Tag Archives: Common Dreams

NO KINGS DAY – All over the Bay!

UPDATES, AFTER THE RALLY:

Sat June 14 in Benicia, Vallejo and more!

>> IN BENICIA: June 14th NO KINGS DAY! 1-2pm at the Gazebo (map: First and Military Streets). Bring your signs, noisemakers, and your goodwill. We’ll “parade” this block for the hour on the sidewalk.
– Susan Street

>> IN VALLEJO: Vallejo-Benicia INDIVISIBLE is sponsoring a NO KINGS rally and march on Saturday, June 14 in the plaza at the Vallejo City Hall, 555 Santa Clara Street in Vallejo. The event will start at 10 am with brief speeches, with speakers including Benicia Mayor Steve Young and others. The Vallejo event is listed (with a map) on the mobilize.us website. Bring your signs. Crowns optional.

>> IN FAIRIELD: Sat June 14, 12 – 1pm, corner of Jefferson and Texas Streets under the flags, 605 Texas St., Fairfield. Here’s a map.

>> ALL OVER THE BAY AREA: Go to the nokings.org or mobilize.us website and zoom in on the big map. Then click on a city for detailed info about the specific event in that location.


‘No Kings’ Protest Leader Ezra Levin of INDIVISIBLE Reveals ‘Big Baby’ Trump Plan

A giant balloon inflated by activists depicting U.S. President Donald Trump as an orange baby is seen during a demonstration against Trump’s visit to the U.K. in Parliament Square in London on July 13, 2018. Tolga AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images

Newsweek, By Kate Plummer, May 28, 2025

An activist involved with the “No Kings” movement has revealed plans for their upcoming protest.

Ezra Levin, the head of grassroots movement Indivisible, one of the groups associated with the movement, told the Jim Acosta Show that an upcoming coordinated protest on June 14, which is on President Donald Trump’s birthday and Flag Day, would take place in areas away from where Trump is holding a parade.

Why It Matters

The protesters, who are working with local chapters in more than 30 states, are targeting a military-style parade the Trump administration is planning on his birthday.

According to planning documents obtained by the Associated Press, Trump’s proposed event, which would follow a route from Arlington, Virginia across the Potomac into Washington, D.C., and conclude with a concert and fireworks, would include more than 6,600 soldiers, at least 150 military vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands and potentially thousands of civilians.

Trump protestors protested out front to the Tesla Showroom to demand the the Trump Administration stop funding billionaires. Katie Godowski / MediaPunch /IPX

The counter-protest comes amid a wave of protests against Trump and his policies that have taken place since he took office in January 2025.

People are protesting to express their disapproval of policies implemented by Trump’s administration, including cuts overseen by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Other protests have focused on Trump’s immigration policies. Recent polls have shown Trump’s approval rating at a historic low.

What To Know

Levin said their protest would take place in areas everywhere around the country, except downtown D.C., where Trump’s parade will take place.

“We do not want to give this guy an excuse to crackdown on peaceful protest,” he said. “We want the contrast – this guy’s a big baby, he’s throwing himself a big military parade for his birthday. We, the people, where power actually originates in this country, we’re everywhere else.”

He added that the protest was to “send a signal” to Trump and allied institutions to protect democracy.

Levin also said it wasn’t appropriate to spend money on a parade for Trump amid cuts to Medicaid and other government programs.

He also called Trump’s agenda “heinous” and said protests against him were “inspiring.”

What People Are Saying

Army spokesperson Colonel Dave Butler recently told the Associated Press: “We want to make it into an event that the entire nation can celebrate with us. We want Americans to know their Army and their soldiers. A parade might become part of that, and we think that will be an excellent addition to what we already have planned.”

The “No Kings” group previously said: “Real power isn’t staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else.”

What Happens Next

The “No Kings” protest takes place on June 14. The coalition has said it will release more information about the event closer to the time.

Law enforcement agencies in Washington, D.C., are preparing for heightened security, though officials have not disclosed specific plans.

 

 

NO KINGS DAY! Sat June 14 in Benicia, See you there!

UPDATES, AFTER THE RALLY:

>> IN BENICIA: June 14th NO KINGS DAY! 1-2pm at the Gazebo (First and Military Streets). Bring your signs, noisemakers, and your goodwill. We’ll “parade” this block for the hour on the sidewalk.
– Susan Street
>> MORE: NO KINGS DAY – Vallejo, Benicia, and all over the Bay!

‘We Don’t Do Kings’: Mass Protests Planned to Counter Trump’s Birthday Military Parade

Common Dreams, By Jake Johnson, May 06, 2025

“Donald Trump wants to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a big fancy parade with tanks in the streets,” said one organizer. “This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook.”

Pro-democracy campaigners late Monday announced a nationwide “No Kings” day of defiance on June 14—the same day U.S. President Donald Trump plans to hold a birthday military parade more befitting a dictator than an elected head of state.

More than 100 “No Kings” events have already been registered across the U.S., with many more expected in the weeks ahead of the day of action.

See the full list of planned events and locations here (mobilize.us). (Note that our Benicia event is not listed at mobilize.us as of this posting. Efforts are being made to get Benicia listed there.)

“Donald Trump wants to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a big fancy parade with tanks in the streets,” explained Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, on Monday’s broadcast of The Rachel Maddow Show (see below). “This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. He wants to project strength. He wants everybody to think that he is all-powerful. That he rules the world.”

“He doesn’t,” Levin added. “Real power is not in D.C. It’s distributed all across the country. And what we’re looking to do on No Kings Day is to say, look—Donald Trump does not own the flag. He does not own patriotism. In fact, we can all show up in opposition to a king in this country.”

The event’s website says the goal of the mass demonstrations is to show that “from city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism.”

“In America, we don’t do kings,” the website states. “On June 14th, we’re showing up everywhere he isn’t—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.”

News of the latest mass mobilization against Trump and his far-right agenda came days after the U.S. Army confirmed plans for a parade on June 14—the Army’s 250th birthday and Trump’s 79th.

“The Army anticipates featuring 150 vehicles, 50 aircraft, and 6,600 soldiers,” The Washington Post reported, citing an Army spokesperson. “The parade will accompany a fireworks display and a day-long festival on the National Mall with military demonstrations, musical performances, and a fitness competition.”

The price tag for such festivities could be massive, with two unnamed defense officials telling NBC News that it could be as high as $45 million. In an interview that aired over the weekend, Trump called the potential cost “peanuts compared to the value of doing it.”

“We have the greatest missiles in the world,” Trump declared. “We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.”

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said in a statement Monday that “this would be an unprecedented waste of money to please this self-absorbed con man, and the public should make clear it’s unacceptable.”

“The egotist-in-chief wants taxpayers to foot the bill for a military parade on his birthday,” said Cohen, the lead sponsor of legislation that would “prohibit the use of federal funds for a military parade in the District of Columbia intended for the personal celebration of President Donald J. Trump, and for other purposes.”


Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.

NO KINGS DAY! Sat June 14, mark your calendar now!

UPDATES, AFTER THE RALLY:

>> IN BENICIA: June 14th NO KINGS DAY! 1-2pm at the Gazebo (First and Military Streets). Bring your signs, noisemakers, and your goodwill. We’ll “parade” this block for the hour on the sidewalk.
– Susan Street
>> MORE: NO KINGS DAY – Vallejo, Benicia, and all over the Bay!

‘We Don’t Do Kings’: Mass Protests Planned to Counter Trump’s Birthday Military Parade

Common Dreams, By Jake Johnson, May 06, 2025

“Donald Trump wants to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a big fancy parade with tanks in the streets,” said one organizer. “This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook.”

Pro-democracy campaigners late Monday announced a nationwide “No Kings” day of defiance on June 14—the same day U.S. President Donald Trump plans to hold a birthday military parade more befitting a dictator than an elected head of state.

More than 100 “No Kings” events have already been registered across the U.S., with many more expected in the weeks ahead of the day of action.

See the full list of planned events and locations here (mobilize.us)

“Donald Trump wants to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to throw himself a big fancy parade with tanks in the streets,” explained Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, on Monday’s broadcast of The Rachel Maddow Show (see below). “This is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. He wants to project strength. He wants everybody to think that he is all-powerful. That he rules the world.”

“He doesn’t,” Levin added. “Real power is not in D.C. It’s distributed all across the country. And what we’re looking to do on No Kings Day is to say, look—Donald Trump does not own the flag. He does not own patriotism. In fact, we can all show up in opposition to a king in this country.”

The event’s website says the goal of the mass demonstrations is to show that “from city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism.”

“In America, we don’t do kings,” the website states. “On June 14th, we’re showing up everywhere he isn’t—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.”

News of the latest mass mobilization against Trump and his far-right agenda came days after the U.S. Army confirmed plans for a parade on June 14—the Army’s 250th birthday and Trump’s 79th.

“The Army anticipates featuring 150 vehicles, 50 aircraft, and 6,600 soldiers,” The Washington Post reported, citing an Army spokesperson. “The parade will accompany a fireworks display and a day-long festival on the National Mall with military demonstrations, musical performances, and a fitness competition.”

The price tag for such festivities could be massive, with two unnamed defense officials telling NBC News that it could be as high as $45 million. In an interview that aired over the weekend, Trump called the potential cost “peanuts compared to the value of doing it.”

“We have the greatest missiles in the world,” Trump declared. “We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.”

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said in a statement Monday that “this would be an unprecedented waste of money to please this self-absorbed con man, and the public should make clear it’s unacceptable.”

“The egotist-in-chief wants taxpayers to foot the bill for a military parade on his birthday,” said Cohen, the lead sponsor of legislation that would “prohibit the use of federal funds for a military parade in the District of Columbia intended for the personal celebration of President Donald J. Trump, and for other purposes.”


Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.