‘We are hardworking people.’ Hundreds in Clovis protest Trump at ‘No Kings’ rally
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Clovis rally drew an estimated 600–1,000 residents protesting Trump’s immigration policies
- Demonstrators cited immigration policies, healthcare cuts and threats to democracy.
- The local protest joined a national wave of No Kings actions in over 2,500 cities.
Clovis residents have taken to the streets protesting President Donald Trump’s agenda and immigration treatment on Saturday morning, Oct. 18, joining the renewed wave of nationwide “No Kings Day” demonstrations.
Protesters gathered on the east side of Clovis Avenue and Shaw Avenue, along the Clovis Old Town Trail, chanting and holding up handmade signs and posters. The rally was energetic and lively, and peaceful.
Many drivers passing by honked and cheered in solidarity. Some yelled “Trump” out of their windows and flipped off protesters.
Singleton Papendick, a Clovis mom, organized the demonstration and expects crowds to reach 600 to 1,000 people. By 10 a.m., the block was filled with demonstrators drawing people from across the city, including first-time protesters, immigrant families, republicans and longtime residents.
“The number one thing for me, and from what a lot of people who I’ve talked to have discussed, is exercising our free speech, the First Amendment right,” Papendick said. “To peacefully assemble is huge, and I feel like right now this administration is attacking and using not truthful rhetoric about who is trying to get out and protest and speak their minds.”
First time protesters, Republicans, immigrant families attend protest
Alice Roman, 75, attended the Clovis No Kings demonstration as a first time protester, she said.
“I’m very scared of where our democracy is going right now,” Roman said. “It’s being destroyed. I fear for the future, for my children.”
Previously in her life, she was one to sit back and listen, she said, but now she has decided to take action and speak up against the current administration.
Isabella Mendoza joined the demonstration to protest the treatment of immigrants as someone who has immigrant family members.
One of Mendoza’s top issues with President Trump is “badmouthing us and acting like we are all criminals coming in here to ruin America, but we are hardworking people,” she said.
She also fears that her brother, who is currently going through treatment for cancer, will not be able to receive his treatment because of government healthcare cuts.
Catherine Latona attended the No Kings protest back in June as a first-time protester and came back for the second wave.
“As a Republican, I am fed up,” Latona said.
Latona owns a local pool service in town and came out to protest the economy under the Trump administration, as well as the treatment of minorities, she said.
Clovis protest is one of over 2,500
The rally in Clovis is one of more than 2,500 protests planned across all 50 states, putting it on track to surpass the demonstrations held earlier this year. Nearby No Kings protests also took place in Fresno, Hanford and Three Rivers.
The protests take their name to declare that America has no kings. “The president thinks his rule is absolute,” the group’s website says. “We won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.”
Demonstrators on Oct. 18 have gathered to protest what organizers say are attacks on American freedoms under the Trump administration, including immigration crackdowns across the country.
“His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities,” the group’s website says. “They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants.”
The first round of No Kings protests took place in more than 1,500 cities across all 50 states on June 14, mobilizing millions of people.
Those demonstrations were held on the same day as a military parade celebrating the United States Army’s 250th anniversary, also coinciding with President Trump’s birthday.
This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 10:46 AM.