51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� Thousands gathered on Saturday at a dozen sites across the 51黑料 area to protest the policies and actions of President Donald Trump, matching rallies planned in cities across the country.

By noon, at least 1,000 protesters stretched for more than a mile along Manchester Road in west 51黑料 County, holding signs and shouting. Hundreds filled the town square in Belleville, cars honking their encouragement. Another 1,000 or so stood along South Lindbergh Boulevard at Baptist Church Road in Sappington.

And by Saturday afternoon, thousands were marching from Kiener Plaza in downtown 51黑料, west on Market Street and north on Tucker Boulevard. The gathering was so big, police shut down roads as it passed. Missouri State Highway Patrol cars were staged in front of the city jail.

At one point, the stream of protesters filled the northbound lanes of Tucker from Market to Washington Avenue.

Gail Wamser, 81, of Brentwood, and Christine Brooks, 64, of 51黑料, sat outside 1010 Market Street as the march went by.

Neither had really protested in the past. But both said they are worried now about an erosion of rights for immigrants, women and gay people.

鈥淭o be silent is to agree with the fascists,鈥� Brooks said.

The rallies, dubbed 鈥淣o Kings鈥� protests, follow days of nationwide demonstrations against federal immigration raids, including in Los Angeles, where Trump deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The protests were timed to match the military parade on Saturday in Washington commemorating the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, on Trump鈥檚 79th birthday. The event was expected to include about 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters and 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks, as well as possibly 200,000 attendees and heightened security to match.

While most demonstrations nationally have been peaceful, others have led to clashes with police, arrests and the use of chemical irritants to disperse crowds.

Raids in the LA area triggered days of turbulent protests across the city. Protesters there blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.

The Trump administration said immigration raids and deportations will continue regardless.

鈥業 just can鈥檛 sit by any longer鈥�

Kenneth Andrews, a social scientist at Washington University in 51黑料 who studies protests, social movements and political participation, said the protesters may yet get their message across.

鈥淪ocial movements are one of the most important ways that regular people are able to collectively put an issue on the agenda,鈥� Andrews said.

He said that seeing large crowds of people in dozens of cities beyond 51黑料 engaging in No Kings rallies 鈥渉as a particular kind of cultural power,鈥� that can鈥檛 be captured in public opinion polls.

In 51黑料, the rallies mark an escalation of unrest against Trump. Protests over the last few months had been called against cuts made by his Department of Government Efficiency, run by billionaire carmaker Elon Musk, and, to a lesser extent, against immigration detentions.

Just Wednesday, a few hundred turned out at two demonstrations here against Trump鈥檚 crackdown on illegal immigration. About 200 gathered on the Tamm Avenue bridge over Interstate 64 on the southern edge of Forest Park. Another 200 showed up in Aloe Plaza near Union Station downtown, then marched down nearby streets with a police escort.

But the demonstrations Saturday were by far the most in a single day against Trump in 51黑料 this year, and are already the largest in turnout.

Locally, protests were scheduled in Alton, Belleville, Granite City and O鈥橣allon in Illinois, plus Clayton, Farmington, Sappington, St. Peters, Union, west 51黑料 County near Ballwin, and Kiener Plaza in downtown 51黑料, in Missouri.

Rallies were also set across the bi-state region, including in Cape Girardeau, Carbondale and Hermann.

In Clayton, more than 60 seniors, some in wheelchairs and walkers, lined the sidewalk outside of a senior living complex on Saturday, across the street from the Shaw Park pickleball courts.

鈥淲e are old! We are smart!鈥� they chanted. 鈥淎nd so we know Trump has no heart!鈥�

Barbara Finch, 87, who lives at the complex, organized the Clayton event and named it 鈥淪eniors for Sanity.鈥�

鈥淲e think the whole Trump presidency is nuts,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 know how to govern. He thrives on chaos.鈥�

National Guard activated

People waved and cheered from honking vehicles with signs and flags as they drove by protesters on Lindbergh. Peace signs 鈥� and the occasional middle finger 鈥� reached through moon roofs.

Donna Kienstra, 52, from Oakville, said the synergy between drivers and protesters was like a parade.

鈥淚鈥檝e broke out in goosebumps 100 times today,鈥� she said.

Laura Reisa, 68, of Swansea, was at the Belleville protest.

She said she felt compelled to act due to concerns about the state of the country. She called Trump鈥檚 actions attacks on democracy.

鈥淚 just can鈥檛 sit by any longer and do nothing,鈥� she said.

Vicki Malinee, 60, of St. Charles, was in St. Peters with about 100 others. She had seen comments online from people claiming the crowd there had been paid to show up and weren鈥檛 real protesters.

鈥淎s I look around, I can tell you these are real folks who live here,鈥� Malinee said in between the honks of passing cars. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not paid protesters. They鈥檙e people who care.鈥�

John Foley, 75, of Ellisville, was at the West County protest, holding a sign that said 鈥淒espots need not apply.鈥�

He said he is on Social Security, and is scared Trump will cut it. He called the Trump administration 鈥渞epressive.鈥�

鈥淚 sat out a lot of the 60s when I shouldn鈥檛 have,鈥� Foley said. 鈥淚 won鈥檛 sit by this time.鈥�

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on Thursday activated the Missouri National Guard in case this weekend鈥檚 demonstrations turned violent.

But by later afternoon, few police 鈥� outside of the downtown 51黑料 march 鈥� were at the events. There were no reported incidents. And the guardsmen, if present, were not visible.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.