U.S. Cities Prepare for Major No Kings Demonstrations on Saturday
Cities and towns across the United States are preparing for the prospect of large demonstrations on Saturday protesting authoritarianism.
The demonstrations are part of the No Kings movement, which has peaceful rallies planned for more than 2,500 cities and communities. No Kings likens many of the Trump administration’s tactics to those of a dictator and has created a protest movement to unite people to fight dictatorship together.
“President Trump thinks his rule is absolute, but in America, we don’t do ‘kings,’” according to the No Kings mission statement for why it’s mobilizing rallies on Saturday. “Since the inauguration, the Trump administration and its enablers have operated as though they have a mandate—but they don’t, and never did. They are going to extremes to empower the Trump administration and enrich themselves, while cutting jobs and services for the rest of us.”
The 18 October rallies are anticipated to be larger than the 2,500 rallies No Kings previously organized on 14 June 2025, the same day as U.S. President Trump’s birthday and a U.S. Army 250th birthday parade in Washington, D.C. The June 2025 No Kings rallies were overwhelmingly peaceful. But ahead of the 18 October events, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) referred to the protest as a “hate America rally” that will likely be attended by pro-Hamas supporters and antifa affiliates.
The U.S. Transportation Secretary also complained about the protest movement in an appearance on Fox Business, claiming without evidence that attendees would be “antifa, paid protestors” and questioning the funding mechanisms behind No Kings.
No Kings organizers did not return Security Management’s request for comment on safety and security measures ahead of Saturday’s events. But Ezra Levin, a cofounder of a nonprofit that is a main organizer of No Kings did speak with The Guardian about political pressure to discourage attendance at Saturday’s rallies.
“Their goal is to dissuade you from participating,” Levin said of the Trump administration. “That doesn’t mean that everybody has the same threat level. It doesn’t mean that people should ignore what the threats are, but it does mean that we’re going to need to see a lot of courage out there on Saturday.”
The concerns come as experts warn about a growing apprehension from residents, elected officials, and community leaders about the prospect of peaceful protests turning violent through clashes with attendees, law enforcement, and other organized groups.
The University of Chicago’s Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) completed a recent survey on the topic, which found that roughly 32 percent of Republicans and 31 percent of Democrats do not see the other as human—a key risk factor for political violence. The survey also revealed that significant numbers of Democrats (44 percent) and Republicans (31 percent) are fearful for their personal safety. Previous CPOST research also revealed that threats to lawmakers has risen and equally affects both Democrats and Republicans.
“Saturday’s protests are democracy in action and show that this dark future is not locked in—and President Trump should lead the country forward toward a brighter future by de-escalating his administration’s growing military pressure against liberal cities or provoking local leaders to shift economic resources in support of resistance to ICE as happened yesterday in Los Angeles and even social unrest. The federal government should never be the cause of insurrection,” said University of Chicago Professor Robert Pape, director of CPOST, in a statement shared with Security Management.
On its website, No Kings says that it is committed to nonviolent action. Organizers of local rallies are required to be trained in de-escalation and work with local partners to ensure peaceful and powerful actions.
Event leads for each demonstration are required to create a safety plan for No Kings demonstrations because “we are operating in a moment of increased political violence, military and police presence, and intense polarization,” according to the organization’s safety worksheet.
Event leads are asked to identify peacekeepers and safety leads, which can access a workbook called Streetwise & Steady that provides practical tools and principals on de-escalation tactics for safety leads.
The workbook includes specific guidance for de-escalating with police, military, ICE, and contract security personnel. It recommends designating a police liaison to establish channels of communication with law enforcement, keeping a calm and respectful voice, knowing your rights and rights of protestors, being aware of police activity, and avoiding physical contact with police.
“With all this, it’s important to recall your goal,” the workbook says. “You are there to support the peaceful action and protect participants. You are not there to confront or challenge security forces on their role. You may be friendly or neutral, kind or distant—but do not over share or be overly forthcoming. Don’t identify group leaders (or others) without permission.”
Additionally, the workbook includes de-escalation guidance for handling a situation where someone brings a firearm to the protest—either a participant, a bystander, or a counter protestor. No Kings discourages participants from carrying weapons, even if they are legal to carry in the jurisdiction that the event is occurring in.
“If someone has a gun, avoid any sudden moves that might increase tension or provoke violence,” the workbook says. “Recruit other peacekeepers to help the crowd do the same. Observe what the person with the gun is doing to assess whether they are no danger, an immediate danger, trying to intimidate people, or if they are just looking for attention.”
Along with reviewing the workbook and creating a safety plan, event leaders were also required to attend a virtual safety training.
“Wherever you are and whatever your level of concern, these trainings are a great opportunity to learn about security best practices to consider for every event and how to build a safety plan to help ensure your event is safe and welcoming as possible for all attendees,” according to the No Kings Host Toolkit.
For more security resources on civil rights demonstrations, review our Focus on Mass Protests and Activism series from May 2025.
