Major cities all over the Nation took to the streets Saturday, June 14, to declare “No Kings Day,” a response to Trump’s Military Birthday Parade. Early counts indicate that the protest nationally drew at least 7.2 million, but the numbers continued to grow as the night progressed. The organizers of the event stated that their main purpose (found here) was to draw attention away from such a show of political power, and to support this objective, they hosted protests in every major city, excluding D.C. Their message was peaceful and for the people a sign of hope. Austin’s local protest chose to celebrate what was bringing them together on this auspicious day. The Texas State Capitol hosted numerous festivities to create a community atmosphere: drum circles, water and snacks, pin trades, and an abundance of medics throughout the crowd.

Local officials created a safety-first environment, searching bags before entry and respecting the crowd’s permit with State Troopers and APD assisting by not intervening at the rally. Once the permit for Austin came to a close, some marched off into the streets of downtown Austin with police at first working with and posting their route.

Later hours proved a different narrative. Natalie, a local on the ground, offered me a timeline, stressing that the march (which remained a slow peaceful walk) was “kettled” into an ally and gassed. Natalie says, “They were using bikes to physically block the way, and they deployed tear gas around like 9:30 PM, the latest,” but eventually letting the crowd go as they were remaining peaceful and nonviolent. “We continue marching, occasionally getting harassed by the cops and tear gassed, until I’m completely separated by cops as they tackle a girl to the ground next to me,” she says,“Absolutely no back down of aggressive tactics.” Daylight offered security, numbers, and press, but this was not reflected in these later actions by APD and State Troopers, reminiscent of what is being seen out of LA this week.

Police were not the only potential friction poised for attack on Saturday morning. Shortly following the successful assassination of Melissa Hortman and the attempted assassination of another, Lawmakers at the Texas Capitol were threatened with violence during Saturday’s demonstration. This threat (source), originating from Katy, Texas, was traced to a man apprehended in La Grange, Texas, minimizing the danger and keeping the rally and Texan Lawmakers safe.

This show of numbers set records in many large cities for the largest crowds taking to the streets in the city’s history. Chicago’s streets were notably flooded beyond estimates and ended up seeing an estimated 75 thousand (source).

No Kings is a demonstration to show the frustration with Trump and his policies, and the number of people who care to show this by taking to the streets. After the ICE protests, many were scared and prepared for the worst, but the demonstrations served more as a headcount of angered individuals, with police and instigators largely respecting that.

Trump finally drew a crowd, perhaps just not the one he had anticipated.