City Hall to See Thousands of Protesters Saturday in Nationwide “No Kings” Demonstration

Organizers expect more than 7,000 demonstrators to gather at Pasadena City Hall Saturday afternoon as part of a nationwide “No Kings Day of Action” protest coordinated by San Gabriel Foothills Indivisible, a local resistance group that began early this year in a Pasadena living room.

The rally, scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m., is one of approximately 2,500 events planned across the country, according to the group’s background report. It marks the sixth monthly protest organized by SGFI since April and follows June’s “No Kings I” event, which organizer Patrick R. Briggs said “drew up to 10,000 people.” (City estimates were lower, putting the crowd more than 4,000.)

Saturday’s demonstration is part of a broader national mobilization responding to what organizers describe as “the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration,” according to materials from the No Kings organization.

SGFI’s planning documents emphasize nonviolent protest protocols, including a weapons ban, deployment of trained safety monitors, multiple online trainings, and day-of reviews with volunteers. The group said it maintains regular contact with Pasadena Police and City Hall to avoid conflicts with other events and to manage crowd logistics.

“We took seriously the ideals of Indivisible to block the Trump 2.0 agenda, become leaders in a sustained, peaceful, non-violent protest movement and to push our elected representatives to fight back as strongly against this un-American, cruel, authoritarian regime,” Briggs said.

Speakers scheduled for the Pasadena rally include U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, Assemblymember John Harabedian, and Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo. Dr. Sara Sadhwani, a Pomona College political scientist, is expected to speak in support of Proposition 50.

SGFI, one of 2,500 chapters in the Indivisible network, coordinates nationally through weekly calls hosted by Indivisible.org.

“Each chapter maintains its own voice and focus,” Briggs said. “Our positive relationships with City Hall and Pasadena PD help us tremendously; they made all the difference on No Kings I.”

The group said it draws members from Pasadena, La Crescenta, La Cañada, and Monrovia, and other local communities, and has collaborated with Sierra Madre’s Rooted in Resistance, DenaResistance.org—the organizer of Tesla Takedown protests in Old Pasadena—and Swing Left San Gabriel Valley. National partners for the October 18 mobilization include ACLU, MoveOn, SEIU, and the American Federation of Teachers.

“One struggle we have is that fewer people are choosing to RSVP online; we have had to guess based on past experience, what the crowd size will be – preparing accordingly,” Briggs explained.

SGFI’s previous rallies include “Hands Off,” “May Day Strong,” “June’s No Kings I,” “July’s Good Trouble,” and “September’s Labor Day – Workers Over Billionaires.”

“We don’t get paid to do this, contrary to the propaganda coming from this Republican Party. We are being good American citizens, in the best possible way, through self-sacrifice and commitment to neighbor and country,” Briggs stated.

“Be safe, joyful, kind, and creative in your resistance,” Briggs said.