Activists to rally throughout Michigan to protest parade, Trump policies
Throughout Michigan, groups are set to gather Saturday to protest various Trump administration policies and to draw attention from a military parade and festival in Washington, D.C., celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary.
Rallies are scheduled throughout metro Detroit and dozens of other cities in the state, from Midland to Muskegon and Milan to Marquette. An estimated 2,000 protests under the No Kings banner are expected nationwide.
Protest arrests began Friday in Washington, D.C., with Capitol Police taking dozens of people demonstrating against the parade into custody on the steps of the Capitol, according to news reports and social media posts.
That protest, news reports said, was organized by Veterans for Peace.
In Michigan, No Kings protest organizers said their largest protests in metro Detroit will be in Detroit, from 1-4 p.m., at 1130 Clark Ave.; Ferndale, 1-3 p.m., at 9 Mile and Woodward; and Troy from noon-4 p.m. at Rochester and Big Beaver.
Elsewhere in the state, the big rallies are expected to be in Lansing, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Michigan State Capitol; Grand Rapids, 10-11:30 a.m. at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, and then noon-2 p.m., at Rosa Parks Circle; and Traverse City, noon-3 p.m. at F and M Park.
Saturday, on WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), Michigan's political leaders called for peaceful protests. Attorney General Dana Nessel and the head of the Michigan Republican Party, Jim Runestad, a state senator from White Lake, urged groups to avoid violence.
Protesting has long been a part of American history, going back to the Boston Tea Party.
Saturday's protests — which No Kings organizers have said are intended to be peaceful and have steered clear of the capital — are coming on the heels of violence in Los Angeles and the president's repeated calls for law and order.
In some states, officials are preparing for the demonstrations by beefing up law enforcement's presence, and in two states — Texas and Missouri — readying National Guard troops in case violence breaks out.
Activists point out that the military parade with thousands of troops and tanks coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, and warn that crackdowns appear to be moving America toward authoritarianism.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Activists to rally throughout Michigan to protest parade, Trump policies
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