LOS ANGELES — Police arrested 38 people were during the No Kinds Day protest in downtown Los Angeles June 14, when tens of thousands of people flooded the area to protest the policies of the Trump administration in one of a series of nationwide demonstrations.
The downtown gathering was the largest of several held throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, and was largely peaceful until police issued a dispersal order at around 3:45 p.m. for all persons located on Alameda Street south of Aliso and north of Temple.
A line of officers, some on horseback, were seen driving people from the intersection shortly before 4 p.m. As of about 4:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department began using tear gas and less-lethal rounds after some people reportedly started throwing bricks, bottles, rocks and other objects.
Around 5:30 p.m., police officers in riot gear and carrying zip-ties began mobilizing to clear protesters who refused to disperse. Mounted officers were also moving crowds along.
LAPD spokeswoman Officer Rosario Cervantes told City News Service that tear gas was in use, but she was uncertain of the exact area because “it’s fluid right now.”
Police said 35 people were arrested for curfew violations, one for failure to disperse, one for resisting, obstructing or delaying a police officer, and one for resisting arrest, according to the department.
Three officers were injured, police added.
While the largest crowd gathered in downtown, demonstrators also rallied in other communities and in nearby cities including Long Beach, Santa Monica, Culver City and Torrance.
During the downtown Los Angeles march, protesters carried a variety of flags and protest signs including a large balloon figure depicting President Donald Trump as a baby wearing a diaper.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who had urged the crowds to remain lawful, later told KTLA5 that most of the demonstrators followed that advice.
“Sometimes people who aren’t even a part of the main protest hang around, and then that’s where you can have trouble,” she told the station as an 8 p.m. curfew when into effect. “I think that is happening off and on right now, but I do think at the end of the day, this will have been a successful, peaceful day.”
The California Highway Patrol continued to provide enhanced support, and the city’s Emergency Operations Center coordinated logistics.
On social media, the mayor reminded protesters of the Trump administration threat to send in National Guard or Marine troops to quell unruly gatherings.
“Please, please do not give the administration an excuse to intervene,” she noted on X. “Let’s make sure we show the world the best of Los Angeles and our country. Let’s stand in contrast to the provocation, escalation and violence.
“LA is strong. This is what a peaceful protest looks like,” Bass posted on X. “We refuse the chaos.”
It was unclear exactly why police issued their 3:45 p.m. dispersal order, but a line of officers, some on horseback, were seen driving people from the intersection of Alameda and Temple shortly before 4 p.m.
Later in the afternoon, some protesters lingered in a few places throughout the Civic Center, including at the Federal Building, which was being protected by armed National Guard members.
Other sites were Spring Street, which was closed between Temple and First Street, and Los Angeles Street, which was closed between Temple and Aliso Street.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell told NBC4 officers were enforcing the curfew. He said rocks, bottles and commercial grade fireworks were thrown at officers by so-called “agitators” and seven officers were injured, but none seriously.
The curfew affected a portion of downtown between the Golden State (5) and Harbor (110) freeways, and from the Santa Monica (10) Freeway to where the Arroyo Seco (110) Parkway and Golden State Freeway merge. That area included Skid Row, Chinatown, and the Arts and Fashion districts.
The curfew was listed by Bass June 17.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, took part in the No Kings Day protest, making appearances at a gathering near Elon Musk’s Space X headquarters in Hawthorne, at Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown and in Playa Del Ray.
In Hawthorne, Waters, along with thousands of young people, voiced their fear of a cruel and dangerous president and co-president, Trump and Musk.
“Nobody voted for Elon,” Waters said. “He was not elected, and no one wants him destroying our institutions.”
At Grand Park, Waters went after the president.
“This country has no kings and no dictators,” she said. “And I’ll continue fighting every day for the American people.”
In Playa Vista, she denounced Trump for celebrating his birthday with a large-scale military parade at the expense of the armed services.
“This country rejects Trump’s would-be dictatorship,” Waters said. “This country has no kings. The president should celebrate American greatness by ensuring all Americans are housed and fed, not by cutting the social safety net and throwing himself a birthday party with taxpayer money.”
The No Kings’ Day events were billed as a peaceful way to oppose the administration’s “authoritarianism and show the world what democracy really looks like,” said organizers at 50501, a national group that stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one movement.
“They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services,” according to a website for the event, referring to the Trump administration.
“The corruption has gone too far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings.”
The protests coincided with a military parade in Washington, D.C. celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and Trump’s 79th birthday.
Opponents of the military parade — the nation’s first since 1991’s National Victory Celebration, which was timed to welcome returning veterans of the 100-day Persian Gulf War — said it was a vanity project for a nascent dictator.
“President Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday,” No Kings organizers said. “A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else.”
Trump said that he wanted the parade to show people “How great our country is, very simple, and how strong our military is.”
