HOUSTON, Texas — Thousands of demonstrators flooded downtown Houston on Saturday in a coordinated series of “No Kings” protests targeting President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies. Organized by the 50501 Movement—a left-wing coalition that emerged online earlier this year—the protests spanned more than a dozen locations across the Houston metro area, including City Hall, Discovery Green, and suburban communities like Katy, Pearland, and The Woodlands.
A mostly-white, mostly older crowd gathered near City Hall, where a diverse range of speakers addressed various topics, including anti-ICE immigration enforcement, anti-Trump policies, civil rights, issues affecting “marginalized communities,” Free Palestine, housing, healthcare, public safety, the Epstein files, creative resistance, and electoral mobilization.
‘No More Kings’ Protest Draws Thousands of Houstonians for Peaceful Anti-Trump Demonstration (Lana Shadwick and Bob Price/Breitbart Texas)
Texas Democrat firebrand Congresswoman Jasimine Crockett fired up the anti-Trump crowd, saying, “We know what lawlessness looks like. Lawlessness looks like ICE going and disappearing people,” Houston Public Media reported.
“Lawlessness looks like Donald Trump, who just happens to be convicted of 34 felony convictions, sitting in the White House,” Crocket continued. “Lawlessness looks like going after your political enemies just because.”
Republicans were not the sole target of scorn by No Kings speakers.
Recall Houston’s Steven Saltzman took aim at Houston Mayor John Witmire, a lifelong Democrat, calling him a MAGA-Democrat.
Recall Houston’s Steven Saltzman (L) attacks “MAGA Democrat” Houston Mayor John Whitmire (Bob Price/Breitbart Texas)
“We have a mayor who is more interested in appeasing Trump than defending our communities. John Whitmire has shown us what it means to be a MAGA Democrat—silent when ICE raids happen, absent when rights are stripped, and complicit when power consolidates.”
Houston Police Department officials told Breitbart Texas that about 4,000 to 5,000 people attended the event. Organizers claim the numbers approached 15,000 people.
Protesters carrying signs demanding the release of the Epstein files were surprisingly high in numbers. Democrats, who once withheld the files for years, are now, along with many Republicans, demanding their release.
Many marchers donned inflatable cartoon costumes, including chickens, frogs, cows, dinosaurs, and other characters. Breitbart Texas reported the costumes arose from Portland anti-ICE protests, where a man wearing a frog inflatable became the target of a law enforcement pepper spray attack.
The frog became an overnight sensation in the anti-ICE protest movement after an ICE agent was seen spraying pepper spray into the air intake of a person wearing the frog inflatable costume.
Operation Inflation Hits Houston Streets during No Kings Protest (Lana Shadwick and Bob Price/Breitbart Texas)
The inflatables are organized under “Operation Inflation” as an effort to deflate the tension at potentially violent protests. Organizers seek to “inflate the good vibes.”
Since the viral frog-spraying incident in Portland, sales of inflatable frog costumes on Amazon soared to more than 800 in a single month, according to WKYC.
The frog has become the mascot for Operation Inflation. Other characters and their roles include:
- Chickens — used to mock perceived cowardice or authoritarianism
- Unicorns and Dragons — symbolizing fantasy and radical joy
- Sharks, Ducks, Squids, and Dinasaurs — called whimsical characters to lighten the mood
- Additionally, other cartoon characters are utilized to defuse tension and draw attention to the protests.
Many of these inflatable characters were seen on Saturday across Texas and the entire nation during more than 2,500 No-Kings protests.
The protest remained peaceful throughout the day. However, a small contingent of Antifa anarchists was observed on the outskirts of the protest area. A blanket with projectiles was observed nearby.
Antifa contingent on the outskirts of the protest. (Lana Shadwick/Breitbart Texas)
Following the speeches, protesters were directed to the streets where they marched for several blocks. Organizers encouraged them to “walk slowly, very slowly.”
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She is a trial lawyer specializing in family law and criminal defense in East Texas. Previously, she served as a Texas prosecutor and family court associate judge in Harris County, Texas.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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