About 10,000 people gather downtown for Dallas No Kings protest

Thousands of people across the Dallas-Fort Worth area are taking part in nationwide “No Kings” protests Saturday against the policies of the Trump istration.

In Dallas alone, up to 10,000 people gathered for the demonstration at its peak, according to a Dallas police spokesperson.

Protests in nearly 2,000 places are scheduled across the country, from city blocks to small towns, urban areas to rural areas, from courthouse steps to parks to sidewalks to service roads.

In North Texas, rallies are happening in Frisco, McKinney, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Flower Mound, Sanger, Denton and Burleson among other cities.

The groups behind the No Kings protests have said Saturday’s demonstrations are a “day of defiance” against what they describe as authoritarian overreach by President Donald Trump and his allies.

“There’s a lot of people unhappy with the current istration, and we can come together and rise up to combat it or to voice our disapproval to hopefully make some change,” said Monica Haught, 45, who is part of a neighborhood group in Frisco and attended the Frisco protest Saturday morning.

No Kings Fort Worth

Thousands of protesters gathered in Burnett Park in Fort Worth, waving American flags and carrying signs that read “Love thy neighbor” and “Resist.” They chanted “No, kings. Yes, queens” and “This is what democracy looks like.”

An hour into the protest, it has remained peaceful. About 10 Fort Worth police officers were seen patrolling the park, giving protesters a thumbs up.

Dozens of women dressed in the signature red cloaks worn by handmaids in The Handmaid’s Tale marched through downtown. Protesters cheered and clapped for the women.

“It’s the ultimate symbol of oppression, and that’s what’s happening right now,” said Sabrina Ball, 47, of Fort Worth, who helped organize the handmaid’s march. “If we don’t act now, we will lose our country.”

Gary Bennett, a 78-year-old Navy veteran from White Settlement, was also at the protest, despite his for the Trump istration and the policies it’s implemented in the last several months.

“No president’s perfect,” he said. “He’s not doing everything right — nobody does. Biden opened the gates. If he hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t be here today.”

'March of Dissent': Photos of protesters marching in silence, dressed as handmaids ahead of 'No Kings' protest

5 images

View Gallery

A sign he brought expressed his for the FBI, police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He said he believes in what ICE has done in the past several weeks, but no one should be dragged from their homes.

Bennett also believes in immigration, but only under one circumstance: “I love immigration, if they come in the right way.”

No Kings Dallas

At its peak, around 10,000 people were estimated to have gathered in downtown Dallas for the No Kings protest, according to police spokesperson Corbin Rubinson.

Standing outside Dallas City Hall, demonstrators waved American flags, Texas flags and “No Kings” signs.

Organizers from Indivisible Texas 24 ed out miniature flags and additional signs.

“No kings since 1776,” the organizers’ signs read. “No sign is big enough to list all the reasons I’m here,” read another sign.

“No Trump, no kings,” protesters chanted.

Desiree Sezer, a 22-year-old from Arlington, said she had previously ed President Donald Trump when he originally ran in 2016, saying many of her evangelical peers and family influenced her political beliefs.

Once she began university, her eyes opened to differing perspectives. Now, she says the current istration has negatively impacted Americans.

“Even continuing to strengthen my faith made me realize how wrong this all is. It’s been so heartbreaking to see so many people in my church who are in of [Trump] continue to be in of him regardless of what he does,” Sezer said. “Normally, I would never do something like this, especially without my husband, but I just know how important it is.”

Elsewhere in the protest, Michael McAfee, a 75-year-old veteran from Grand Prairie, stood with his two grandsons. As he moved through the crowd, he yelled “Todos somos Chicanos,” or “We are all Chicanos” in English, as people cheered him on.

McAfee said he was initially hesitant to attend the protest after his young grandsons asked to accompany him. But he didn’t want to dismiss their desire to be a part of history.

“We have to take it back, one word at a time, one kind act at a time, one noble gesture at a time. We’ve got to take it back. It begins and ends with us,” McAfee said.

Throughout the protest, speakers also reminded attendees to remain hydrated, as the temperature sured 90 degrees by noon.

A white medical tent near Browder Street — what appeared to be the only one on site — was full about 1 p.m., as Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel were helping treat roughly a dozen people. Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans later said in a statement that a total of five people were seen for heat-related issues, including two who had to be taken to the hospital.

Just before 1:30 p.m., the crowd began marching through downtown Dallas, first going north on Ervay Street before marching down Main Street and ending up again at City Hall.

The main rally wrapped up at around 2:15 p.m., when a majority of the crowd began to disperse. Organizers led a chant of five “no kings” to close the speaking.

At around 3:45 pm, a small fraction of the earlier crowd returned to the Dallas City Hall and gathered by the flag poles. Several police cars were standing by on the corner of Young and Akard streets, flashing their sirens.

Then, the group started moving again, weaving through the streets of downtown before once again heading back to city hall an hour later, its size dwindling along the way.

No Kings McKinney

Shortly after 11 a.m., demonstrators were seen along the U.S. Highway 75 service road in McKinney holding signs displaying messages critical of the Trump istration. More than 3,000 attended the Saturday demonstration in McKinney, according to the Collin County Democratic Party, which helped organize the event.

Alex Orozco, a 20-year-old Collin County resident, held a sign written in Spanish that translated to: “My parents are not criminals just because they wanted to give me a better life.”

The University of Houston student said she lives in fear under the Trump istration. She is worried her parents, who are immigrants, will lose their rights as Americans.

“A lot of people who are immigrants can’t speak their voice because they’re scared they’re going to be deported or judged,” Orozco said. “I want to be the voice for my parents.”

No Kings Frisco

Around 1,500 people gathered in Frisco for one of the two ‘No Kings’ protests organized in Collin and Denton counties, according to a police estimate.

Along a quarter-mile stretch on FM 423 in west Frisco, about 800 demonstrators lined the roads, holding up “No Kings” signs and waving the American flag.

“Democracy doesn’t fear protest, dictatorships do,” one sign read. “No Kings, just a clown with wi-fi,” another sign stated.

Protesters chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.”

Multiple families brought their children and people of all ages took part in the protest, which remained peaceful.

“I wasn’t expecting so many people to be out here today so to see all of these people standing for the same thing is absolutely beautiful,” said Tasha Mehmen, 41, a resident of The Colony who attended the protest in Frisco with her husband. “I think what’s going on right now is just sad, it’s disgusting. It’s time for change.”

More than half a dozen patrol cars could be seen cruising the area. Several Frisco police officers were stationed at different points at the protest, but no arrests or citations have been reported as of 2:30 p.m.

No Kings Denton

A large, peaceful crowd with signs gathered at the Denton Square starting at 11 a.m. before dispersing after 1 p.m.

Ahead of the event, Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree said his office would not “tolerate” any property destruction or violence toward law enforcement.

“If my officers feel they are in imminent danger of death or injury the violence will be met with deadly force,” he said in a Thursday Facebook post.

Abbott deploys troopers this week

Earlier this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he had deployed more than 2,000 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and more than 5,000 Texas National Guard soldiers across the state. He warned against any violence.

“Don’t mess with Texas — and don’t mess with Texas law enforcement,” Abbott said in a news release.

Dallas police Chief Daniel Comeaux said Friday he did not confirm the National Guard is in Dallas. Community leaders in Dallas gathered at City Hall on Friday to urge for peaceful demonstrations.

Samantha Mitchell, media coordinator with Indivisible Dallas, the group that organized the protest at Dallas City Hall at noon Saturday, said organizers and their attendees have gone through de-escalation trainings hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The No Kings theme was developed by 50501, a national movement made up of people who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump istration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.

Protesters have called for Trump to be “dethroned” as they compare his actions to those of a king and not a democratically elected president.

Also on Saturday, the U.S. Army celebrated its 250th birthday and Trump his 79th birthday. A celebration and military parade were planned for the nation’s capital.

Staff writers Suryatapa Chakraborty, Bianca Rodriguez-Mora, Hojun Choi, Sarah Bahari, Jamie Landers, Matt Kyle, Zacharia Washington, Alex Nguyen, Kathryn Muchnick and Casey He, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this report.

More coverage

• Texas Capitol evacuated, grounds closed after ‘credible threat’ ahead of No Kings protest
• What to know about the ‘No Kings’ protests across the U.S. today
• Community leaders urge peace, safety at Dallas’ ‘No Kings’ protest on Saturday
• Protest safety 101: How to be safe while taking part in a protest
• ‘No Kings’ protests set for Saturday in Dallas and across North Texas. Here’s where
• National Guard and DPS troopers are being deployed in Texas. This isn’t the first time
• What is 50501, the group organizing a protest in Dallas next week?
• The Army marks 250 years. Here’s what to know about the celebration and military parade
• What to know about Flag Day
• Five things you probably didn’t know about the U.S. Army