Thousands gathered outside U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday for the “No Kings” protest, where demonstrators voiced opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, the deployment of federal troops in U.S. cities, and the use of the justice system against political opponents.
The crowd filled the Commons area near 425 Portland Ave., stretching so far that marchers occasionally paused to avoid overlapping with the back of the procession. Organizers estimated attendance in the tens of thousands, making it one of the largest demonstrations in Minneapolis since the 2020 racial justice protests.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison addressed the crowd early in the afternoon, framing the rally as part of a broader struggle for accountability and democracy. “We don’t only have a gun violence crisis. We’ve got an oligarch crisis,” Ellison said, criticizing federal tactics used against protesters and immigrants. He referenced reports of wrongful detentions and excessive force, adding, “We’ve seen secret police kidnapping people off the streets. Many of those arrested were American citizens.”
Ellison’s comments echoed a 2024 ProPublica report documenting more than 170 wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens, including children, veterans, and pregnant women, during immigration raids allegedly linked to racial profiling.
A recurring theme throughout the protest was government transparency, including calls for the release of sealed federal case files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Demonstrators carried signs demanding accountability for corruption and equal enforcement of the law.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the “No Kings” protests “hate America rallies,” claiming demonstrators were motivated by partisan anger. Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer echoed the sentiment, saying, “You’ll see the hate for America all over this thing when they show up.”
Ellison urged scrutiny of how the justice system handles political and corporate misconduct. “What about the abuse of the criminal justice system?” he asked.
“We’ve got an oligarch crisis.”
Johnson has recently faced bipartisan criticism for refusing to seat newly elected Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva, a move opponents argue delays a vote that could compel the release of Justice Department files tied to the Epstein case.
Longtime activist Monique Cullars-Doty also spoke from the stage, framing the protest as part of a historic struggle against systemic inequality. “If we’re going to look at how America ended up where we are today, we’d have to go back through American history that allowed white supremacy and capitalism to continue to run unchecked,” she said.
Cullars-Doty, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, emphasized solidarity and global justice. “No human is illegal. Black Lives Matter. Stop sending money to fund genocide,” she said in an interview after the event.
She also warned about the normalization of far-right political violence, contrasting the public response to slain conservative figures with that of Black men killed by police. “We have a problem in America,” she said, calling for change beyond the ballot box.
“We need reparations for descendants. We need land back for Native folks. Regardless of who is in office, we need revolutionary change.”
Minnesota’s history reflects the power of mass protest, from the militant Teamsters strike during the Great Depression to the 2020 George Floyd demonstrations that spurred federal investigations into police practices. The “No Kings” protest continues that legacy, as Minnesotans again take to the streets to demand transparency, accountability and justice.
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