3 days ago
Will a ‘No Kings' anti-Trump protest take place next week in Tacoma?
Hundreds of protests are scheduled across the country on June 14 to coincide with a pricey military parade in Washington, D.C.
The 'No Kings Day' protests will take place on President Donald Trump's birthday as he throws a military parade with an estimated cost of $25 million to $40 million, according to Politico.
The protests against Trump are part of a national movement that has been gathering steam since his Jan. 20 inauguration.
'This is bigger than political disagreement,' notes a statement by organizers on their No Kings toolkit page. 'They've defied our courts, deported American citizens, disappeared people off the streets, and slashed our services — all while orchestrating a massive giveaway to their billionaire allies.'
The June 14 military parade has been framed as a celebration of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary of its founding. It is also Trump's 79th birthday. A festival at the National Mall will follow. Flights into Washington, D.C. will be halted during the event, according to multiple media reports.
There have been other events and celebrations for the Army so far this year, but nothing is advertised beyond June 14.
Reactions to the parade have been mixed, with some criticizing the optics, given the timing with Trump's birthday.
'Prior presidents have used military regalia to celebrate or mark other moments,' noted historian Joshua Zeitz, contributing editor at Politico Magazine in an interview with NPR. 'There are obviously military ceremonies that happen, for instance, at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day. There's a military presence at inaugurations. But that's very different from what we're doing here. This is something that you would expect to see in countries like North Korea or the old Soviet Union or today's Russia.'
The 'No Kings' event on June 14 is a direct response to the parade in D.C.
Organized by organizations Indivisible, 50501 and Stand Up America, there are about 1,500 protest rallies planned across the United States.
'Join us to reject Trump's authoritarian vision and to show the wanna-be king what democracy looks like,' note Indivisible organizers on their website.
There is no telling how many people will attend, but similar anti-Trump protests on April 19 under the 5051 banner drew 3 million people by Newsweek's estimate.
Washington state has over six dozen No Kings protests scheduled for June 14. You can search locations in this interactive map.
Here are the protest locations in Tacoma and Pierce County:
▪ Tacoma No Kings protest at People's Park at 900 M.L.K. Jr. Way
▪ Tacoma No Kings protest at The Defiant Goldfish at 5310 N. Pearl St.
▪ Gig Harbor No Kings Protest at Point Fosdick Drive and Olympic Drive
