No Kings (Torrance, CA, October 18, 2025)

I've already written extensively about the overall story and impact of the October 18, 2025 No Kings nationwide day of defiance against the Trump regime. What I'm going to do here is to put all of my focus on the No Kings event I personally attended, in Torrance, CA for people the South Bay Area of greater Los Angeles.

What is LA's South Bay?

I also mentioned this last time, because not everyone who reads this is familiar with Southern California geography. My local No Kings event — like the last few protests I took part in, organized by many of the same groups — was situated in front of city hall in Torrance, CA, a spot just a few miles from my home in Redondo Beach. It was meant to represent the whole of the South Bay... coastal and coast-adjacent cities southwest of DTLA that includes the Beach Cities (Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach), Torrance, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, other local cities like Carson, Gardena, Lawndale, Lomita, and nearby LA neighborhoods like Harbor City and San Pedro.

This area — where I've spent most of my life since 1975 — spans a wide range of income groups, racial makeups, national backgrounds, political outlooks, and more. It also accounts for nearly a half million people. It's not an insignificant populace, and a good portion of people here lead active lifestyles and are hard workers. And we care about the world around us. At least most of us seem to. I love it here, and always have.

Arrival

Both Kat and I were very much aware that this was going to be a big event. Bigger than the previous ones, which were wildly successful in their own right. But that hypothesis became reality when we pulled up to the parking area near Maple and Maricopa. Previous events — even the big ones, like the last No Kings — still had plenty of parking in that massive lot.

But yesterday, on October 18, the lot was 4/5ths full when we arrived early. And as we pulled up, the streets — again, still 15 minutes before the official start — were already packed full of sign-wielding protestors on both sides of Torrance Boulevard, stretching for a half mile.

Size Matters

Right from the start, I knew that the October 18 No Kings event in Torrance was at least twice as big as the previous one, and my suspicions were confirmed later that night when the official attendance number was delivered by Beach Cities Democrats. They had the Torrance No Kings attendance at 40,000 people. That's not a typo. It's twice as many people as could fit in Crypto Arena where the Lakers play. It was fucking huge. It was — with zero doubt — the largest single protest action in the history of the South Bay. I am proud to have been a small part of it.

Why is the crowd size important? Very simple: it's a tangible indicator of the energy that the populace has to get out and force change. Think of it this way: for every person who physically attended these events, there were at least twice as many (if not way more) who supported it, but couldn't make it out for various valid reasons. And the huge majority of the people are voters.

Coming into some special elections in a few weeks, and with the 2026 Midterm national election in just over 12 months, the more people who are energetic and engaged, the higher the voter turnout will be. And make no mistake: while we come from varied backgrounds and have our own priorities on what to fix and when, our one and only united goal is to flip the House and Senate in 2026. That will effectively neuter Trump, and many of the cruel and often illegal programs he has in place can be rescinded and defunded. It matters a lot.

Festive Local Vibe, Huge Local Support

I know — because I spoke to them in person — it was the first time protesting for a good chunk of our crowd in Torrance. They couldn't have picked a better occasion to hit the streets. The 40,000 people spanned every demographics... old, young, kids, teens, seniors, Gen Z, Gen X, Millennials, Boomers. Our Torrance crowd was predominantly white, which makes sense given both the racial makeup of the area as a whole, and the fact that people of color have been unfairly targeted by Trump's gestapo troops.

But not only was there no violence — and extremely few incidences of any counterprotesting — but the event itself had the vibe of a fun block party. Music playing. People dancing. Laughter. Smiles. Hugs. Conversations among friends, old and new. All I saw for the duration of the No Kings event in Torrance was positivity and enthusiasm. If you don't understand why that's important, nothing I can write here will help you.

I'll add that the constant din of car horns from people driving by and cheering was literally deafening at times. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see a single negative reaction the entire day on Torrance. Just waves and fists up and thumbs up and horns blaring. It was glorious.

Why Wasn't No Kings More Serious?

It was actually perfect exactly as it was. See, the authoritarian fascist only knows how to respond to violence. That's something they truly understand. Just look at January 6, 2021, when they had their failed coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol. So it's their expectation that all protests have that same mindset. Throwing bottles and bricks, setting fires, pushing, shoving, trampling. Destruction of property and injury to lives.

Guess what they don't understand? Joy. Positivity. Exuberance. And the one thing that really, truly hurts them is ridicule. Why do you think that people appearing in absolutely silly inflatable costumes has become an icon of this moment? Because when federal troops showed up in Portland, they wanted to show streets in chaos, filled with violent crime. Instead, they had to view a benevolent blow-up frog. And then try and pass off said frog as being threatening... and looking like utter fools in the process.

So when I was at the Torrance No Kings event and saw inflatable raccoons, unicorns, sharks, ponies, and dinosaurs. There were the usual chants and whatnot, as there should be. It's not meant to be a party. But the upbeat feel of people coming together across the whole country permeated the event. And that is what left the MAGA world feeling so deflated. Their entire narrative of No Kings protests being filled with violent thugs became a punch line.

What's Next?

A few things. First, I can't say it enough, make sure you Californians vote Yes on Proposition 50. You can return your ballot any time in the mail or via ballot drop boxes. If you need to vote in person, fine: the special election is on November 4. Don't miss it. This is crucial.

Second is that people are asking for more events like No Kings, and it's important to note that important local events happen all the time. If you want to become more aware of opportunities for social activism near you, check out the following...

• Indivisible
• 50501
• MoveOn
• Mobilize
• Our Revolution
• And many more... feel free to ask me in the comments!

Looking forward to seeing many No Kings folks at the next event, and the next elections, all the way through to 2028 and beyond!

Random News: October 19, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

---

Good morning. It’s October 19, 2025, and it’s a Sunday. For obvious reasons, I’m enjoying a much more leisurely morning than I was able to yesterday. Slept in a little bit (which for me means 7:30am), and currently enjoying a fresh cup of Peet’s Brazil while ensconced in my bathrobe. That’s a Sunday vibe, man.

• Before we even start to talk about the details, I want to thank everyone who reads this little collection of news chunks every day and who took part in any way in yesterday’s No Kings day of national defiance.
• And by “in any way,” I mean that. Whether you got out in the streets, or helped spread the word, or drove by honking and waving, you were part of what made it so successful.
• And I want to give the biggest kudos of all to the ones who protested for the first time in their lives. I’ve seen hundreds of posts from such people, and the best part is that I knew how energized and enthused and heart-warmed they’d be once they got out there.
• And then they were.
• I’m going to write a whole-ass report on the No Kings event I attended for Los Angeles’ South Bay area in Torrance, CA, and I’ll do give the details there of my personal experiences.
• But it was easily the largest local protest action I’ve seen by miles and miles, and I’ve been to a bunch. According to the Beach Cities Democrats organization, we had 40,000 people at No Kings in my “sleepy” area of LA. Doesn’t seem too sleepy now, does it?
• But let’s instead look at No Kings as a whole.
• It was — according to multiple sources — the largest day of protest against a U.S. president in history, with more than seven million people out in the streets.
• Let’s point out that each of the mass anti-Dump, anti-fascism mobilizations has grown massively, starting with Hands Off on April 5 which had some three million participants, and then the first No Kings on June 14 which had over five million.
• But with well over 7,000,000 at yesterday’s events, the No Kings of October 18 was collectively one of the largest demonstrations in the history of the USA.
• The huge majority of the nearly 3,000 individual events were completely peaceful. NYPD issued a statement that with well over 100,000 people participating, they didn’t have to make a single arrest.
• Keep in mind that the Republicans were spinning the events beforehand as “hate America rallies” — something they could relate to, I suppose — the vibe at nearly every one of the events was extraordinarily positive and peaceful.
• You see, Republicans understand hatred and violence. They know how to react to that and use it for their own goals. But joy and positivity? That scares the fuck out of them.
• As does the trie patriotic American people reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.
• At every rally I saw, there were a huge number of U.S. flags. I’m pretty sure these were all “love America” events. The hate comes from the Republicans who are becoming aware that we’re taking this country back from them.
• And we’re just getting started.
• Katie Bethell, the executive director of MoveOn, said it well. "The millions of people protesting are centered around a fierce love for our country. A country that we believe is worth fighting for.”
• Many news services compared the events to festive street parties, and that’s accurate.
• I want to quickly acknowledge some of the absolutely massive demonstrations in places like Chicago, Boston, D.C., Seattle, New York, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and other large cities.
• This seemed extremely well run considering how huge they were. Some of them individually hosted a quarter million people.
• But the even more impressive (to me) No Kings events were those in red states, and in small towns scattered across the country.
• There were huge No Kings events in Florida. In Texas. In Idaho. In North Carolina. And not just in the big cities of those red states. There were reports of town with a population of a thousand people, and hundreds of them showing up for the event.
• One sentiment I read over and over was that people had no idea that they weren’t alone in their feelings about Dump and his horror show government.
• These folks live in places that are assumed to be 100% MAGA. And then yesterday morning, they were to their local park or town center and found dozens — even hundreds — of people who felt that same way they do.
• For many, it was a very emotional moment. And all over the country in areas both red and blue, when the first-timers arrived and then saw and felt the overwhelming wave of support from the huge crowds and the surrounding community… I’ve seen many posts about people tearing up.
• So here’s something I want you to consider: for each of the 7+ million people physically in the streets, how many were there who were 100% supportive, but were unable to be out there?
• The list is long. People who had to work. People who had childcare and other responsibilities. Those physically unable to stand and/or march. People unable to get transportation to attend an event in person. Those who have fears about being in public or in large crowds. There are many.
• And most of all, people — immigrants, brown people, Black people, gay people, people living in violently MAGA areas, people who could lose jobs by being seen there — who felt they might be in danger by participating directly, but support the message of No Kings with every ounce of their soul.
• So no matter how big No Kings felt, the actual impact is far larger. And here’s what’s going to happen.
• We’re going to take that same festive energy and the newfound confidence of many of you, and we’re going to turn it into all manner of tangible action.
• There are crucial elections happening in a few parts of the country in less than a month. And in barely over a year, we’re going to make the 2026 Midterm national election the largest non-presidential election in the history of the country.
• We’re going to register voters. We’re going to take this level of excitement and positivity to the voting booth. We’re going to flip the House and maybe even the Senate to being under Democratic control.
• And by doing so, we’re going to neuter Donnie Dump. He will have no budget to pay for his ICE goons or his concentration camps. He will get zero legislation passed, and nominees approved. And he and his team will be under immediate congressional investigation for the illegal acts of cruelty committed thus far.
• He will be powerless for the remainder of his term. It will be glorious. And you — yes, you — are going to be part of that process.
• Don’t let anyone tell you that yesterday’s No Kings didn’t matter. And if they do say so, there’s only one appropriate response.
• Laugh at their sad, frightened asses. Those people are scared as fuck today.
• Okay, let’s move on.
• We briefly mentioned that on Friday, Republican and former national security adviser John Bolton was criminally indicted by Dumpy on federal charges pertaining to the alleged mishandling of classified information.
• While it’s easy to see why this instance of Dump prosecuting one of his political enemies  could be lumped in with the other recent high-profile indictments of James Comey and Leticia James, the situation with Bolton is very different.
• Bolton’s alleged misconduct is both more serious and appears to have occurred over a significant period of time.
• While Dump is absolutely now going after fellow-Republican Bolton for reasons of revenge, the investigation on Bolton was started by the Biden administration.
• During his time as Dump's national security adviser, Bolton put the country at risk by improperly retaining and transmitting classified information to family members using insecure means, including AOL.
• And yes, some of the documents were labeled top secret. So if that shit is true and provable, Bolton needs to answer for it.
• Let’s move on with a note for the International Desk…
• Hey, how’s that Dumpy ceasefire going in the Middle East?
• Not great. Today, Israel carried out several strikes on Gaza after saying its troops came under fire from militants in a violation of the ceasefire, the first major test of the US-brokered truce.
• An Israeli military official said Hamas attacked Israeli forces in Rafah in southern Gaza with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire, prompting Israel to carry out strikes in the area.
• Again, according to Israel, Hamas fired towards Israeli forces in three separate incidents today. And then hospitals and witnesses reported at least eight people were killed in Israeli strikes in several other parts of Gaza.
• That supposed truce began nine days ago, and I’m glad that it allowed the release of Israeli hostages as well as Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
• But not a day has gone by that there hasn't been some fighting, and today’s incidents are the most serious yet.
• Sigh.
• One other quick note, this one from the Health Desk…
• Does it seem to you that an extraordinary number of food contamination events have been happening lately?
• In the most recent, frozen meals served to students across the United States as part of federally-funded school breakfast and lunch programs may be contaminated with listeria and have been recalled, officials announced yesterday. 
• The recall applied to approximately 91,585 pounds of prepackaged breakfast burritos and wraps, manufactured by the California company M.C.I. Foods between September 17 and October 14, per the USDA. 
• That food is distributed to low-income students around the country as part of the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs, which the Department of Agriculture administers. The breakfast program served more than 14 million children in 2016, and close to 30 million children participated in the lunch program in 2019.
• The good news: there are no confirmed reports of illnesses tied to the recalled products. The agency said it recalled those products after the manufacturer discovered listeria while conducting routine testing on egg ingredients from its external suppliers.
• But I’d say overall, be careful what you eat. Multiple listeria outbreaks have been reported just this month.
• One impacted meal kits from the food subscription service HelloFresh and another forced the recall of nearly 245,000 pounds of precooked pasta, which contaminated dozens of different products sold in grocery stores nationwide.
• Ugh. Ain’t no one got time for that.
• And now, The Weather: “The Middle” by Home Star
• From the Sports Desk… yesterday was an uncharacteristically quiet day in the pro sports world as of late. Today will not be.
• In addition to Game 6 of the ALCS between Seattle and Toronto, we have a full slew of NFL Sunday games.
• I’ll note that the NBA season has begun, and my Los Angeles Lakers are (checks notes) in last place in the entire Western Conference at 1-5.
• Maybe we’ll wait until baseball ends to start checking NBA news.
• Today in history… King John of England dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry (1216). Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology (1512). John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States (1789). Austria cedes Veneto and Mantua to France, which immediately awards them to Italy in exchange for the earlier Italian acquiescence to the French annexation of Savoy and Nice (1866). Max Planck discovers Planck's law of black-body radiation (1900). Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University (1943). President Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes (1973). Black Monday has the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by 22%, 508 points (1987). Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity (2005). 
• October 19 is the birthday of activist John Woolman (1720), actress LaWanda Page (1920), actor Robert Reed (1932), singer-songwriter/musician Dave Guard (1934), illustrator Peter Max (1937), actor Michael Gambon (1940), singer-songwriter/guitarist Peter Tosh (1944), actor John Lithgow (1945), singer-songwriter/guitarist Patrick Simmons (1948), NBA player Joe Bryant (1954), politician Michael Steele (1958), boxer Evander Holyfield (1962), actor/director John Favreau (1966), animator Trey Parker (1969), actor Chris Kattan (1970), MLB player José Bautista (1980), singer-songwriter/bassist Thundercat (1984), and rapper Lil Durk (1992).

As I mentioned above, I’ll be doing a full report on my No Kings experience here in LA’s South Bay, and I’ll share that when it’s ready. For now, I should bathe and dress myself. Probably the right thing to do. Enjoy your day.

Hotel Chelsea (10.07.25)

Small crowd? How about big fun? That's a good tradeoff. Rocking Hotel Chelsea. Photo by Kat.

Greetings to you, oh reader. It is I, Zak Claxton, writing to you on a pretty Sunday afternoon in autumn, here for the alleged purpose of a report about my recent show on Tuesday October 7 at Hotel Chelsea in Second Life.

Wasn't That Like, Five Days Ago?

Why yes. Yes it was. You see, I've had a busy week at work, and there's a fascist takeover of the United States going on right now. These — and other aspects of life that compete for my time and attention — have prevented me from telling you about this show on a timely basis.

So while it was certainly not my intention to do so, the fact that I had to push back writing up this show report ended up having me find the time to do it today, which happens to be my and Kat Claxton's 19th rezday in Second Life. We were told about the platform the morning of October 12, 2006, and signed up together that very evening.

Happy Rezday!

Yes, thank you. I'll be the first to admit that while I was relatively hung-ho about SL for the first maybe 8-10 years of my involvement on the platform (which is a very long time in the land of any genre of virtual environment), my time spent in Second Life in more recent years has been almost entirely limited to when I go into world for my live music performances.

I'll be fast to say that I still have all the admiration in the world for people who build their rich social lives and share their extraordinary creativity in SL. I never have anything but good vibes in regard to my time in SL as a whole. My life — real or virtual — is always spread among a wide variety of responsibilities and pleasures. That means I simply don't have the time to spend dedicated to being in world as I once did.

Life in general — SL or otherwise — was a little more simple in 2006.

I had not, in fact, beat this game 19 years ago.

So I'll end this little section with the note that I am grateful to Second Life as a platform, but much more grateful for the excellent lifelong relationships I've built via people I've met there, and the opportunity to perform life music for thousands and thousands of people around the world for nearly two decades at this point.

A nice rezday message today from the Second Life people.

So, How Was That Show?

It was great... if you understand my definition of a great show. Like most live performers, I prefer a larger crowd, but I've had huge crowds where I've done shitty shows that left me frustrated and pissed off. This show, we just couldn't seem to grab the size of crowd that we usually get at Hotel Chelsea, but the show itself? Went great.

Look, I've been in SL for 19 years as of today. I've performed hundreds and hundreds (thousands?) of shows there over those 19 years. I'm far past the point of getting overly excited about well-attended shows, and even further from being upset at poorly-attended ones. Sometimes the world works in ways where you are not the top-level focus of attention at all times. Frankly, that's probably a good thing.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll rock just as well for three people as I will for 3,000. Sometimes even better. Photo by Kat.

And you know, I'd rather know that the folks who were there were enjoying the show than having a room filled with people who aren't actually engaged in what I'm doing onstage. Photo by Kat.

Hotel Chelsea set list...

Northern Sky (Nick Drake) 

Mad World (Tears for Fears)

Snakes And Ladders (They Stole My Crayon) 

Driven To Tears (The Police)

Long Time Gone (Crosby, Stills & Nash)

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young)

Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton) 

All You Fascists (Woody Guthrie)

Among the Leaves (Sun Kil Moon)

Swirl (Charlie Martin)

Pecan Pie (Golden Smog)

Mexico (James Taylor)

Loading Zones (Kurt Vile)

Man of Constant Sorrow (Traditional) 

Big thanks to the few hardcore fans who hung out for this one, including the following who helped support it!

Trouble Streeter, Kat Claxton, my terrific manager Maali Beck, Hotel Chelsea manager Shyla the Super Gecko, and Chelsea's great staff!