'No Kings' protests draw crowds in Southland

Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and embarking on an aggressive campaign against political opponents -have only become more severe.

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HUNDREDS OF demonstrators in Los Angeles rally for a “No Kings” protest against President Trump and his administration’s policies.

(GENARO MOLINA Los Angeles Times)

Trump pushed back against the underlying premise of the protests in an interview with Fox News on Friday. "They're referring to me as a king," he said. "I'm not a king.'

Pedro Sanchez, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico more than 50 years ago, said the protest was an expression of the 1st Amendment, which he said the administration has continued to challenge.

He pointed to last month's temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel after the talk show host made remarks following the death of Republican activist Charlie Kirk as a key example.

"Look at what happened to Kimmel — if that could happen to him, it can happen to any of us," Sanchez said. "We want our rights back; we can't take this anymore."

Some protesters tried to rally with levity.

A cohort of people in inflatable costumes — dinosaurs, chickens and sharks — strolled through the crowd, an adoption of a recent strategy undertaken by protesters in Oregon meant to ease tensions and signal nonviolence.