To the chants of "We are the people, we are the power," a "No Kings" protest opposing Trump administration policies and recent immigration raids kicked off Saturday in Dallas as a helicopter circled overhead. Within about 30 minutes, the crowd had swelled to about 1,000 people.
Later in the day, it appeared that number had grown substantially. A Dallas police spokesman estimated the number at 10,000.
No Kings protests were scheduled on Saturday throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, also in Fort Worth, Denton, Arlington, Frisco, McKinney, Flower Mound, Greeneville, Weatherford, Euless and Burleson.
Protesters marched into downtown Dallas from city hall. The march passed along several blocks of Main Street before the participants headed back to the plaza outside Dallas City Hall.
The plaza was jam-packed with protesters even before the official start time at noon. Protesters chanted anti-trump slogans and waves hundreds of homemade signs. Observers with the National Lawyers Guild were present to respond to violations or civil rights, but the demonstration appeared to be free of any significant confrontations. A few protesters openly carried handguns, but that barely attracted notice.
Rob Hogue, a commercial insurance lawyer, described Trump as "the most dangerous president we've ever had."
"He's kidnapping people on the street and exiling them to gulags in foreign countries. That's inherently un-American. It's inherently impeachable. It's a denial of due process and it's spitting in the face of the rule of law," Hogue said.
Dallas activist Carlos Quintanilla talked about the fear "that has been instilled in our community."
"Donald Trump has brought us. ICE has brought us here. The aggressive immigration raids against our community has brought us here — the reduction in social service programs, the hate and racism that has been spewed in America against immigrants, the raids at factories, the separation of families, the separation children from their parents," he said.
Chaotic — and calm
The scene in front of city hall was, at the same time chaotic and calm. The buzz of a helicopter flying overhead did not overpower the voices of thousands who showed up, nor the voices of community members who stood on the steps and addressed the crowd over a loudspeaker.
Cheering and chants erupted spontaneously throughout the afternoon from a multigenerational crowd — from children to senior citizens — engaged.
At the same time, many protesters watched and listened peacefully, or had quiet conversations among themselves.
Vendors also turned out, selling U.S. and Mexican flags, as well as food and drinks.
Linda Evans carried both flags.
"I'm an American citizen and but I got to represent my roots because my dad is a Mexican immigrant so this means a lot to me,” she said. "I'm here to be a voice to the people that can't be here, [who] are suffering from all this."
One street vendor who was selling both flags said he was in the United States because he has a child who has special needs.
"Thank God we're here, where they were able to give a good treatment," he said in Spanish.
The vendor said he was scared to be out at a time when immigrants increasingly are at risk. "But I can't just stay at home," he said. "I'm here to make a living, but also to show my support."
Dallas police, wearing their regular uniforms, appeared to be largely focused on controlling traffic around the protest. Streets surrounding the plaza had been blocked off to traffic.
Hundreds of protesters began showing up at the No Kings event in Fort Worth at Burk Burnett Park well in advance of the noon start time on Saturday.
There, too, the protest was peaceful.
In addition to the homemade signs and banners opposing Trump policies that were ubiquitous at No Kings demonstration, protesters on horseback in the park — dressed as cowboys or Mexican revolutionaries — added a little "Cowtown" flavor.
The Fort Worth protest also featured a group of protesters dressed the distinctive long red dresses and bonnets like the characters in "The Handmaid's Tale" TV series.
Daniel "Boone" Taylor brought his guitar to the park and played folks songs that were popular during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
"I think the nation seems to be coming together in opposition to Trump's violations of the Constitution," said Taylor, 75, a retired social work professor. "I think that's a good thing and I wanted to participate in it. So here I am."
Taylor said he was opposed to most of Trump's policies. He said the president "needs to lighten up and go back to actually getting criminals out of the country rather than undocumented people who are merely working..."
"The notion of trying to dispense with 11 million people, most of whom are workers that we depend on, is ridiculous," Taylor said. "That's what trump was proposing. I can't wait for him to try to order at McDonald’s after all of the undocumented immigrants are gone."
Kimberly Doman detected something different in Saturday's protests. She said that people who've never protested before were coming out.
"This is not about blue vs. red. This is about our laws and our constitution as a country," she said. "And that's just very promising. It gives you hope when you kind of think it's lost."
Hundreds of people showed up on the square of Denton's historic courthouse Saturday to protest Trump's policies.
Denton City Council member Brandon Chase McGee told The Denton Record Chronicle that the turnout for Saturday's protest rivaled the turnout for the protest that happened shortly after Trump was inaugurated in 2017.
“Everybody is out here because many people and the city of Denton are disappointed with the direction of our country, given the way the federal government has been operating and the way that they are leading us,” McGee said. “Protesting is a guaranteed constitutional right. Everybody is out here having a good time. We are using our voices to speak up and affirm the things which we feel are important and which we feel should be important. I’m happy to be here not just representing the 164,000 of the greatest people in Texas but also in my personal capacity.”
At least two counter-protesters were in the area Saturday — one of them blasting Christian hip-hop.
'It's been a nightmare'
One of the earliest local protests kicked off Saturday morning with hundreds of protesters turning out in Collin County Saturday morning along a busy street in Frisco.
Motorists driving along FM 423 in Frisco honked in support as protesters waved dozens of homemade sights riffing off the "No Kings" them of the protest. Local police turned out for the event in their regular uniforms and reflective safety vests. They were stationed at each stoplight in the area to direct traffic and also kept protesters from populating the median of the 6-lane road.
"I am so upset with the division of powers being ruined, the loss of our traditional allies, people being ignored, our rights being taken away, said Mary Buinger, a former U.S. history teacher at a community college. "So you just name it, it's been a nightmare the last 60 days."
Joe McInvale said he came to the protest to "support the troops and support the people of America."
"It's a shame what Trump is doing...He wants to be a king and a dictator, and it's just wrong the way he's treating people," said McInvale, who described himself as a disabled U.S. Army veteran. "Whether they voted for him or not, they're getting treated badly..."
A handful of counter-protesters were present. A few circled the area in a dark green Jeep flying pro-Trump flags and the "Come and Take It" flag that was an iconic image of resistance during Texas' fight for independence. Protesters and the jeep's occupants yelled at each other, but the interaction didn't rise above that.
A few counter-protesters also stood nearby with a pro-Trump banner. Outside a nearby gun store, several people openly carrying handguns quietly watched the protest.
A protest in McKinney also attracted a significant crowd.
Elisha Cordeau said he came out to "support everyone that's affected by this."
"Whether you're part of the trans community, queer community, or people of color, or from other countries, and immigrants, yeah, that's why we came out here," he said. "That's why we decided to sweat outside in this 100-degree weather."
Protests nationwide
The local “No Kings” protests were among an estimated 2000 planned events from coast to coast in the United States and even overseas that coincide with a controversial military parade in Washington, D.C. that will include unusual optics for the nation’s capital — many tanks rolling down streets in the nation’s capital, attack helicopters and military jets flying overhead. Officially, the military parade is supposed to commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday; it also falls on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.
More than 64 “No Kings” protests were planned across Texas on Saturday.
Saturday’s protest came after large-scale immigration raids in Los Angeles last week. Protesters turned out in the thousands there to protest those raids, and led to similar demonstrations nationwide.
Earlier this week, Gov. Greg Abbott deployed across the state ahead of the planned protests this weekend.
“Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles in response to President Donald Trump’s enforcement of immigration law,” Abbott said in a press release. “Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law. Don't mess with Texas — and don't mess with Texas law enforcement.”
State troopers fired tear gas and pepper at protesters in Austin this week and more than a dozen people arrested. State troopers also turned out in San Antonio in response to anti-ICE protest.
This story was reported by KERA's Priscilla Rice, Christian Vasquez, Camilo Diaz, Yfat Yossifer and the Denton Record Chronicle's Christian McPhate.
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