Thousands gathered in downtown Phoenix at Wesley Bolin Plaza on Saturday morning to protest President Donald Trump and the large military parade being held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday evening.
The parade to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary also coincides with Trump's 79th birthday and is estimated to cost up to $45 million. Protesters say the event in D.C. ignores working families and deepens inequality.
The “No Kings” event in Phoenix is one of an estimated 2,000 protests happening coast to coast. Organizers describe the “No Kings” movement describe it as “a nationwide day of defiance ... to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like.”
In Phoenix, some immigrant families came out to protest the ongoing raids and detentions that have been taking place.
Edgar Salido says the threat of deportation hangs over his household.
"My stepdad, he’s here on a visa, and he lives in fear that ICE is going to come and they’re going to raid our home just while he’s trying to go to work," Salido said.
Gerardo Beltran says he is here representing generations of immigrant families.
"Whether you’re born here, whether, you know, you have generations of people who lived here, or if you’re the first generation to live here from your family, we’re all Americans," Beltran said.
Saturday’s protests at the capitol were generally peaceful.
Attendee Sharon Salomon was near the Arizona State Capitol with several friends. She said things appeared peaceful at mid-morning.
"If there are police or ICE or whatever here, we don't see them. But I have never seen this many people any place before, and I have been to every protest," said Salomon.
She says protesters were walking around with signs and listening to guest speakers.
Protester Alyssa Hooper says Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in her family’s neighborhood has her worried for her loved ones.
"A lot of my family is elderly. I’m so worried that my grandpa could die at the hands of ICE officers even though he’s a citizen — he’s fully legal here; He’s worked all his life here. He’s bled for this country, literally," said Hooper.
In north Phoenix, at least several hundred people holding anti-Trump signs and American flags participated in a peaceful "No Kings" demonstration in the Norterra area.
It was one of eight such events planned throughout Arizona's 8th Congressional District, which covers suburban areas north and west of Phoenix.
Brent Peak with the grassroots Northwest Valley Indivisible helped to organize the protest near Happy Valley Road near Interstate 17.
"Nationwide, the message is ‘No Kings.’ Here in our district, it’s ‘No Kings, no cronies.’ We want Abe Hamadeh to stand up to Donald Trump, and we think he will when there’s enough pressure," said Peak.
The Republican Hamadeh is a first-time congressman representing the district and staunch Trump supporter.
The protest in north Phoenix had wrapped up before 10 a.m., when temperatures had already passed 90 degrees.
According to the “No Kings” website, at least 10 more protests were scheduled all over the state throughout the day on Saturday.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Sharon Salomon's name.
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