Oakland is ready for Saturday's protest despite earlier violence, Mayor Barbara Lee says

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- On Saturday, hundreds of cities across the country will take part in the No Kings protest, aimed at sending a message to President Donald Trump.

Stewart Chen will be the opening speaker in Oakland.

"He is ruling our country, iron clad. And that's why the march, the peaceful march," Chen said.

The No Kings protest is in response to Trump's $100 million military parade and birthday celebration, which is funded by taxpayers. It also touches on other White House policies, such as the current L.A. protests around immigration.

Oakland's mile-long march starts at the Wilma Chan Park in Chinatown and ends at City Hall.

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"To honor the legacy of Wilma Chan, her advocacy for immigrants, it was an honor for me to carry on this legacy, to go through Chinatown to lead this march," Chen said.

When asked if Oakland is ready for the No Kings protest this weekend, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee responded: "Oakland is ready."

Lee said the city is working with the police department to prepare for Saturday. She praised the protesters but warns of things getting out of hand, though she didn't elaborate on the consequences when asked.

"What is taking place here, in America, is very undemocratic, and we have a right to protest through our first amendment rights. But we don't have a right to allow violence, destruction of property," Lee said.

Scenes from Tuesday night in Oakland show how an anti-ICE protest ended with a business burglarized and a car set on fire. That's already raising concerns for Oakland police about Saturday.

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"Often times, these protests tend to get hijacked by people that come into the crowd and become disruptive," said Sgt. Huy Nguyen, president of the Oakland Police Officers' Association.

Nguyen said he is confident OPD can handle Saturday's march. But, he adds, this kind of violence impacts Oakland's business.

That's something Neena Joiner knows all about. Last July, she closed both her downtown Oakland shops, in part, due to crime and economic challenges the city faces. She believes this isn't OPD's problem alone.

"This is also a method for us to police ourselves. Police can't come in and go 1 to 25 against people who are stealing. But the customers can actually do this. The customers can say, 'We are not standing for this anymore,'" Joiner said.