‘No Kings’ protest draws thousands of local participants
“Democracy, not Dictatorship” and “Families Belong Together” were two of the thousands of signs held in the air on Oct. 18. Covering all four corners of Lynn Rd and Hillscrest Dr. and over a mile in street length, around 7,000 community members gathered for Thousand Oaks’ part in the national ‘No Kings’ protest from 4-6 p.m..
‘No Kings’ is a nationwide event to peacefully protest Donald Trump’s actions as president, arranged by many grassroots organizations, including Indivisible, 50501 and labor unions. The first ‘No Kings’ protest in June drew crowds of about 5 million nationwide. The Oct. 18 ‘No Kings’ protest had a nationwide participation of over 7 million people across all 50 states, US territories, Australia, Canada, Mexico and many European countries, making the protest one of the largest single-day protests in US history.
Speaking at the rally was Julia Brownley, Ventura County’s Representative in Congress. Brownley addressed pressing issues and anxieties in the community and nationwide, including attacks on free speech and healthcare, supporting the immigrant and LGBTQ+ community and combating election rigging. “We’re fighting for a republic, for a democracy, for a government that’s of the people, by the people and for the people,” Brownley said. “We’re fighting against the politics of hate and fear and intimidation.”
Standing in the center of Thousand Oaks with honking and cheering heard from blocks away, Brownley noted how the ‘No Kings’ protest increased feelings of unity and community in Ventura County. “It’s important that people see our collective voices and that we’re all on the same page about getting Trump out of office and being able to pursue the values that we all believe in,” Brownley said.
Central to the protest’s execution was Kyle Rohrbach, co-organizer of Indivisible Conejo, the Conejo Valley branch of the nationwide Indivisible organization. Indivisible’s organizations across all states have played a large role in organizing thousands of the ‘No Kings’ protests across America. Rohrback finds that organizing a protest like ‘No Kings’ is easier than expected in Thousand Oaks due to the already present passion and energy among community members. “Most polling shows that whether it’s tariff policy, immigration policy, policy about our queer youth, [Trump’s policies are] not popular,” Rohrback said. “While it requires a lot of logistic work, the enthusiasm is already there.”
Rohrback outlined that the protest’s central purpose is to combat the growing authoritarianism in the country, noting the “3.5% rule.” The 3.5% rule is a political science concept that when 3.5% of a nation’s population participates in nonviolent protest, they are “sure to bring about serious political change”, according to the Center for American Progress. “So in order to hit that three and a half percent mark [in Thousand Oaks], we need to be consistently above about 4,300 people. We easily did that today,” Rohrback said.
To ensure the safety and peaceful nature of the protest, Indivisible Conejo provides training for all of their volunteers. “They do de-escalation training, safety training, conflict resolution, things like that. All of us as organizers also participate in media training,” Rohrbach said.
Protesters of all ages were present, and among them were several Newbury Park High School students. Murkyl Allen, sophomore, stood holding a sign that read “No one is illegal on stolen land”. Allen believes participating in a protest is an important way to voice pressing concerns. “If somebody can’t vote when they’re a felon, then why [can] somebody with over 40 be President?” Allen said.
Also among the protesters were various Ventura County organizations such as VC Defensa. According to the VC Defensa website, they are an organization “dedicated to protecting the immigrant and refugee population of Ventura County.” An anonymous protester from VC Defensa was drawn to the protest due to their personal experiences with strict immigration policies. “There’s people that I know, personally, that have been affected by just waking up in the morning and they don’t come back home. […] It sucks living in fear every morning,” they said.
The night of the ‘No Kings’ protest, Trump posted an AI-generated video on his Truth Social account in response to the protests. The video depicted Trump wearing a crown and flying a fighter jet with the words “King Trump” over a ‘No Kings’ protest while dumping sewage on the protesters below.
Republican members of Congress have also criticized the ‘No Kings’ protests. House Speaker Mike Johnson referred to the protests as “hate America rallies,” while Sean Duffy, Transportation Secretary, has claimed that protesters have been paid by Antifa, a leftist movement opposing fascism that Trump recently deemed a “domestic terrorist organization” in an executive order signed on Sept. 22.
Addressing the impact of young voices among the crowd in Thousand Oaks, Brownley urges young voters to fight for the values that they stand for. “Generally, most young people share our democratic values, and we need their vote […] we need more of you in the fight,” Brownley said.
