Thousands expected at No Kings rally in SLO. Here’s what’s happening
Two No Kings rallies are taking place in San Luis Obispo County on Saturday, joining thousands more across the country protesting the actions of the Trump administration.
As many as 10,000 people are expected to flood the streets of downtown San Luis Obispo on Saturday morning, with another independent rally taking place in Cambria later in the day.
The SLO County Democratic Party teamed up with local branches of Indivisible and activism group 50501 to organize the SLO protest.
The local rallies will also be a show of support for Proposition 50, which would redraw California’s congressional districts to create five Democratic-leaning seats in an effort to counterbalance Texas’ recent redistricting that aims to do the opposite there ahead of the mid-term elections. The item is subject to a vote in the upcoming Nov. 4 special election.
Here is everything you need to know about when and where the rallies will be taking place, and what to expect at the events.
When and where are SLO County’s No Kings protests?
Saturday’s main rally will be held in downtown San Luis Obispo in front of and in the streets partly surrounding the courthouse.
In anticipation of 10,000 attendees — double the turnout of the first No Kings rally in June — the city will close off about three city blocks.
Osos Street will be closed to traffic for two blocks from Palm to Higuera streets, and Monterey Street will be closed for a block from Santa Rosa to Osos streets in front of the courthouse. Organizers said they worked with city officials, police and the Fire Department to coordinate street closures and security for the event.
Speakers will start at 11 a.m., followed by musical acts, both lasting until around 1 p.m. when the rally is expected to wrap up. Speakers include Supervisor Bruce Gibson, Mujeres de Acción founder Yessenia Echevarria, rally co-organizer and SLO County Democratic Party Chair Tom Fulks and multiple democratic youth leaders.
A stage will be set up at the intersection of Monterey and Osos Streets for speakers, complete with a jumbotron screen to project content during the event.
The rally will borrow the sound system from the city’s Concerts in the Plaza summer concert series. There will also be portable bathrooms, a safety first-aid tent, an ADA-accessible area and water on site, as well as 100 volunteers trained in deescalation techniques, organizers said.
Cambria will host its own independent protest from 3 to 5 p.m. at the corner of Cambria Drive and Main Street.
