Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of people in attendance at Saturday's event. Thousands of people were in attendance, not hundreds.
An estimated 5,000 people marched through downtown San Luis Obispo on Saturday as part of the national “No Kings” rally, according to the SLO Police Department.
SLO protesters joined nearly 2,000 demonstrations across the country.
The coordinated action was scheduled to coincide with President Donald Trump’s birthday and a military parade in Washington D.C. marking the Army’s 250th anniversary.
Organizers said the protests were meant to push back against what they describe as authoritarian actions by the Trump administration, including the deployment of military forces to a U.S. city and a wave of immigration raids across California.
Protesters in San Luis Obispo carried American flags and signs with slogans like “Immigrants Make America Great” and “No Fascist USA.” The crowd marched peacefully from the San Luis Obispo County Courthouse to Mission Plaza. No arrests were reported.
“All of us on American soil have the right to due process, the right to freedom of speech and right now our government is taking that away,” said San Luis Obispo resident Dane Prentiss.
Allison Martin, a visitor who joined the protest spontaneously, said she was alarmed by recent federal actions.
“It’s the First Amendment—freedom of speech,” Martin said. “We have to use that in order to really stand up. It’s really powerful seeing how many people are also against what’s happening in our country.”
The protests follow a series of high-profile federal actions, including the deployment of Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Critics including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have called the moves an overreach.
Tensions escalated further earlier this week when U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was thrown to the ground, handcuffed and removed from a Homeland Security press briefing after questioning recent enforcement actions.
“I see the path to fascism right before our eyes,” said one protester, who declined to give their name. “I have a responsibility to my community, to my family, to act now before it’s too late.”
Other demonstrators also called for stronger legal protections for transgender people and reproductive rights.
