{"id":47401,"date":"2026-03-28T21:54:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T04:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=47401"},"modified":"2026-03-28T22:29:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T05:29:20","slug":"47401","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/28\/47401\/","title":{"rendered":"No Kings organizers tout record global turnout as Bay Area protests draw huge crowds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By\u00a0Laura Waxmann<\/a>,\u00a0Jessica Flores<\/a>,\u00a0Warren Pederson, Staff Writers March 28, 2026 (SFChronicle.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thousands of protesters gather at San Francisco\u2019s Civic Center Plaza as part of the No Kings Day demonstrations against President Donald Trump.Stephen Lam\/S.F. Chronicle<\/em><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of San Francisco, Oakland and dozens of other Bay Area cities<\/a> Saturday amid record global turnout for the third No Kings Day<\/a>, an act of defiance against the Trump administration that grows bigger with each installment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 3,300 No Kings events were held globally in what organizers touted as the largest single-day protest in modern American history. Organizers said more than 8 million people turned out for the largest coordinated mobilization yet against President Donald Trump, motivated by his administration\u2019s crackdown on immigration, attacks on Iran and other actions seen as authoritarian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 No Kings protests:<\/strong>\u00a0Thousands rally in Bay Area on global day of action<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Events were held in every U.S. state and almost every continent, with organizers saying more than 200,000 protested at the flagship event in the Twin Cities, where Minneapolis was the site of the killing of two U.S. citizens protesting the enforcement actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protestors march on Market Street during the No Kings Day in San Francisco<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protesters march up Market Street to Civic Center Plaza during the third No Kings Day event in San Francisco.Yalonda M James S F Chronicle<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizers estimated that previous No Kings days of action drew more than 7 million protesters last October<\/a> and over 5 million last June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See more S.F. Chronicle on Google<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add Preferred Source<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protesters gathered hours early for marches and rallies in San Francisco and Oakland, events infused with a mix of anger over the direction the country has taken and optimism over the power of people to stand up to government.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are here to create change \u2014 not just for a photo op,\u201d Katia Padilla, an organizer with the San Francisco Latino Task Force,<\/a> said as the crowd assembled at Embarcadero Plaza for the march up Market Street to Civic Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirley and Dennis Cruz marked their third No Kings protest with a giant Trump baby balloon they found in a store in their Sunset District neighborhood. They were motivated by Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown, which Dennis Cruz described as \u201csickening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Robin, a protester who declined to give her last name, echoed the theme by carrying a sign depicting Trump as a baby held up by Russian President Vladimir Putin. \u201cThis sign is a nod to Putin\u2019s control over Trump,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A former professor named Matt said protesting Trump has become a weekly activity for him, with regular stops outside of Tesla dealerships across the Bay Area. The carmaker\u2019s CEO is Elon Musk, initially an ally of Trump as organizer of the Department of Government Efficiency before their relationship soured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s ignoring the Constitution,\u201d Matt said of Trump. \u201cI used to teach about government. This is personal for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francisco Hulse carried a sign to Civic Center saying \u201cCholesterol: Do you job,\u201d a reference to Trump\u2019s penchant for fatty foods. \u201cI\u2019m against political violence,\u201d Hulse said. \u201cBut cholesterol? Yes, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

JT Dermody of San Francisco adopted the persona and attire of PBS icon Fred Rogers in an effort to calm the crowd. \u201cI know people are anxious, scared about what\u2019s happening.\u201d he said. \u201cSo I come out here to hopefully provide a sense of security, safety, familiarity and community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thousands of protesters gathered at San Francisco\u2019s Ocean Beach to form a human banner protesting the president, spelling out \u201cTRUMP MUST GO NOW!\u201d above a U.S. flag and the words: \u201cNO ICE, NO WARS, NO LIES, NO KINGS.\u201d The banner, measuring 300 feet high and more than 600 feet wide, was the latest installment of human artwork organized by travel writer Grad Newsham and architectural designer Travis Van Brasch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Oakland\u2019s rally around Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall attracted a similar spirited crowd as a live band helped ensure positive vibes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy Kim of Oakland, attending her first No Kings protest in California since recently moving from New York, said she felt compelled to protest because \u201cif you do nothing, you are complicit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like this is the tipping point,\u201d Kim said, adding that she hopes Americans, regardless of their political party, could unite against the Trump administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Brad Sanford of Oakland carried a sign saying \u201cImpeach this orange ass now,\u201d which he said took \u201cone long Sunday afternoon\u201d to create. \u201cI\u2019ve taken it to three protests now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richmond resident Tara Ayes said she was protesting because \u201cwe got a criminal in the White House, and we have to stop him.\u201d She carried a sign reading, \u201cSupport immigrants. Deport Trump,\u201d while her service dog, a yellow Lab named Nella, wore a sign saying, \u201cProud to protest with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really good to be among people I feel in community with,\u201d Ayes said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Nicole Edgar, Claire Kelly and Shelley Kelly attended the Oakland protest representing Montclair Presbyterian Church. A group of church officials led the procession because \u201cwhat\u2019s happening in the world is against what we believe in,\u201d Shelley Kelly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edgar said it\u2019s been \u201cthe worst time in government\u201d she had ever witnessed. \u201cI just couldn\u2019t stay home,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire Kelly left the protest feeling hopeful after seeing so many people show up. It \u201cwas really neat to see and like a nice beacon of (hope) during an otherwise kind of dark time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of senior citizens also gathered Saturday morning in Oakland to protest Trump as part of No Kings Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizers of Senior Citizens Against Tyranny, an ad-hoc community group known as SCAT, gathered more than 100 seniors, many with walkers and wheelchairs, at 41st Street and Piedmont Avenue to protest Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown and attack on Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not the America I knew growing up,\u201d SCAT spokeswoman Helen Burke said in a statement. \u201cWhen I was in the eighth grade I won a prize for an essay supporting the ideals of democracy. Those ideals are being demolished one by one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cDeporting foreign born immigrants for no reason is not just inhumane, it\u2019s downright un-American. Turning ICE into secret police is not just undemocratic, it\u2019s Fascism. Waging war without Congressional approval violates the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Jose\u2019s No Kings Day protest drew more than 10,000 people to St. James Park, organizer 50501 San Jose said. Speakers included Sen. Adam Schiff and fellow Democrats Reps. Ro Khanna of Santa Clara and Sam Liccardo of San Jose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSan Jose came together today to stand up against the Trump Administration\u2019s violence, lawlessness, corruption, and abuses of power,\u201d Ariel Ranker, lead organizer of 50501 San Jose, said in a statement. \u201cWe will not be silent in the face of injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protesters rallied against Trump in more than a dozen other countries Saturday, from Europe to Latin American to Australia, Indivisible co-executive director Ezra Levin told the Associated Press<\/a>. Countries with constitutional monarchies called the protests No Tyrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several hundred people, mostly Americans living in Europe as well as French labor unions, gathered at the Bastille in Paris on Saturday morning to protest Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cI protest all of Trump\u2019s illegal, immoral, reckless and feckless endless wars,\u201d Ada Shen, the Paris No Kings organizer, told the Associated Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Rome, thousands of people marched with chants aimed at Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose right-wing government saw its referendum for streamlining Italy\u2019s judiciary badly fail this week amid criticism that it was a threat to the courts\u2019 independence. Protesters waved banners protesting the Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran, calling for \u201ca world free from wars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Amid the anger and gloom, Frank Olivier offered a counternarrative at the San Francisco march: \u201cEverything is fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking against the crowd on Market Street, Olivier invited protesters to lay down their signs and relax. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine. You\u2019re fine. And oil prices are going to go down,\u201d Olivier said with a grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

March 28, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Laura Waxmann<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

REPORTER<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura Waxmann covers the business community with a focus on commercial real estate, development, retail and the future of San Francisco’s downtown. Prior to joining The Chronicle in 2023, she reported on San Francisco’s changing real estate and economic landscape in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic for the San Francisco Business Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waxmann was born and raised in Frankfurt, Germany, but has called San Francisco home since 2007. She’s reported on a variety of topics including housing, homelessness, education and local politics for the San Francisco Examiner, Mission Local and El Tecolote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Jessica Flores<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

REPORTER<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Flores is a reporter on the breaking news team. Before joining the Chronicle in 2021, she worked for USA Today, LAist and Curbed LA. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is a graduate of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and Mount Saint Mary\u2019s University in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Laura Waxmann,\u00a0Jessica Flores,\u00a0Warren Pederson, Staff Writers March 28, 2026 (SFChronicle.com) Thousands of protesters gather at San Francisco\u2019s Civic Center Plaza as part of the No Kings Day demonstrations against President Donald Trump.Stephen Lam\/S.F. Chronicle Thousands of protesters took to the streets of San Francisco, Oakland and dozens of other Bay Area… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47401"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47401"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47405,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47401\/revisions\/47405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}