More than 7,000 people protesting the actions of federal immigration enforcement and the presidency of Donald Trump filled more than two blocks of sidewalks bordering Las Vegas Boulevard in the city’s urban core Saturday.
Andy Walsh, undersheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, estimated “7,000-8,000” people braved temperatures that hovered around 110 degrees at 4:30 p.m.
“This is incredible,” said Congresswoman Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, standing on a marble bench outside of the federal courthouse.
Police were on hand, with more than 100 standing in the lanes of Las Vegas Boulevard between Clark and Carson avenues. A few officers looked down at the crowd from atop the Foley Federal Building, 300 S. Las Vegas Blvd. A police helicopter circled almost the entire time, and police deployed a small drone, as well.
While some protesters felt the police presence was “overkill,” others welcomed it. After one man in roller skates was pulled from the crowd by police, Deborah S., 60, said she was “sort of happy” to see it.
“Better that than violence,” she added.
The protest was dubbed “No Kings,” and was part of nationwide demonstrations Saturday targeting the Trump Administration. No Kings is also a reference to fears by some that President Trump is making moves more akin to that of an unchecked monarch.
During her brief address, Titus quipped that “Elvis is the only king we want in Las Vegas.”
Protesters ran the gamut from Baby Boomers to Gen Z, seemingly representing all races of the Las Vegas melting pot.
Hundreds carried signs. “Vegas Melts ICE.” “Don’t Normalize Fascism.” Another showed Trump dressed in the garb of the Dark Side emperor from “Star Wars.” They also carried U.S. and Mexican flags, and chanted in unison against ICE and the presidency of Donald Trump.
Arlando Smith, 74, said he found the president to be “ignorant.”
“I've said to people several times: I think the extent of his knowledge is eighth-grade civics,” he added, raising his voice against the chants in the background. "This thing of America first. It can't be America first. We depend on countries all over the world, but he's taken this country way back to a place that I think just a small number of people really believe in.”
Rico M., 37, a first-generation Mexican-American, said he believes ICE is systemically racist.
“I see old women that have lived here 15, 20 years. Señoras, abuelitas, tías, and children in schools crying, getting torn and separated from their families,” he also said. “We’ve always been the pillar for democracy in the world and I feel we’re losing that.”
Kileen Kapri-Kohn, of Las Vegas Grassroots Coalition, was one of the organizers of the demonstration. Grassroots Coalition started putting the protest together some six weeks ago, she said, working with Indivisible Las Vegas, Las Vegas police, and others.
She got teary-eyed talking about the size of the crowd that showed up.
“Las Vegas is not typically known for their activism,” she said. “We are a very, very young city. We're a transient city. And the difference between what I'm seeing here and with Black Lives Matter … this time, it has been quite different.”
