Walker Ladd had lived in Los Angeles during the first Trump administration, but on Saturday, she joined more than 670 others in downtown Mobile for her first protest against the president, this time in one of the most conservative states in the country.

“Democrats or Republicans, it doesn’t matter,” Ladd said as she walked along Government Street toward Mardi Gras Park, where the rally was held. “We are being visible and to be opposed and speak out on what we see that is happening.”

A college professor, Ladd added, “This is an opportunity for us to come together.”

The group of mostly progressive organizations gathered for a second time in less than a month in downtown Mobile, as part of a nationwide protest movement against President Donald Trump and policies labeled by protestors as either anti-democratic or fascist. But the protest movement turned a bit more toward gathering groups together to begin formulating action plans.

The protests on Saturday in Mobile and beyond were called “No Kings.” They were part of hundreds of events opposing Trump’s administration that occurred in cities nationwide to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The military conflicts ignited the American Revolutionary War in 1775.

The day of protesting was organized by the non-profit group 50501, and took place in major cities like New York and Boston, but also in smaller cities like Mobile. In Alabama, the other No Kings protest occurred in Birmingham.

In Mobile, speakers and demonstrators cited a range of concerns, including the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the lack of oversight by the GOP-controlled Congress.

The speeches and chants also came a day after the League of Women Voters declared the country in a “constitutional crisis,” which was also acknowledged by speakers.

Yolanda Carreras, speaking on behalf of Latino United Mobile, said that migrants are fearful of being arrested under the current political landscape.

“The immigrant community is in fear of being deported,” she said. “We hear stories about legal U.S. citizens being arrested. Even those who are legal, are (fearful of) getting arrested. Please ask what you can do for them.”

The crowd that gathered at Mardi Gras Park to listen to the speeches was mostly white in a city where the majority of residents are Black.

Betty Mack Shine, a fourth-generation Mobile resident wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, was the only Black resident to speak at the rally.

“It’s y’all’s problem now,” Shine said, referring to the concerns over Trump’s presidency to the white audience. “When they told you what kind of man (Trump) was, you paid no attention.”

She said the “yelling and hollering” at protests won’t make an impact on the current administration. She said that to make an impact, the protest movement will have to affect people’s pocketbooks.

But ultimately, Shine said “its going to be all right” to her progressive friends.

“I’ve spoken to too many people saying ‘he’s taken over,’” she said. “But I can wake up in the morning. He’s just a man. He’s a stupid and hate-filled man at that.”

Maura Mandyck, organizer with Indivisible Mobile, said she was pleased to see a number of progressive groups show up and was hopeful of bringing them together for future events. The next protest is tentatively scheduled for early May.

“It feels good to get out here and protest but we want to turn it into action,” she said. “We have some work to do.”

The group handed out brochures with information that included safety tips for attending protests, how to keep information safe and private online, and how to go about protesting from home.

The No Kings protest and rally slightly exceeded the numbers of those who gathered on April 5 in downtown Mobile, as part of the nationwide “Hands Off” protests. Those protests primarily focused on the “liberation day” tariffs Trump had just announced, billionaire Elon Musk’s power within the Trump administration, and concerns from organizers about attacks on democratic institutions.

Mandyck said she wants to maintain a “welcoming message” for Mobile gatherings. Thus far, the gatherings have not drawn counterprotests.

“It’s not us against anyone,” she said. “But we want people to understand there are more of us who think this way. I keep saying and (New Jersey) Senator Cory Booker says that it’s about the fate of our nation. I cannot think of any American who can’t be invested in that cause.”