Santa Monica’s Multi-Generational ‘No Kings’ Protest
Overlooking the Santa Monica pier, “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer played from inside a white tent. Thousands of people, ranging from senior citizens to toddlers, attended the Santa Monica Democratic Club’s “No Kings” protest at the Pacific Palisades Park on March 28, 2026.
The DJ kept the protesters’ feet moving and their bodies shaking. Hundreds of people of all ages continued to arrive, holding signs of various shapes and sizes and cheering on the people dancing as they passed by.
“The most scenic No Kings in the country is this one,” said John Katz, organizer and president of the Santa Monica Democratic Club. “You can look out and see the ocean, you can look at the palm trees, and it’s a beautiful 75-degree day.”
Katz said this was the third No Kings protest the club has organized, and the success was an accumulation of the previous two.
Under a large, shaded tree, two street musicians played “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, while a mother swung her toddler daughter in circles. Children climbed trees and played tag, dodging and weaving around protesters' legs on the green grass. While the kids played, their parents mingled and supervised, calling them back when they strayed too far.
Sean Rosenberg said he brought his 2-year-old son, Oelsen, to the protest so that he could start to understand social problems, solutions and his role in shaping the country at a young age.
“Being engaged is not a concept, but it’s a part of American life and it always has been,” Rosenberg said. The 2-year-old, Oelsen, held a bubble machine gun in one hand and a small handmade sign that said, “Kings? No thank you!” in the other.
Some people brought their children, and others brought their parents. “We don’t want Trump,” said Muriel Bates, a 99-year-old Santa Monica resident. Bates came to the protest in a sequined American flag top hat, accompanied by her daughter Vivian Bates, and her chihuahua, Bino.
Michelle Grant, vice president of programs for the Santa Monica Democratic Club, said she and co-chair Leslie Bracker organized the “democracy fair,” comprising 12 organizations including Indivisible West LA, Field Team 6, L.A. Guild of Reproductive Health and Santa Monica Great Park Coalition. Each organization had a table shaded by a large fig tree, where they handed out pamphlets and doughnuts, and helped residents register to vote.
Grant and Bracker worked with the Santa Monica Police Department to close three blocks of Ocean Avenue, from Idaho Avenue to Alta Avenue along Palisades Park.
“The point of this protest is strength in numbers,” Grant said. “We need to show this administration that we care, and that people are listening and watching. We are going to come out and vote in November and get some power back.”
Steve Schmidt, a former Republican strategist, headlined the event. Schmidt told the crowd they had a responsibility as Americans to defy what they believe is morally wrong.
“This generation of adults in America, cannot tolerate handing to our country a legacy where a man implicated in the abuse and rape of little girls is able to function with impunity,” said Schmidt, during his speech.
Schmidt’s speech ended the protest at 1 p.m. After he finished, the crowd cheered and lined up to shake his hand.
“We have no place to compromise on the idea of ‘Should we have a king,’” Schmidt said. “We have to defy it, we have to oppose it, we have to stand up to it. When July 4th comes, let it come with a defiant spirit for all of your hearts.”