Ten Thousand in Santa Barbara Join 7 Million Across the Nation in Denouncing Cruelty and Corruption of Gangster Government

Local organizers estimated the crowd at 13,000 for a spirited and vibrant pro-democracy rally and march that aligned with “No Kings” protests in 2,700 other communities in the U.S.

Amid inflatable green aliens, pink sharks, and brindled T-Rexes, 10,000 Santa Barbara citizens added their voices, energy and ironic handmade signs to a national day of protest Saturday, denouncing the brutality, heartlessness and venality of the Trump Administration.

Indivisible Santa Barbara staged a scrupulously non-violent and meticulously managed rally at Alameda Park; a planned hour of speeches that came in at 61 minutes was followed by a lively and vivid march to De La Guerra Plaza by many of those who had listened to a catalogue of Trump’s viciousness and crookedness, along with repeated calls for support of Proposition 50 on the November 4 ballot as a way of fighting back against it. Organizers estimated the crowd in the park at 13,000.

The gathering was packed with baby boomers, but there also appeared to be many more young people and students than showed up for a previous “No Kings” protest and several smaller rallies, evidence of intentional efforts by Indivisible organizers to infuse pro-democracy events with more diverse and younger participants.

“America is not drifting towards authoritarianism — we’re there,” said Indivisible activist Myra Paige in her lead-off speech, sounding a tone of urgency to match the speed and relentlessness with which Trump has trampled democratic values, norms and the Constitution in nine months.

National media reports estimated that as many as seven million people came out to similar “No Kings” protests in more than 2,500 communities across the country, with massive crowds in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., among other cities. The Washington Post described the state of play:

The events amounted to a striking measure of the unhappiness with Trump’s second term, as polls show the president’s approval rating is in negative territory. Opposing reactions to the protests from leaders in both major parties showed some of the country’s stark divisions, which have been on vivid display amid a government shutdown impasse headed into its third week with no clear end in sight.

Publicly, the White House brushed off the extraordinary display of opposition to his government: “Who cares?” a White House press aide emailed the New York Times, in response to a request for comment. As a political matter, however, the millions in the streets are evidence of Trump’s broad unpopularity, which is animating his bid to avert Republican loss of the House in the 2026 mid-terms, which would return one lever of institutional power to Democrats.

Trump’s fear of being held accountable for his actions explains why he and MAGA allies are working so hard to push through mid-decade gerrymanders in red states to distort the national House landscape - and why Democrats in California are working so hard to counter his move.

Here are seven takeaways from the day.

What is to be done. At the rally, there was multiple litanies of outrages Trump has inflicted on the rule of law, and on Democratic states and cities, but Assembly member Gregg Hart articulated the crucial question of the day: “What can we do about it?” Hart and other speakers pointed to the Nov. 4 special election in urging the crowd to vote for Proposition 50, which would redraw congressional maps in California until 2030 to benefit Democrats, a response to Republican efforts in Texas and other red states to jam through gerrymanders to avoid a Democratic takeover.

Living with dread. By far, the two most powerful speeches of the day were delivered by Julissa Pena of the Immigration Legal Defense Center and Primitiva Hernandez of 805Undocufund, two women on the front lines of fighting the Administration’s violent and diabolical deportation campaign. They described the excruciating atmosphere of daily dread hanging over Latino neighborhoods. “Entire immigrant families are being disappeared overnight,” said Pena. “They are hunted for the color of their skin, she added. decrying the rogue actions of federal immigration agents as “state-sanctioned cruelty and racism disguised as national security.”

Salud unchained. Characteristically mild-mannered Rep. Salud Carbajal has grown increasingly forceful and aggressive in vocalizing his opposition to the Administration since he was manhandled by ICE agents while trying to inspect the scene of a raid at a cannabis operation in Carpinteria last summer. On Saturday, he decried Trump’s “full assault on our core beliefs,” thundering that “no goddamned fascists” would succeed in transforming the U.S. into an autocracy. Echoing arguments set forth by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, he assailed the “Republican shutdown” of the government, pointing to the loss of health care insurance that would hit millions if the GOP budget passes.

Trump is not President of California. Hart’s speech focused on California as a great exception that rejects Trumpism, enacts progressive policies and values and is standing up to intimidation in maintaining them. He cited state Attorney General Rob Bonta’s many lawsuits against the Administration, the ongoing fight against Sable Offshore oil company to re-open the Refugio pipeline and pushback by the state’s university system against federal attacks. He also delivered a zinger taking note of California’s status as a “donor state” that delivers more than its share of taxes to Washington, which then channels the money to red states: “They insult our values but cash our checks.” Local Planned Parenthood leader Jenna Tosh underscored Hart’s portrayal of California under attack, detailing Trump’s assault on women’s health programs, from cancellation of Planned Parenthood funding, to Medicaid cuts slashing health services for a million women in the state.

Representin’. Beyond Indivisible, Democratic Women of Santa Barbara was the most visible organization at the rally, from a human billboard accounting for many of Trump’s misdeeds to their group table stocked with Pass the ERA stickers. At a time when Democrats across the nation are struggling to gain their footing against Trump, Dem Women consistently deliver high-energy, focused and determined actions, whether joining a mass rally, organizing an emergency town hall, or hosting a U.S. Senator.

The youngs. Mindful of concerns that recent protest events have evinced a shortage of younger people, organizers recruited Madeline Vailhe, a UCSB Phd graduate student who is active in the union that represents teaching fellows on campus, and who delivered a solid, fact-filled speech focused on the costs of Trump cuts to academic research, from cancer to car safety, as she noted the importance of collective action in battles waged by her union: “When we fight we win,” she said.

Not with a bang but a whimper. After the speeches, protesters took to Anacapa Street, which was closed for blocks by SBPD cruisers and officers, as demonstrators and assorted critters were packed closely while walking to De La Guerra Plaza.

Alas, upon arrival there was nothing - no call to action, no sign up tables, no food or water. The rally was orchestrated masterfully - but the trek to the plaza felt like a march to nowhere, an anti-climatic end that dissipated the high energy of the earlier events, and felt like a missed opportunity.

Images: Aliens hope you won’t take them to our leader; A homemade sign attests that we’re not sliding to authoritarianism, we’re there; Julissa Pena of the Immigration Legal Defense Center addresses the crowd; Salud gets warmed up a few minutes before his speech; Gregg Hart focused on how Trump is impacting California; Dem Women were out in force; Madeline Vailhe, a UCSB grad student, discussed the effect of Trumpism on higher ed; One of several dinos in the crowd got happy on the march to the plaza (Newsmakers photos and video).

SPOTTED IN THE CROWD