What to know about the Oct. 18 'No Kings' protests

In the latest in a series of mass protests since President Donald Trump took office, "No Kings" rallies and marches will be held at more than 2,500 locations nationwide on Oct. 18.

The protests are meant as a celebration of free speech, the right to assemble and the First Amendment broadly. It is also an opportunity to push back against recent moves by Trump's administration including increased immigration enforcement, organizers say.

“This, without question, will be the single biggest day of protest in American history," said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, which is helping organize the rallies. “Since we last did this, people have become far more aware of what is going wrong with this administration."

Rallies, protests and marches will be held in big cities and small towns across the country. Protesters are being urged to wear yellow.

Asked for reaction to the protests Oct. 14, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson replied “Who cares?”

Where are the events?

The biggest protests are planned for outside the Capitol in Washington, DC, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Kansas City, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans and Bozeman, Montana.

Most states have multiple, or even hundreds of, scheduled events.

Like other mass protests this year local activists have been urged to create their own events that reflect their community.

"It is truly a grassroots effort that depends on local leaders, that is how we've tried to design this. Literally anybody can start a No King's Day event, and we encourage it,” Levin said. “If you've got to drive more than 30 minutes or an hour, consider getting a few friends together and starting your own in your own hometown.”

Who is putting this on?

Groups organizing the No Kings protests include the ACLU, American Federation of Teachers, Common Defense, 50501, Human Rights Campaign, Indivisible, League of Conservation Voters, MoveOn, National Nurses United, Public Citizen, SEIU and United We Dream.

Why is it called 'No Kings'?

The name "No Kings" comes from the organizers' belief that Trump is acting like a monarch rather than the leader of a democracy.

"America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people," their website says.

Wasn’t there already a 'No Kings Day'? 

The first "No Kings Day" protests on June 14 were organized to coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday and Flag Day when there was a military parade in Washington, DC, in honor of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.

That day, there were protests in more than 1,800 communities to oppose what they saw as Trump's power grab. 

Is it safe to go?

Congressional Republicans have claimed that the protests will be full of "antifa" and are "hate-America" rallies.

At a press conference Oct. 10, House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota accused Democrats of keeping the government closed at the request of activists. 

“This is about one thing and one thing alone ‒ to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold … a hate America rally in DC next week," Emmer said. 

Rally organizers told USA TODAY they expect the crowds to peacefully celebrate their First Amendment right to protest. Local organizers were required to undergo crowd safety and deescalation training.

"We are taking to the streets to exercise our First Amendment rights and speak out. We are not planning anything in any way that could be misconstrued as violence. And we are working hard to protect people, providing lots of training and preparation and creating systems and mechanisms to make sure that people who turn out are safe," Gilbert said.

Protests led by these same organizers over the past year, including the June 14 rally, have been peaceful.

Senior national political correspondent Sarah D. Wire can be reached at [email protected].