Thousands of people showed up for protests across the Coachella Valley on Saturday, joining a national movement pushing back against President Donald Trump.
The 'No Kings' rallies were held in Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Cathedral City, with a separate, unaffiliated protest in Coachella. The demonstrations served as a response to a parade marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. That Washington D.C. parade also coincided with Donald Trump's 79th birthday. The events unfolded amid growing unrest in Southern California, where a series of high-profile immigration arrests had sparked days of protests in Los Angeles — some of which turned violent — prompting federal authorities to deploy the National Guard and Marines over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsom.
By gathering in such large numbers, demonstrators hoped to send a message of unity.
"These are busy people with things going on in their lives and they're taking the time now to come here," said Emily Vogt, one of the co-coordinators of the Palm Springs rally. "It tells me I'm not alone, that we're not alone. A lot of people are pissed off and are really fighting hard for our country right now."
The Palm Springs rally had the largest attendance of any of the events held in the Coachella Valley on Saturday. Organizers said around 5,000 people attended, more than double their initial predictions.
Attendees showed up despite an online threat The authorities became aware of it the day before. A man from La Quinta, Edward Miranda, allegedly threatened to shoot people at the rally. He was arrested by the police late Thursday night and booked into custody on suspicion of making criminal threats and threatening to interfere with civil rights.
As a result, a heavier police presence could be seen during the Palm Springs event, which took place at 6 p.m. at the Downtown Park. Policemen watched from the rooftop of the Palm Springs Art Museum while officers patrolled the crowd.
The event went relatively smoothly. Speakers addressed the crowd for about an hour and a half before people dispersed without incident. Attendees were more at risk from the 100-degree weather than those who might do them harm. At least two women needed help from paramedics after suffering what appeared to be heat-related illnesses.
But neither the heat nor the threat of violence could keep the crowd away.
Tonia Orme was one of those people. She carried a sign stating that her grandfather had escaped fascism in 1941 and explained that her grandfather and great-uncle were part of an organized effort to transport children from Nazi-occupied territory, in her grandfather's case, Czechoslovakia, from 1938 to 1939. Her grandfather, who was Jewish, was sent to the United Kingdom, and he later moved to the United States.
She said her great-grandparents later died in a concentration camp at the hands of the Nazis.
"I would not be here today if he was not able to get out," she said. "And it just hits my heart. All these years later."
She said she sees America sliding further into an authoritarian government, and can't help but relate what she sees to the experience of her grandfather.
"I believe in the Constitution. I am not Democrat. I am not Republican. I've never claimed a party, but I've always voted, and this isn't right," she said. "Just from going to high school, I know what's happening is illegal."
When we fight, we win
About 1,500 protesters gathered at Cathedral City’s 'No Kings' rally on Saturday morning. They lined the streets of East Palm Canyon Drive in the heart of downtown Cathedral City, near its civic center, theater and restaurants. Their signs had messages like "We Don’t Need A Nepo-Baby King," "Get the Faux King Out of Our White House," "A Woman’s Place is in the Resistance," and "Vets Against Dictators."
Terry Applegate, co-chair of Indivisible Coachella Valley & Beyond, organized the protest. She said there were more than 2,000 'No Kings' protests in the United States and she felt it was important to have a presence in Cathedral City.
"We are saying we have no kings in America," Applegate said.
There was a cacophony of drivers honking in support of protesters, cheers, whistles, and chants like "Dump Trump!" Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz, a Democrat who represents parts of the Coachella Valley, was among the crowd of rally goers.
I strongly support the movement to take back our democracy and to really demonstrate across the country and to the Trump administration that we firmly believe that there are no kings, no dictators in our nation and that the power belongs to the people," he said. "And that’s the essence of the American spirit — is our democracy — and we’re going to defend it 'til the very end.
ICE conducted an immigration raid in Cathedral City and other parts of Southern California on June 6, which has sparked fear and outrage among many Coachella Valley residents. Lorena Ruiz and Juan Espinoza organized a protest in Cathedral City the day after the raid to take a stand against ICE.
Espinoza was also at the No Kings rally, holding a sign that read “Sheriff Chad Bianco Must Go.” He said Bianco, who is running for governor in 2026, is part of the problem as he spreads anti-immigrant rhetoric.
“We know that that kind of rhetoric has created an atmosphere of fear that hurts our communities,” Espinoza said.
Stephanie Lopez wore a shirt to the protest that read "We don’t have an immigration problem, we have a racism problem" and carried a sign that read "Seeking safety is not a crime."
"My family left Mexico in order to seek a better life, and I think that's part of the American dream and it's something that's being targeted and something that is seen as a bad problem when it's not," she said.
Arthur Gregoire was a notable presence at the rally due to the makeshift Trump he carried around with him, made up of a T-shirt, a mask of the president’s face, and a party hat that read “Trump Always Chickens Out” on a stick.
“We are not a country of kings or authoritarianism,” he said. “We are a democracy, and when we fight, we win.”
While Cathedral City’s No Kings rally’s official end time was at 10 a.m., many of its attendees stayed as a second protest, specifically against ICE, began in the same area. It was a smaller crowd that still made their presence known with chants like “¡Viva la raza!” and dancing as drivers honked in support as they passed.
Jose Garduno, a member of Comité Latino, was one of the organizers of the second rally on Saturday. Another member of Comité Latino, Chuck Parker, translated Garduno’s comments from Spanish to English.
"The Latinos who are here in this country have made it a better place — whether they’re gardeners, farm workers, mechanics, construction workers, office workers and that’s why we deserve respect," Garduno said.
Sam Morgen covers the city of Palm Springs for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com .
Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 'No Kings in America;' Coachella Valley residents demonstrate against Trump on Saturday
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