Even with on-and-off rain, thousands of people marched through downtown St. Louis as part of a “No Kings” protest on Saturday afternoon.
The protest was one of more than 1,500 across the country, coinciding with the Army’s 250th anniversary military parade and President Donald Trump's 79th birthday — events that took place hours after two Democratic leaders were shot in Minnesota in attacks that killed two people and wounded two.
The peaceful demonstration started at Kiener Plaza and wound through downtown St. Louis.
Despite residents throughout the region voicing their concerns with the Trump administration, the atmosphere downtown was upbeat and featured music, dancing and cheering.
“I'm here today to resist this horrible administration that is doing horrible things in my name and in the name of other Americans,” said Kelli Rae Patton of St. Louis’ Tower Grove South neighborhood before the march. “I'm against most, if not all, of his policies, and I frankly find things that are going on very frightening at the moment that are being done in his name, from people being murdered in Minnesota in their homes to people being deported and taken to gulags and prisons.”
This was Madeline Finn’s second protest of the day.
She was part of a gathering at Manchester and Weidman roads in front of U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner’s office that also drew large crowds. Finn lives in Manchester but attended both events because she believes there should be less of a divide between St. Louis and St. Louis County.
“I have a lot of friends that have family or friends that, you know, could be targeted by ICE, and it really makes me angry,” she said. “My cousin's boyfriend is Mexican, and she's in LA right now, so I just want to stand with her, and use my privilege, knowing that I can go out and protest.”
Speaking at the event, former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis County, denounced the president for his immigration policies, pardoning the Jan. 6 insurrectionists and abandoning consent decrees across the country. “He’s nobody’s king,” she shouted to the cheers of hundreds.
“The one thing about St. Louis: We know how to resist. We know how to fight,” Bush said, adding later, “In my opinion, I won't put this on you, but I say that Donald Trump, he's not a king. What he is is a well-paid court jester.”
Hannah Robinson, a 22-year-old demonstrator from the city’s Dutchtown neighborhood, said the growing number of ICE raids led her to take to the streets.
“Opportunity is free in America, but equality is not,” she said. “People will think that the American Dream is caked up with dollar signs, but when you get here, you see how hard you have to work to be and feel equal, how much you have to sacrifice and how much … you have to prove to the government that you are still somebody.”
The event began at 2 p.m., and those gathered began marching around 3 p.m. Most protesters dispersed by 5 p.m., which was when the demonstration was scheduled to end, but over a hundred people continued to march into the evening.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol members positioned themselves at various ramps to keep protesters away from major highways.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Mitch McCoy said in a post on X that there were no arrests, and the protest wrapped up around 7 p.m. The St. Louis Sheriff's Office and some private security outside businesses were also present during the protest.
There were more than 30 such protests planned in large cities and small communities throughout Missouri and Illinois on Saturday — including St. Louis’ Tower Grove Park neighborhood, Manchester, St. Peters, Sappington and Alton.
Missouri’s political pushback
The demonstration capped a week of protests against mass immigration raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In Los Angeles, protests escalated into confrontations between federal agents and civilians after Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to the state against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom — a move that drew widespread condemnation. In some instances, California law enforcement used rubber bullets and pepper spray on protesters and journalists.
It is the first time since 1965 that a president called National Guard troops to respond to civil unrest without a governor's official request for assistance, according to Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program.
After protests across St. Louis earlier this week, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard “to support local law enforcement,” according to a news release. A spokesperson for St. Louis police declined to provide specifics about what that might look like, saying Chief Robert Tracy would make decisions about how and whether to use the National Guard.
Kehoe’s spokeswoman said troops would be on standby in St. Charles County and in Jefferson City “to conduct planning and preparation for any future requests to assist civil authorities” but declined to comment on the number of troops activated in the St. Louis region and across the state.
Finn, the demonstrator from Manchester, called the move ridiculous.
“There's no emergency,” she said. “We had an emergency when the tornadoes hit. And where was that National Guard? People still don't have roofs, and everyone down here is going to stay peaceful, and we're going to have a good time and spread our word.”
Kehoe called upon roughly 40 Missouri National Guard members to help clean up tornado debris on May 24, a little over a week after the deadly tornado tore through the city. The troops were on the ground the following week.
“I find it funny that it took two weeks for the National Guard to respond to the storm but just two days for a protest,” said Alderwoman Daniela Velázquez, of St. Louis’ 6th Ward, while speaking at the event.
Some Democratic critics called Kehoe’s activation of the guard premature.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas blasted Kehoe’s activation of the National Guard, calling it an “unnecessary escalation” that “undermines local law enforcement.” The ACLU of Missouri sharply criticized the governor’s decision, calling it a “provocation to thwart public dissent” and an affront to First Amendment rights.
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer was largely quiet on the move, and a spokesperson told STLPR the administration has been focused on relief efforts tied to the tornado. Spencer later said she trusted protesters would remain peaceful and the police department protect the community.
The National Guard wasn’t visible at the downtown protest, and only a small number of local law enforcement officers were present in parked vehicles.
Missouri's two Republican U.S. senators pushed back on the demonstrations on social media.
Sen. Josh Hawley said on X that the LA protests were funded and pledged to investigate. Sen. Eric Schmitt pointed a finger at billionaire George Soros, a Democratic donor, saying he “financed the mass migration crisis. Now he's mobilizing his army of illegal aliens and far-left activists to try to stop President Trump from ending it.”
Schmitt added in another post: “This is one of the more brazen acts by the Left and the Soros empire since the BLM 'Summer of Love' burned down towns and cities across America in 2020.”
No evidence for the senators’ claims has surfaced.
Trump’s military parade
Washington, D.C., hosted its largest military parade in decades — an event that included thousands of marching soldiers, rows of tanks, parachute jumps and flyovers.
The Saturday event marked the Army’s 250th anniversary. It also fell on Trump’s 79th birthday and Flag Day. The military branch had been preparing the celebration for over a year, but the idea of a parade is recent.
Although Trump's birthday is not officially linked to the festivities, a large-scale military parade has been on the president's wish list since his first term. Beyond war victories and presidential inaugurations, large-scale military parades have not been part of American tradition — smaller parades at the town level tend to be more common.
Since the parade was announced, some Democratic lawmakers have criticized it as a vanity project and a misuse of funds, and other critics are unsettled by the display of military might. Estimates on the parade’s cost range between $25 million to $45 million.
See more photos from St. Louis Public Radio visuals editor Brian Munoz:
This story has been updated.
St. Louis Public Radio and our partners covered protests today in Kansas City, Joplin, Boonville and Columbia, Missouri. STLPR's Chad Davis and NPR’s Juliana Kim contributed to this report.
