Coast to Coast: ‘No Kings’ and no CSUN students
Amid the national “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration on Saturday, an estimated 1,200 people showed up at the intersection of Nordhoff Street and Zelzah Avenue in Northridge to join the cause. Despite the proximity to the CSUN campus, the crowd was significantly lacking in students.
Protesters gathered at 11 a.m., primarily older generations, and took to the sidewalks to wave flags and hold signs opposing President Donald Trump’s recent actions.
“I did not expect this many people to come out,” said Dayauna Blevins, a student at Los Angeles Mission College. “I came before 12 and I was like ‘wow, they’re all up and down the street.’ I’ve never seen a protest this big in the valley, personally.”
Betty Toto, the lead organizer of the protest with Northridge Indivisible, said people showed up to challenge what she views as an attempted dictatorship from Trump. However, a majority were not CSUN students.
Toto was surprised by the low student turnout and said it’s important for college students to understand their need to fight for their rights.
“I specifically chose this location hoping that students would join us,” Toto said. “They really could have represented their university by showing up to this particular ‘No Kings.’”
Hawa Ghaus-Kelley, a faculty member at CSUN, also felt that student turnout was disappointing.
“I would have loved to see more students,” Ghaus-Kelley said. “We have like grandmas out here. We have children out here, babies out here…students need to rally. I don’t know why they’re not showing up.”
While younger protesters provided different theories as to why there were not as many CSUN students in attendance, all seemed to share one specific explanation — fear.
Madina Braish, a recent graduate of CSUN, hypothesized that work obligations contributed to the low student turnout, but also cited other reasons.
“I think there’s a lot of fear and negative stigma,” Braish said. “Some students might not be safe and I think they’re worried about that.”
Priyanka Philip, a senior studying animation at CSUN, acknowledged that she had only heard about the event through her church, which she attended the protest with.
In addition to listing midterms as a potential reason for low CSUN attendance, Philip addressed the common theory.
“There’s a lot of risk associated with coming to a protest and [students] don’t wanna put their academic careers at risk, perhaps,” she said.
Philip also said those who were able to attend were doing a service for the rest of the community.
“I think it’s important to be part of protests to give hope to people who may not be able to…or are too scared to go,” Philip said. “There is a community that supports the same things that they do and is hopeful for change. I think it emboldens people.”
One group at CSUN proudly showed support for the cause.
Members of Ballet Folklórico Aztlán de CSUN were practicing on campus for an upcoming show when they decided to join the protest.
Aracely Pedraza, Brenda De Dios, Carolina Cabrera and Veronica Parrales stood in front of the CSUN statue, waving their colorful skirts to honor their culture, which they felt intertwined with the protest.
“I think given the cultural context of the dance, it’s inherently political,” De Dios said. “Because of our background and where we come from, which is very much being targeted right now, it’s political.”
Pedraza added a similar notion.
“We came to support the protest because we’re all affected by it one way or another,” said Pedraza. “If it’s not directly targeted towards us, it’s targeted to our people or people we care about in our community.”
Parrales said that protesting is a way to show that, despite the administration’s efforts, they’re still here fighting for their place. De Dios added that it brings visibility and urged people to “fight the fear” and show up for their community.
Overall, the tone of the protest was that of people coming together despite trying times — and it doesn’t need to be grim.
Some attendees boasted unicorn inflatables, with others taking similarly humorous routes through clever sign artwork.
“Street theater makes it fun to come out,” said Clifford Tasner, president of the Southern California Chapter of Americans for Democratic Action. “People bring funny signs, they wear funny costumes and people say, ‘Wow, this is a festive environment.’”
Tasner took a humorous route himself through his use of satire. Boasting a “trillionaires for Trump” sign, Tasner aimed to make light of the situation.
“We need satire, we need to laugh, we need humor right now,” Tasner said. “I am here to provide succor for all the people putting their life on the line.”
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Oct. 19 for clarity.