Downtown Los Angeles became the heart of a national outcry as thousands poured into the streets, joining millions for the nationwide No Kings protest on Saturday— a movement denouncing what participants described as the Trump Administration’s “authoritarian attack” on democracy, public education and immigrant rights. Leading one of the day’s most visible displays of solidarity were teachers, students, cafeteria workers and custodians, among other employees with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
The march led by education workers, one of several marches in the city, began outside LAUSD Headquarters on South Beaudry Avenue, just minutes from City Hall. Employees stood shoulder to shoulder in the streets wearing bright union t-shirts and holding signs. Representing eight unions, including the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and SEIU Local 99 they moved as one body toward Gloria Molina Grand Park.
At a rally point speakers addressed the crowd, including Angelica Salas, executive director of CHIRLA (the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles); U.S. Congressmember Jimmy Gomez; and David Huerta, president of SEIU-USWW. Each tied the fight for public education to the broader struggle for immigrant rights and democracy itself.
Speakers denounced what they described as a calculated effort by the Trump Administration to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, roll back diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs and impose $12 billion in cuts to public education by 2026. The growing presence of immigration enforcement officers near schools underscored what many speakers at the rally called a direct attack on the safety and dignity of immigrant families. For the staff members gathered, the message was clear: defending public schools meant defending democracy…