Thousands of demonstrators gathered across the country on Saturday to protest against President Donald Trump and his policies. The “No Kings” protests drew large crowds in cities from New York to Los Angeles. Among the protesters were several notable celebrities lending their voices to the cause.
Mark Ruffalo, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Kimmel, Marisa Tomei, Anna Kendrick, Chrissie Fit, Susan Sarandon, Jenifer Lewis, Sarah Silverman, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, and many others attended the demonstrations. “Being brave for what we hold dear—our freedoms, our democracy, and each other—it’s on us, guys,” said one actor at a protest in New York City. Los Angeles has become an epicenter for the movement against the current administration’s increasingly authoritarian behavior.
Celebrity voices join nationwide protests
However, tensions escalated as police clashed with protesters and used tear gas to disperse the crowds. In Salt Lake City, a bystander was fatally shot after security members at the demonstration confronted a man who was running toward the crowd with an AR-15-style rifle, according to police reports.
The security members spotted the man, identified as Arturo Gamboa, 24, moving away from demonstrators to a secluded area behind a wall. Gamboa then started handling the rifle that he removed from his backpack. When confronted by the armed security, Gamboa began running toward the crowd, holding his weapon in a “firing position.” One of the security members fired three times, wounding Gamboa and also striking a bystander, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, who died at a hospital.
Chief Brian Redd of the Salt Lake City Police Department described the shooting as “sudden and alarming,” adding, “No one should fear coming to a peaceful and lawful demonstration in our city.”
The protests coincided with President Trump hosting a military parade in Washington, DC, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the US Army and his 79th birthday. The demonstrations represented a significant display of public dissent against the president’s actions and policies, highlighting the nation’s ongoing political and social divisions.
