Thousands of residents from Sonoma County and beyond flocked to No Kings protests around the county, demonstrating against President Donald Trump and his administration Saturday.
Protest locations included, but were not limited to, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg and Petaluma. Larger protests formed in San Francisco, Oakland and thousands of other cities across the country.
Sebastopol
Protesters of all ages gathered earlier than the scheduled start time of 9:30 a.m, portraying positivity rather than rancor in a crowd of hundreds. Locals and visitors from New York, San Diego and other states lined the sidewalks waving flags and sporting costumes and smiles. Others drove in a parade of vehicles, including local police vehicles, honking their horns and waving to the crowds. The Hubbub Brass band and the Harmonia Choir laid out tunes for song and dance, and individual drummers walked the crowd.
Colin Godwin of Sebastopol sat with his wife Tomi, their legs covered with his father’s American flag. “This was his flag, and it was given to him because he fought in the First World War to assist the Germans in releasing themselves from the Nazi government, and this is the original flag,” he said. “I’ve kept it all these years, and this is the first time I’ve unfurled it. We want to show our solidarity against the takeover of our government by a person that wants to be king.”
Several locals commented on how large the turnout was, with protesters gathering along Main Street from Rite Aid to HopMonk Tavern, and centered at the main intersection of Bodega Avenue.
“I would say that the only way we’re gonna get through it is if all of us don’t give up and succumb to all of the overwhelm that they’re trying to impart, because they’re trying to just tamper everyone down,” said Evy Najarian of San Diego. She came to the protest with her aunt and cousin to support the cause.
Local protester Russell Sutter and his wife Nancy sported handmade signs of broken hearts, which were made by Tina Grob. Grob created and gave protest signs to her friends, and anyone else who needed one.
Reporting by Debbie Van Dyke
Healdsburg
Attendees gathered at about 11:45 a.m., eventually growing to a crowd of more than 800, lining both sides of Healdsburg Avenue and around the roundabout.
The energy in the all ages crowd was intense but peaceful, with protesters holding signs, smiling, chanting, and chatting to one another. Passerby vehicles brandished upside-down American flags and played “Fuck Donald Trump” by YG and Nipsey Hussle.
Healdsburg city council member Chris Herrod attended the protest “as a citizen” and not as a representative of the council.
“Necessity for protest has not been this strong in my lifetime,” he said. “Truth is being assaulted.”
Healdsburg resident Tim Yeakel, 71, brandished an upside-down American flag.
“Upside-down flag is the universal sign of distress,” he said.
Yeakel advised the younger generation to “2026, vote D.”
Reporting by Cristan Molinelli-Ruberto
Santa Rosa
About 7,000 protesters in clown apparel and crowns gathered at 11 a.m. and paraded up and down from Farmers Lane to Hoen Avenue in a cacophony of drums, car horns, flags and signs.
Cheers of “Sí se puede,” “This is what democracy looks like” and “Chinga la migra” filled the procession, the protestors waving signs and flags that shared their distrust for President Trump and the actions of his administration.
“Movements in the street – public protest, are so effective in pushing the courts and legislature because that is where the real change happens,” said Santa Rosa Junior College history instructor Anne Donegan, while walking her bike among the throngs of concerned citizens. “We aren’t going to lead to change immediately but it can promote the pressure or create the culture that something that can be beneficial to change the legislature, that’s how things change in a democratic republic.”
The protest remained peaceful throughout the demonstration, with the procession ending at Doyle Park Drive, where participants dispersed into Doyle Community Park to relax and reflect on the march.
Reporting by Kevin Terlizzi-Bowes
Petaluma
An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 demonstrators began assembling at Walnut Park, located at the corner of D Street and Petaluma Boulevard South around 11:45 a.m.
The march officially began at noon and followed a route along Fourth Street to Kentucky Street, then to East Washington Street, before looping back to Petaluma Boulevard North and returning to Walnut Park.
The event, organized by Stephanie Wilkinson and Alexandria Appel, remained peaceful throughout with a minimal police presence.. Participants included people of all ages, with families, children and even pets joining the demonstration.
Hundreds of passing vehicles honked in support as protesters marched and chanted slogans such as, “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” “Show me what democracy looks like — this is what democracy looks like,” and “The people united will never be divided.”
Drummers accompanied the crowd, keeping rhythm with marching beats as the demonstrators made their way through the city.
Reporting by Hana Seals
San Francisco
A never-ending line of protestors marched down Market Street from Dolores Park on their way to Civic Center Plaza to take part in “No King’s Day” in San Francisco on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The over 100,000-strong crowd of all ages sang songs, chanted “ICE has got to go” and peacefully came together to show a resounding rebuke of the current president, ICE and the White House administration.
For just over an hour and a half, the crowd listened to local speakers talk about their experiences with ICE, and gave uplifting speeches to the massive crowd that filled up most of Civic Center Plaza. While the speeches were being held, thousands more poured in as the crowd size peaked around 2:15 p.m.
The demonstration ended at 2:30 p.m. with organizers asking to the crowd to stay peaceful.
Reporting by Nick Vides
This is a developing story. Please check back for live updates.
Mateo T Prusky • Jun 14, 2025 at 4:44 pm
American flag touching the ground, these protesters have zero respect for this country.