May Day Protests Come to the Coachella Valley Today

May Day protests are taking shape across the country Friday, May 1, and the Coachella Valley is joining in. Organizers say more than 3,000 events are planned nationwide as part of the No Kings Movement, making it what they're calling the largest coordinated action since No Kings Day earlier this year.

Groups including Democrats of the Desert, Indivisible of the Desert, labor organizations, and community allies are asking supporters to skip work, skip school, and skip shopping today as a show of economic solidarity. The rallies are focused on workers' rights, immigration policy, and what organizers describe as unchecked corporate influence in government. "The rich are getting richer while everyday working people struggle to pay for gas, groceries, and basic healthcare," organizers wrote ahead of the events.

Two official valley events are planned. The first is this morning at The River shopping center on Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage, running from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. The second runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the corner of Highway 111 and Monroe Avenue in Indio. Both events are organized under the banner "Workers Over Billionaires."