Thousands of Angelenos gathered outside Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday for a No Kings: get-out-the-vote rally ahead of Nov. 3 midterm elections. The protest was nonviolent and ended around 4 p.m.
Black Lives Matter organizers, anti-ICE activists, and state assemblyman Isaac Bryan spoke at the rally’s start, urging attendees to vote and organize against the Trump administration. Protesters then marched around the block demanding the abolition of ICE and the end to U.S. involvement in conflicts in the Middle East.
A group of counter-protesters gathered in front of the Federal Building, blocks away from the No Kings rally. Left-wing protesters gathered to confront the counter-protesters, and a physical altercation between the groups ensued.
Nima Poursohi, a right-wing counter-protester wearing a “Persians for Trump” T-shirt, was detained and cited for possession of a replica handgun, then released according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department.
The Southern California chapter of 50501, part of the coalition that organized the rally, said in a statement that nationwide No Kings rallies showed Americans’ discontent with the Trump administration through larger and larger turnouts at each gathering.
“With this current No Kings, we are hoping to convert this mass mobilization into mass voting, with a massive push to make the upcoming midterms too big to rig,” said Michael Diggin of 50501.
In March, the nationwide day of action reached nearly 8 million people, according to event organizers. At the downtown Los Angeles rally, speakers and attendees at Saturday’s rally said the smaller crowds were disappointing compared to previous No Kings protests.
In the past, large crowds of protesters have continued from the official No Kings rally to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) to protest immigration arrest detainees who are jailed in the building.
After the initial march ended, a few dozen protesters gathered near the detention center. Some protesters said they were disappointed that fewer people had continued to the detention center.
“It’s simply just disappointing to see that more people didn’t show up, and they only showed up for City Hall, where it’s safe, and no one wants to come out here,” attendee Justin Rodriguez said.
Stephana Egger, standing outside the detention center, said the protesters who showed up were better prepared, carrying water bottles and protection gear. However, she said the turnout wasn’t large enough to put pressure on law enforcement.
“There’s not even a police presence, because they're not threatened by us, because there’s not a big enough turnout,” Egger said.
Instagram influencer-journalist inthestreetsLA, who identifies himself as Dante, claimed on social media that a left-wing protester stabbed him in the leg near the MDC after the official No King’s protest ended.
“A police report was completed, and detectives are actively investigating the incident. At this time, we have no additional information available for release,” stated LAPD Media Relations Department Detective Erika Kirk in a statement.
inthestreetsLA did not immediately respond to The Corsair’s request for comment.
That evening, when LAPD arrived outside the MDC, multiple people were detained. Freelance photojournalist Angel Perez was detained for a few hours by LAPD and later released.
When reached for comment, Perez said to The Corsair, “Physically, I’m still recovering from the incident. I have visible bruising on both sides of my face and other parts of my body. I also have a deep cut on my right elbow.”