Thousands of Bay Area protesters gathered along a five-mile stretch on El Camino Real, known as “the King’s Highway,” as part of the third wave of “No Kings” protests across the country on Saturday, March 28. The protest began at 2 p.m., lasting until around 4 p.m., as people marched with signs containing satirical messages like “No Faux-king Way” and “Elect an A******, Expect S***.” Some protesters wore inflatable animal costumes. On El Camino Real and neighboring streets, cars honked and bikers cheered in support of the protesters. In addition, Indivisible Palo Alto Plus hosted a “NO KINGS Street Fest” at the protest, featuring dozens of music acts, protest stalls advocating for various causes and community-oriented activities.
Among activities were sign-making stations, yard sign sales, a dance conga and signature-gatherings for various local, state and federal petitions. IPA+ volunteer Esin Salter had her own stall along Embarcadero Street, selling lawn signs and other No Kings merchandise to protesters. She started the initiative with her husband in February of 2025 to raise money for IPA+. She designed the lawn signs with QR codes on them to spark action and spread the message to passersby.
“Trump supporters have a lot of paraphernalia and a lot of things hanging outside their house,” Salter said. “So my husband and I were asking, ‘Why isn’t there anything for our group?’ So we thought having a lawn sign would be a really nice thing for people walking around a neighborhood. They could see something that could inspire their sense of patriotism to their country, their sense of their love of democracy and make people feel a little less alone.”
This protest was among more than 3,300 worldwide, with at least 8 million people protesting, an increase compared to the 5 million and 7 million in the first and second
No Kings protests, respectively. Protesters marched for a variety of reasons, such as the Iran war, environmental concerns, Trump’s administration and anti-immigration rhetoric, with one protester even constructing a mock ICE detention center to portray them as concentration camps. Pets Against Warrantless Surveillance volunteer Brian Eaton attended the protest to raise awareness and acquire petition signatories for the removal of Flock Safety cameras in Palo Alto, which use AI to identify license plates, vehicle make, color and unique features, claiming to improve public safety.
“The surveillance cameras were originally put in to try and improve public safety,” Eaton said. “They’ve done kind of the opposite and there’s been a lot of unauthorized access. So at this point, we’re asking that the City of Palo Alto cover the cameras and cancel the contract.”
Eaton believes that these protests serve as a great way to take action and inspire others to do the same. Additionally, he believes that large gatherings such as this help organizations gather petition signatures and spread the word. Protester Matt Brooks, who has been protesting since the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, echoes Eaton’s sentiment, adding that events like these slowly make an impact, even though it may not be noticeable at first.
“You might not understand the impact that you’re making, but then, six or eight months down the line, you start to see some of the changes that you’re fighting for,” Brooks said. “Maybe the things you’re fighting for do get enacted or show up in the legislature a little more, even if it’s just locally. If you’re just walking around thinking, ‘I wonder if this leads to anything?,’ just being out there can make a difference.”
