Thousands take part in ‘No Kings’ protest in downtown Las Vegas
Thousands of protesters filled the sidewalks and streets in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday night as part of a nationwide effort to rally against President Donald Trump’s administration and its crackdown on illegal immigration.
“No Kings” protests were scheduled Saturday in hundreds of cities across the United States, including at 5 p.m. at the federal building in the downtown area, where an earlier demonstration on Wednesday led to nearly 100 arrests, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
The protest Saturday started a bit early, with close to 200 people set up along Las Vegas Boulevard across from the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse at about 4:30 p.m. By 7 p.m., the crowd had grown to more than 1,000 protesters lining the boulevard and adjacent streets.
At the end of the night, Metro estimated that about 8,000 attended the protest, which began to dwindle by about 9 p.m. Smaller pockets of protesters then scattered with one group ending up at the Fremont Street Experience and another walking south to the Strip.
Most of the demonstrators seemed peaceful, though Metro said 15 people were arrested at the protest. One arrest, police said, was for felony assault with a deadly weapon.
‘Heartened to see this kind of turnout’
Lauren Sandberg, who moved to Las Vegas with her husband about 20 years ago, said she attended the Saturday protest because she’s worried that American democracy will be lost.
“I don’t like the fascist, unlawful regime that’s in power right now,” Sandberg said. “I’m heartened to see this kind of turnout because I’ve been protesting different things for a long time and often it would be 50 or 100 people.”
Yaitza Gonzalez, 25, of Las Vegas, said a big reason why she attended the protest was to push back against illegal immigration enforcement actions around the country.
“It’s so horrible what they’re doing,” Gonzalez said. “They’re separating families. We understand there’s a right way to do it, but how are they going to just not have a pathway to citizenship? I feel like if you look brown, they’re going to get you.”
Many protesters carried signs with many of the signs calling attention to recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions.
One sign read “AMERICA IS OUR COUNTRY, NOT YOUR KINGDOM,” while another read “HANDS OFF OUR PUBLIC LANDS!”
Henderson resident Tracy Morrissey, however, was at the protest in support Trump’s policies on illegal immigration.
“Before, nobody was doing anything to keep America safe. He’s the first president to really do something to change it,” she said, while acknowledging that she didn’t agree with all of his policies.
Morrissey said she didn’t vote for Trump in 2024 but said she now would’ve rethink that decision. “If we don’t know who is in our country, it’s not safe for anybody.”
‘A constitutional right to do this’
The demonstrations coincided with a military parade Saturday in Washington, D.C., which also fell on Flag Day, the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 79th birthday.
Ireland Mckie, 20, said she believed it was important to attend because “democracy dies in silence.”
“I’m happy that so many people were able to come out today, but it also doesn’t surprise me,” Mckie said. “We have a constitutional right to do this.”
On Wednesday, Metro estimated that about 800 protesters came out for a planned protest that began at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Clark Avenue, a few blocks from the Fremont Street Experience.
While the protest was peaceful for about three hours, police began to use tear gas and nonlethal projectiles to push crowds back after declaring the protest to be unlawful.
Police said some in the crowd tossed objects at officers and stepped onto the street, despite Metro giving audible commands to stay on sidewalk areas.
In a news release issued Thursday, Metro said four officers were injured during the protest. In an email Friday, a Metro spokesperson said the officers were not hospitalized.
“Four officers sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene,” the spokesperson said in the email.
The spokesperson said the firing of projectiles was needed because some protesters disobeyed officer commands.
“When a dispersal order is given for an unlawful assembly and individuals still disobey the order, officers have the discretion to use non-lethal options to gain compliance,” the spokesperson said.
Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said Thursday that anyone protesting in Las Vegas who does not follow the law should always be prepared to be arrested.
“We are not playing around with the safety of the citizens and of our officers,” Grammas said. “We’re getting clear direction to arrest the people who need to be arrested quickly and get them out of the area.”
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
