More Than 1,800 ‘No Kings’ Protests Aim for Nonviolent Pushback Against Trump Policies
If you’ve been online in the past month, you’ve probably seen the image of a gold crown with a red X through it—the branding for No Kings, the coalition behind Saturday’s “national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration,” as its website puts it. An offshoot of Indivisible, a nonprofit co-founded by political activist Leah Greenberg and attorney Ezra Levin, No Kings has rallied many progressive groups (including Planned Parenthood, MoveOn, and the ACLU) as well as a few conservative-leaning allies, reflecting its tagline: “In America, we don’t do kings.”
On the eve of the June 14 mobilization—which some estimates say could draw up to 5 million marchers—Reason‘s Nancy Rommelmann spoke with Hunter Dunn, national press coordinator for 50501 (“50 Protests. 50 States. 1 Movement”), No Kings’ partner in the event. Based in Los Angeles, Dunn discussed how the recent federal law enforcement incursion into the city has shaped the march, why his group is working without any police involvement, and the satisfaction of watching the bromance between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk implode.
Q: You had something a bit unexpected happen in Los Angeles last week.
A: You would be very correct about that.
Q: How has federal law enforcement being on the ground changed the No Kings march, if it has?
A: Obviously, it’s had a large impact. We’re organizing in downtown Los Angeles, so we’ve been on the ground during those protests and during those ICE actions. We have a trained team of peacekeepers who specialize in de-escalation and protecting people, and they’ve had to shield our medical team with their bodies, while [medics were] administering aid, and have taken hits from direct shots from rubber bullets while doing that.
Q: No Kings and 50501 have partnered with over 100 organizati
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