'No Kings' anti-Trump protests planned in California: Here's when and where

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LOS ANGELES - Hundreds of "No Kings Day" protests are planned across the U.S. - including in California - on Saturday, June 14 to protest the Trump administration's policies.

The demonstrations coincide with Flag Day and will also feature a massive military parade in Washington, D.C. to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump.

Grand Military Parade:

The parade will feature approximately 6,600 soldiers, 150 military vehicles, and 50 helicopters, according to the Associated Press.

"This historic celebration will feature powerful displays of patriotism, including flyovers, military vehicles, living history reenactments and moving tributes to the courage, sacrifice and commitment of our men and women in uniform," organizers said on the America250 website.

The event will also feature fireworks, a demonstration by the Army's Golden Knights Parachute team, and a concert with country music performers.

The grand celebration has sparked criticism over Trump's decision to throw an expensive parade - costing taxpayers an estimated $25 million to $45 million - amid cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs and a ban on transgender troops.

Army officials have estimated around 200,000 attendees for the parade.

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It has been designated a National Special Security Event — similar to a presidential inauguration or state funeral, calling for an enhanced degree of high-level coordination among D.C. officials, the FBI, Capitol Police and Washington’s National Guard contingent — with the Secret Service taking the lead.

Multiple counter-protests of varying sizes are planned for Saturday, with the largest being a mass march to the White House. Officials say they are also on alert for signs that the immigration-related clashes between law enforcement and protesters currently roiling Los Angeles would spread.

'No Kings Day':

Organizers describe No Kings as a "nationwide day of defiance."

"From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like," organizers said on the official No Kings website.

Several grassroots political organizations — including 50501, Indivisible and Stand Up America — are joining forces June 14 "to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings," the site said.

Here are some of the demonstrations planned in California on June 14:

Anaheim: 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at La Palma Park
Antelope Valley: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 10th Street West and Rancho Vista Boulevard
Corona: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rimpau Park
Dana Point: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at intersection of Selva Road and PCH
El Segundo: 10 a.m. to noon at El Segundo Sign
Huntington Beach: Noon to 2 p.m. at PCH and HB Pier
Laguna Beach: Noon to 2 p.m. at Laguna Beach: PCH and Main
Long Beach: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Bixby Park Annex
Los Angeles: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Los Angeles City Hall, 200 North Spring St.
Malibu: Noon to 1 p.m., at Malibu Library
Pasadena: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Lake & Colorado intersection
Riverside: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in downtown Riverside
Santa Barbara: 10:30 a.m. to noon at Chase Palm Park, 236 East Cabrillo Blvd.
San Diego: 10 am. to 1 p.m. at Civic Center Plaza, 1200 Third Ave.
San Luis Obispo: 10:30 a.m. to noon at San Luis Obispo Superior Courthouse, 1050 Monterey St.
Santa Clarita: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Good Trouble Corner - Resist
Santa Monica: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Palisades Park
Temecula: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Temecula Duck Pond
Thousand Oaks: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at corner of Hillcrest and Lynn
Torrance: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Torrance City Hall
Victorville: 10 a.m. to noon at Bear Valley Park and Ride, Bear Valley and Amargosa Road
West Hollywood: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at West Hollywood Park, 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard
Whittier: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Whittier City Hall
Woodland Hills: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at NE corner of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Victory Blvd.
Ventura: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ventura County Government Center Hall of Justice, 800 South Victoria Ave.

Additionally, protests are planned in Mexico, Canada, Africa, and Europe.

To find a demonstration near you, visit nokings.org.

The backstory:

The protests are in affiliation with the national coalition "50 Protest, 50 States, One Movement (50501)" and dozens of grassroots groups including Indivisible, American Federation of Teachers, Black Voters Matter, National Action Network, and Social Security Works.

The movement is inspired by the "Hands Off!" and May Day demonstrations across the U.S.

Organizers said action is being taken to reject the notion the country is ruled by a "king" and to show what democracy looks like: "people, united, refusing to be ruled."

"This country doesn’t belong to a king — and we’re not letting him throw himself a parade funded by tens of millions of our taxpayer dollars while stealing from us and stripping away our rights, our freedoms, and the programs our families rely on," the release stated.

What they're saying:

While speaking at Fort Bragg this week, Trump said Saturday would be a "big day" and noted "we want to show off a little bit."

"We’re going to celebrate our greatness and our achievements," he said. "This week, we honor 250 years of valor and glory and triumph by the greatest fighting force ever to walk the face of the Earth: the United States Army."

The other side:

Veterans are divided over the Army's big parade.

Christopher Purdy, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, called the parade a facade that paints over some of the Republican president’s policies that have targeted military veterans and current service members, including cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs and a ban on transgender troops.

"It’s embarrassing," said Purdy, 40, of Atlanta. "It’s expensive. And whatever his reasons are for doing it, I think it’s entirely unnecessary."

Joe Plenzler, a retired Marine who fought in Iraq, said Trump wants to see troops saluting him on his birthday as tanks roll past.

"It’s just suspicious," the 53-year-old from Middletown, Virginia, said of the timing.

"I absolutely love the Army from the bottom of my cold black Marine heart," he said. "But if the Army’s birthday was a day later, we probably wouldn’t be doing it. I’d rather see that $50 million take care of the men and women who went off to war and came back with missing arms, legs and eyeballs, and with damaged brains."

For Gulf War Army veteran Paul Sullivan, Trump and the parade are inextricably linked.

"This Trump tank travesty is all about stroking Trump’s ego," said Sullivan, 62, who lives outside Charlottesville, Virginia. "If Trump truly cared about our service members, he would sit down with them quietly and say, ‘What can we do with $50 million or $100 million to make your lives better?’ He’s not."

Big picture view:

The recent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles erupted following widespread anger over the agency's enforcement tactics.

Community leaders reported incidents of ICE appearing at elementary school graduations, disrupting the legitimate immigration processes at various courthouses, and aggressively raiding workplaces and locations like Home Depot.

These actions, perceived as arbitrary and invasive, sparked outrage among residents and galvanized the public into widespread demonstrations across Los Angeles County.

The Source: Information for this story is from the No Kings website and the Associated Press.

Protests Immigration California Politics Donald J. Trump Veterans Military Instastories