47
- Orange (1,700) Community organized, supported by the Orange City Team of Indivisible CA 40
- Santa Ana (12,000) Hosted by a team of over 80 volunteers from the OC Indivisible Coalition, WAVE, and 50501 Orange County
- Seal Beach (2,500) Hosted by Katie Bradley of Democratic Club of Seal Beach and Nathalie Wilson of Indivisible CA 47
More than 2,700 No Kings events were planned across the United States, and clearly got under the president’s skin.
Marines at Camp Pendleton were ordered to shoot artillery across the busy I-5 freeway onto the base the same day as the mass mobilization, ostensibly for a hastily-planned 250th anniversary celebration of the Corps – though that is nearly a month away, on November 10.
The president also posted an AI video to social media of himself in a fighter jet, wearing a crown, dumping what appeared to be feces onto protesters, which simply made him look like a silly toddler throwing a tantrum and served to reinforce why the protests were being held in the first place.
To learn more about the No Kings Day national coalition, visit www.nokings.org.