Thousands form 'No Kings in the USA' human banner in Chandler

A Chandler high school student organized thousands of demonstrators to form a massive moving human banner, spelling out "

No Kings in the USA" from the sky as part of the nationwide No Kings Day protests against President Donald Trump. Nathan Taylortaft, 17, co-founder and co-director of East Valley Unite, coordinated the aerial display at a Chandler park on March 28. The crowd then marched and joined with thousands more, swelling the demonstration to more than 5,000 people, according to organizers.

The banner was more than four times the size of a similar one East Valley Unite organized in October, Taylortaft said. "

Our generation is fed up with the lies, violence, and lack of accountability with this administration," Taylortaft said in a news release.

“ICE has kidnapped our friends, but we're not scared. Schools have retaliated against our walkouts, but we're not afraid. The administration is trying to take away our future, but we're not intimidated.”

Arizona wasn't alone. In San Francisco, protesters packed Ocean Beach to form their own human banner in the sand, spelling out "

Trump must go now." The Chandler display was one of 79 No Kings demonstrations across Arizona, the fourth and largest nationwide day of protest of Trump's second term. Across the state, nearly 9,000 people protested across the northwest Valley, about 6,000 gathered in Old Town Scottsdale and more than 4,000 demonstrated in Tucson, according to organizers.

Some 3,500 marched past the state Capitol in downtown Phoenix in nearly 100-degree heat. Nationwide, organizers said at least 8 million people turned out at more than 3,300 demonstrations, up from 2,700 protests in October 2025 and 2,000 in June 2025. Protesters cited a range of grievances, including the war in Iran, the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and the release of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In Surprise, hundreds turned out specifically to protest the federal government's $70 million acquisition of a warehouse the administration plans to use as an ICE detention facility. Rey Covarrubias Jr. covers business and breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.