Michiganders primed to say 'No Kings' this Saturday at statewide protests
Anti-Trump protesters holding their signs in demonstration at the Hannah Administration Building at MSU on March 28, 2025. Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz
From Ironwood in the western Upper Peninsula to Adrian, near the Ohio border, more than 70 'No Kings Day' protests against President Donald Trump are planned in Michigan this Saturday.
Included in that list are larger demonstrations set for Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Kalamazoo, among more than 1,500 planned in cities across the nation to protest against 'authoritarian overreach and the gross abuse of power' which No Kings protest organizers say has been demonstrated by the Trump Administration.
The protests are timed to coincide with festivities scheduled in Washington D.C. to ostensibly celebrate the U.S. Army's 250th birthday, but also Trump's 79th birthday, with a military parade featuring nearly 7,000 soldiers, and 150 vehicles, including tanks and armored personnel carriers, as well as military flyovers from 50 aircraft.
Estimated to cost $45 million, the planned exhibition has drawn criticism as an ostentatious display at a time congressional Republicans have pushed through a budget plan that would gut federal safety net programs like Medicaid and food assistance, simultaneous to Trump's deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles over immigration protests.
'Rapid and widespread attacks against vulnerable members of our communities and those who voice political dissent, illegal and arbitrary arrests and deportations, antidemocratic acts of repression of free speech, and flagrant defiance of the courts demonstrate that the current administration stands in opposition to the founding principles of our nation,' organizers of Detroit's protest said in a statement.
Set to begin Saturday at 1 p.m. in Clark Park, Detroit's No Kings protest will feature U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), an outspoken critic of the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts and use of the military against civilian protestors in LA.
The Grand Rapids protest will start at 10 a.m in Ah-Nab-Awen Park, with speakers including City Commissioner Marshall Kilgore and Rev. Nathan Dannison of the Fountain Street Church.
'Local community organizations will have 'Take Action' stations providing attendees with specific actions to take,' organizers said in a release. 'This rally will also include family-friendly activities. We follow the principles of non-violence protests. Harassment and hate speech will not be tolerated.'
That same message was echoed earlier this week by state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), who along with state Rep. Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor), urged Michiganders to take part in the protests, but do so peacefully.
'Let me be crystal clear: We unequivocally condemn any violence. That has no place in our movement for peace and justice. Everyone should use their voice peacefully, but the Trump administration intentionally provoked the situation by sending a force of armed and armored agents to round up immigrant workers,' Pohutsky said.
Smaller municipalities are also holding protests, including in Republican-heavy areas like Livingston County, which has 'No Kings' protests planned at the Historic Courthouse in Downtown Howell and at the public amphitheatre adjacent to Brighton's Millpond.
The Brighton gathering will feature Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel and Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State.
Another of the larger No Kings protests is planned at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, which starts with a 'Kick Out the Clowns' rally at noon, followed by a sidewalk march around the Capitol and then a 'No Kings' carnival from 3-6 p.m.
'Participants are encouraged to bring signs and flags while they stand in solidarity against this abuse of taxpayer funds. Planned circus-themed activities will highlight the absurdity of the administration's self-aggrandizement and flagrant disregard for American laws and norms,' stated a release.
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