LEAGUE CITY
More than 1,000 people attended a “No Kings Day” protest Saturday in League City , the biggest protest League City has seen in recent history, police said.
A teacher, a reverend, an 18-year-old Mexican immigrant, a retired NASA employee, a former League City government employee and U.S. Rep. Al Green spoke to a crowd waving U.S. flags and signs denouncing what protesters called an authoritarian Trump presidency.
“America bows to no kings,” one sign read.
The “No Kings” organization arranged protests against the Trump administration across the country Saturday, the same day as a parade celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, which cost an estimated $45 million and the same day as President Donald Trump’s birthday.
Millions of people took part in the protests.
Deb Bode, a protester, said people in Galveston County and the Houston area were quieter about their beliefs during the election. Now, people are becoming more outspoken because the actions of the Trump administration are hitting closer to home, Bode said.
A recent University of Texas poll found that Trump has become more unpopular in Texas since he took office, with 47 percent of Texans approving of him and 46 disapproving.
After seeing Trump deploy National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps. troops over protests against his immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, Bode said she’s speaking out to protect her daughter’s right to protest.
Speakers advocated for immigrants and veterans and encouraged people to vote and connect more with their neighbors.
The Rev. Katie McQuage-Loukas, minister of Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church, recognized the diversity of faiths present at the protest. She led the protesters in a prayer for safety and unity and asked them to introduce themselves to each other and to build community.
“When we gather together, we are more likely to find wisdom and truth than any one individual could ever offer,” McQuage-Loukas said.
Federal employees and retirees spoke out against the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding. Allison McIntyre, a retired NASA employee, urged protesters to voice their opposition to Trump's policies their congressional representatives.
The White House’s proposed 2026 budget would cut funding to many federal agencies, including a 25 percent budget cut to NASA, which could mean layoffs and cuts to research.
U.S. Rep. Al Green made his way to the League City protest after speaking at the Houston “No Kings Day” protest.
Green was famously censured and removed from Trump’s presidential address to Congress after repeatedly shouting “you don’t have a mandate,” in reference to the president’s plans to cut funding to Medicaid without congressional approval.
On Saturday, Green denounced Trump’s actions as authoritarian. He called attention to the peaceful nature of the protest and spoke to the size and necessity of the “No Kings” movement.
“There are millions of people who are out today to send a message that this is a country that has a place for a president but no place for a king,” Green said.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday he was sending more than 2,000 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and 5,000 Texas National Guard soldiers to help manage protests.
Saturday’s protests in Texas were largely peaceful.
Protest organizers worked with the League City Police Department to ensure the protest was safe and lawful, Jennifer Mason, one of the organizers, said.
The department announced that uniformed officers would be present and said it was committed to upholding citizens’ rights and ensuring their safety during the protest on a post on Facebook Tuesday. Increasing public awareness helps people feel safer protesting, Mason said.
League City police announced on its Facebook Thursday that organizers decided to move the protest to the police department at the League City Public Safety Building parking lot at 555 West Walker Street instead of holding it at the intersection of FM 646 and I-45 to make it safer and accommodate the popular interest.
The change, as well as the extreme actions of the Trump administration, inspired Nancy Fry, a League City grandmother, to partake in the demonstration, her first ever protest, she said. She brought her daughter and four grandchildren, too. She said she felt safer going knowing police would be there and that it was being held outside of their department.
People are asking what comes next and showing interest in more protests, Mason said, and she plans on keeping the momentum going, she said.
“I love my country,” Mason said, as “This Land is Your Land” played. “I don’t want to give up on America. And I don’t want to give up on Texas either.”
