Monterey and Salinas were sites of peaceful yet spirited No Kings protests on Saturday, June 14, drawing large crowds, the largest in recent memory.
At least 5,000 people joined the Monterey event, lining both sides of Del Monte Boulevard at Window on the Bay, stretching for nearly a half-mile on both sides of the street for two-plus hours. In Salinas, between 1,000 and 2,000 people lined both sides of a four-block section of South Main Street, from Blanco Road to San Joaquin Street for over two hours.
As the event was winding down after 4pm in Monterey, Colleen Ingram, one of the organizers, said she was pleased with the turnout. “I am feeling great,” she says. “More and more people are empowered.”
American flags featured prominently in both protests, with patriotic displays on Flag Day and for the 250th birthday of the United States Army.
American flags were everywhere up and down the street in Salinas—some upside down as a distress signal—but there were Mexican flags as well. There were even a few flags divided diagonally down the middle between both the Stars and Stripes and the Golden Eagle of the Mexican flag.
The nationwide No Kings protest movement was planned in response to President Donald Trump organizing a military parade to mark the occasion—also his 79th birthday—on June 14. Approximately 2,000 No Kings protests were organized across the U.S. on the same day, drawing hundreds of thousands of protesters speaking out in resistance.
The crowds displayed hundreds of signs. Some messages included: “Detention without due process is a concentration camp;” “Do all lives still matter?” “Rejecting kings since 1776;” “Dump Trump, resist fascism;” “Stop pretending your racism is patriotism.”
Many signs also focused on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including signs that read: “Bring JC home,” referring to Juan Carlos Portillo, a Salvadoran immigrant who lives in Seaside and works in Pacific Grove. The asylum seeker was detained by ICE on June 4.
Both protests drew diverse crowds. In some cases, entire families participated, from children chanting with the crowd to senior citizens in wheelchairs holding signs of resistance.
Camila Castro of Salinas says she came out to the protest to represent “those who cannot speak,” her family and other loved ones who are scared in light of the Trump Administration’s efforts to detain and deport people.
In Salinas, the busy intersection was a cacophony of honking horns, as hundreds of passing cars showed their support for the protesters. Several big rig trucks hauling produce and agricultural equipment passing through the busy intersection honked their horns too, to the delight of the gathered crowds.
Traffic was snarled in Monterey as waves of protesters waited to cross the street, but many passing vehicles similarly joined in with passengers flashing peace signs, chanting support and drivers honking horns.
Castro was heartened by the strong show of support that demonstrates to those living in fear that they are not alone, as well making her feel less alone.
“I think it’s beautiful. It’s kind of nice to know I’m not the only one feeling sad, alone and angry,” she says.