Thousands gathered on the Lafitte Greenway lawn for the nationwide "No Kings 2.0" protest against what organizers described as the "authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration."

See coverage of No Kings events in the northshore , Baton Rouge , Lafayette and Shreveport.

Jazz trumpeter Kermit Ruffins kicked off the rally with renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful" as an American flag-waving crowd sang solemnly along, some dressed as ducks, unicorns and Pokémon, others wearing Statue of Liberty headdresses or keffiyehs.

"What is our objective? To defend the Constitution from those who think they are above it," said speaker Alanah Odoms, executive director for ACLU Louisiana. "You know why? Because we have a Constitution, not

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