by Xinhua writer Xia Lin
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/HOUSTON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- About 2,000 protests against the Trump administration's policies were held on Saturday in all 50 U.S. states, ranging from small groups in more rural communities to larger rallies in major cities, including New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, among others.
The protests came as U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and decision to deploy the military in Los Angeles have already led to large-scale protests and additional protests in several other cities.
On the same day, a military parade hosted by Trump was staged in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, which coincides with his 79th birthday.
DAY OF DEFIANCE
The protests, under the slogan "No Kings," have been arranged by a number of groups that overlap with the coalition that pulled together the "Hands Off!" protests on April 5 and other recent large protests against the Trump administration, according to U.S. media reports.
The coalition behind the protests has branded Saturday as a "day of defiance" against what the groups describe as "authoritarian overreach" by Trump and his allies. Plans for the event had been underway well before federal immigration raids set off protests in Los Angeles and other cities.
Organizers avoided calling for protests in Washington, D.C., where the military parade was staged. They have characterized the Washington parade as a theatrical "display of dominance." Trump warned that anyone seeking to protest at the parade would be met with "very big force."
In Atlanta, thousands of demonstrators gathered at Liberty Plaza, carrying signs with messages against the administration. The crowd also sang a protest version of the classic tune "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," reworded as "Take Trump Out of the White House."
In Nashville, more than 1,000 people gathered near the Tennessee State Capitol and a cheering crowd recited the Pledge of Allegiance, a patriotic verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the Republic.
In New York City, the police estimated that around 50,000 people took to the streets, who shouted slogans like "What do we want? No ICE! When do we want? Now!" and waved banners reading "No Deportation! Trump Must Go!" and "No Justice, No Peace!"
Xinhua reporters on the scene saw no arrests made by police.
"That guy isn't content to be president of the United States of America, wants to be king!" Eddie B, a resident, told Xinhua. "But we won't let that happen."
Mindy W, a visitor to New York City, said, "We need to rise up and stop him before it's too late and our democracy is gone forever!"
NO MONARCHY!
In California, over 100,000 protesters staged demonstrations in over 200 cities and towns. Even in Idyllwild, a mountain town with only 3,600 residents, some 600 people took to the streets. Demonstrations even spread to Santa Catalina, an island some 35 km off the coast of Southern California.
The authorities in Los Angeles, which has emerged as the epicenter of anxiety over immigration enforcement and seen days of sustained protests, said they were bracing for the possibility of crowd sizes that could be "unprecedented." It turned out that at least 25,000 people participated in the protests in LA on Saturday.
Elected leaders and law enforcement officials in California and across the country encouraged protesters to remain peaceful, and organizers of the "No Kings" demonstrations called on participants to focus on "nonviolent action."
Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, warned that demonstrations that turned destructive would only feed into an unfounded portrayal of LA as gripped by unrest.
In Houston, Texas, the official estimate placed the number of protesters at over 15,000. Xinhua reporter at the scene saw many of them as Latinos and young, peacefully in protest, with one speaker shouting, "No Kings! Just like today, we don't need Donald Trump as king."
A speaker named Mima told reporters that "This is a democracy and this isn't a monarchy ... The ICE raids and everything are not right. Violence and ripping families apart are not okay."
In Greenville, Ohio, where Democrats are rare, protesters began gathering at noon, waving flags and holding posters in a downtown roundabout. Police warned that anybody blocking the road would go to jail.
In Miami, the "No Kings" protest is unfolding near the Torch of Friendship, a symbol of the city's connection to the Caribbean and Latin America, with many protesters waving American flags.
As is the tradition with protests on Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami, cars passing by were honking steadily to show support, and people were banging pots and pans.
Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, traveled between protests in New Jersey, heading from one in Montclair to another in Piscataway. He recounted what happened after his arrest last month following a clash at Delaney Hall, a private detention center.
"What I found out is that people who don't defend immigrants won't defend me either," he said. "We have to defend that right and defend it vociferously." Enditem
(Xinhua writers Liu Yanan, Huang Heng, Gao Shan, Xu Jianmei also contributed to this story.)