The sound of car horns echoed down Portola Avenue on Oct. 18 as hundreds of signs waved high in the air. Some read, “No Kings,” while others took more creative jabs: “IKEA has better cabinets than us,” “Orange Lies Matter,” and “Make Orwell Fiction Again.” Being there, it didn’t feel like an angry mob, it felt like everyone was finally saying enough.
On both sides of the street, people stood shoulder to shoulder –– old, young and everything in between –– waving at passing cars that honked in support. The crowd only grew as the hours went on, stretching farther down the block in the mid-70s weather.
It was one of many nationwide demonstrations under the banner “No Kings,” a peaceful movement built on the idea that no one — especially not a president — should rule like a monarch. This was a reminder that the power is supposed to go both ways.
Marla Kirby, a steering committee member for Livermore Indivisible — a volunteer-run organization focused on protecting democracy, advancing justice and encouraging civic engagement in the Tri-Valley area — estimated more than 3,000 people attended the Livermore protest alone. She said more than 7 million participated in similar rallies across the U.S.
Kirby emphasized that the biggest threat to democracy isn’t always corruption. It’s apathy.
“More people have to be engaged. The largest voting bloc in 2024 was non-voters. And that has to change,” she said.
She’s right, people tune out until something big happens, and by then then damage is done. It’s easy to complain, but it takes effort to show up and vote.
While Kirby acknowledged that President Donald Trump still has a loyal base, she believes it stems from misplaced trust.
“I think he has a certain charm about him to people who are attracted to that,” she said. “Not me personally, but I can see how he can be charming to people if you have a certain point of view. They think that he fights for them. And he talks like he does. I don’t think he does, personally.”
For Kirby, it’s not just about disagreeing politically –– it’s about the moral and social consequences that come with unchecked power.
“The killings off the coast of Venezuela, you know, which seem remote, but to me, that’s very chilling,” she said, referring to the recent U.S. military strikes. Government officials confirm that 27 people were killed on suspected drug-smuggling ships.
“Because it’s saying he can go after anybody, for any reason. There’s no due process. It’s a slippery slope. If you could do it there, then where else can you do it?” It’s hard to ignore what she’s saying. When power slips past accountability it won’t stop by itself.
Michelle Hernandez, another Livermore Indivisible rally team member, shared similar concerns.
“He is not upholding the Constitution. He doesn’t think that’s part of his job,” Hernandez said. “We have to protect voting rights, and in this next election, it has to be clear that people made a mistake last time.”
Hernandez said she’s motivated not just by her own beliefs, but by a sense of duty to future generations.
“I don’t have kids. I’m doing this for the youth that I don’t have,” she said. “And if I die tomorrow, I can say I had a fabulous life. But I don’t want people to not have the life that I had, the access to education, to knowledge, to be able to speak my mind and to have an environment that we can breathe in and be safe in.”
That sense of responsibility and awareness ran through nearly every conversation at the protest. As one car after another honked in support, younger attendees held their signs high, showing that civic action isn’t just for older generations.
Organizers repeatedly emphasized that “No Kings” is a peaceful movement. Its core principle is nonviolence: to protest lawfully and de-escalate confrontation. That tone of calm defiance was evident throughout the event. Despite the seriousness of the message, the protest maintained a lively, even optimistic spirit.
Not everyone took the protests seriously. After the peaceful “No Kings” protests ended around the country, our President took to Truth Social and shared an AI video of himself dropping feces on protestors from a fighter jet while wearing a king’s crown. This act is disgusting and only furthers the point every protestor was making.
Livermore’s demonstration was just one piece of a larger national picture. And for college students –– especially those at Las Positas –– attending rallies like this offers a firsthand look at the power of democracy in our community.
If there is one takeaway from the protest, it’s this: hope and resistance can share the same space.
Livermore’s “No Kings” crowd didn’t look defeated. They were determined. That’s the part that sticks with you most after all the signs are packed away. The understanding that power only means something if everyone uses it responsibly.
As Kirby said, “We have the power, we have the responsibility. Let’s take it and make a better society.”
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TOP PHOTO: Protestors parading the crosswalk between Portola and North Livermore Avenue on Oct. 18. Their powerful and creatively crafted messages, combined with honks of support from passersby, made for a lively and enthusiastic crowd. (Photo by Sam Barnes/The Express)
Andrew Branham is a staff writer for The Express.
