Thousands gather in Tucson 'No Kings' protest

Thousands of people gathered Saturday morning in Tucson to take part in a "No Kings" protest, part of a nationwide effort.

By Saturday morning people lined East 22nd Street on the south side of Reid Park, a crowd that stretched between South Alvernon Way and South Country Club Road.

"We need healthy protests. We need civil disobedience to keep people on their feet, to keep people active and to make sure that our voices are heard,” said Owen Brosanders, 17, and co-lead of the Arizona Youth Climate Coalition. Brosanders was among a group of students who pushed TUSD months ago to adopt a climate action resolution.

Demonstrators crowded into parks and plazas across the U.S. Saturday to rally against President Donald Trump. The demonstrations precede a military parade to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary that falls on the president's birthday, the Associated Press reported.

Katelyn Brantley, a leader of Mobilize Tucson, spoke out at the DeMeester Center at Reid Park against local ICE raids and how immigrants shape communities across the country.

"No human being deserves to be kidnapped by masked men who refuse to identify themselves and be thrown into the back of an unmarked vehicle," Brantley said during her speech. "If ICE raids continue, especially in L.A., crops will die, shelves will go empty and food will only become that much more expensive. He's tearing apart families and killing crops."

Brantley said she was excited to see so many community members gather and hoped people would get the resources they needed to get more engaged in local issues.

"While it can feel like there's nothing you can do about where this country is headed, there absolutely is a way for anyone to help. You just have to start local. Talk to and meet your neighbors, start a community garden, donate what you don't need to those that do," she said to protesters. "Don't just come to these events and then spend the rest of your time wishing you could do something, because you can, and that's because all of you have something President Donald Trump is severely lacking: compassion."

Mohyeddim Abdulaziz, a Palestinian immigrant and member of Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance, was among the crowd at Reid Park.

He said he came to the United States because, "it's the land of freedoms, land of equality, land of justice.”

"I came for what the promise of this country is about. That is threatened now by the Trump administration,” he said at Reid Park.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero also made an appearance and spoke at the DeMeester Center. She said she wanted to push back against President Trump's military parade to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary and the president's birthday.

"This is just the beginning, because every atrocity that Trump commits against seniors, against our LGBTQ+ communities, against immigrants, we will push back," she said to protesters.

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At a similarly-sized "No Kings" protest in Oro Valley, Sandy Krieski, 70, said Saturday marked her sixth protest against President Trump.

"I never cared about calling my legislators ever, until he came into office in 2016 and I've never really stopped," Krieski said.

"Trump and Musk talk about government efficiency, but they came in with a wrecking ball," her husband, Mark Krieski said. "This administration has no intent to govern the people."

"When the Supreme Court granted him immunity from prosecution they essentially allowed him to begin his rampage through the government," he said. 

Two veterans sat on a wall in the shade at the Oro Valley event, drinking cold water and reminiscing about how they even got here. How did the country they fought for now have them holding signs and wearing t-shirts defying a commander in chief? 

“I didn’t fight for this,” one said to the other, shaking his head. “I couldn’t have imagined.”

Feet away, a young woman draped herself in a trans flag, proudly representing herself and a host of LGTBQ+ whose rights they feel have been targeted by the current administration.

Rainbow flags waved alongside American flags down Oracle Road to an impromptu parade of honking horns and waving passengers.

Both the Tucson gathering and the one in Oro Valley were calm.

Meanwhile, a large crowd began peacefully gathering during the morning on the Capitol grounds in Phoenix, the Arizona Republic reported. Some were holding signs stating, "I'm not part of a MAGA agenda!" and "Hey Trump! Nobody paid us to be here! We all hate you for free!"

Randy Hamilton, 78, brought a guillotine to the event that he built during Trump’s first term but couldn’t show it because the COVID-19 pandemic had shut down events. The message was not intended to be violent but rather humiliation, he said.

Hamilton explained this was how corrupt politicians used to be handled, so the installation today was just meant to expose Trump’s moral corruption. A Vietnam veteran, Hamilton grew emotional as he wondered, “What did my friends die for?” They were trying to fight for Democracy and against the very thing Trump is, he said.

Photos: "No Kings" protests draw large crowds across Tucson and Oro Valley