NO KINGS 2 RALLY

BY ALY KLEIDON

akleidon@record-eagle.com

AND TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

TRAVERSE CITY — Thousands gathered at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s administration and its policies at the “No Kings Day 2” rally.

Traverse Indivisible, together with other northern Michigan chapters of the non-profit organization, planned and promoted the local protest. It was part of rallies in more than 2,700 other cities and communities across the U.S and Michigan, including Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Bay City, Lansing and Detroit, according to wire reports.

Some protestors at these rallies held American flags and signs that read “power back to the people” and “No ICE – just like my whiskey.” Others wore inflatable animal suits and colonial three-cornered hats. Retired teachers and college students were joined by young families with children in tow.

Attendees who spoke with reporters said a range of issues that brought them together, from immigration arrests and federal funding cuts to what they felt were examples of rights at risk.

According to Indivisible’s national organizers, Saturday’s “day of action” tallied 450 more protests across the country than the first No Kings Day demonstrations on June 14, aimed at rejecting what Indivisible groups call the president’s “authoritarian” agenda.

Traverse Indivisible’s volunteer leader John DeSpelder said he was “thrilled” with Saturday’s turnout, estimated at several thousand people, despite the rain.

DeSpelder offered opening remarks and invited other community leaders to speak, including local interfaith organization SALT Coalition, local attorney and ACLU Michigan secretary Michael Naughton and state Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City.

Following the speeches, protesters marched along Front Street.

“Do you oppose fascism? Are you anti-fascist, America?” Coffia called out to the crowd, receiving positive responses and cheers. “Remind the people of this country how small these men are and how large we are. Build community; it matters.”

Coffia thanked protesters for their continued community work in her absence as she received care following surgery to remove a benign brain tumor in August. The state representative also received treatment for a rare cancer diagnosis unrelated to the tumor.

“No kings, just dancing queens,” Coffia urged the crowd to chant before ending her remarks with the popular ABBA musical track that

SEE RALLY PAGE 2

Protesters wave homemade signs and American flags as they listen to state Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City, speak at Saturday’s No Kings 2 march at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center in Traverse City.

Record-Eagle / Aly Kleidon

Above, State Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City, speaks to thousands of protesters gathered at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center Saturday for the national “No Kings Day 2” protest, hosted by Traverse Indivisible. Left, Traverse Indivisible volunteer leader John DeSpelder offers remarks to the crowd during Saturday’s “No Kings 2” protest at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center.

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launched into a dance break.

Protest attendees, the majority carrying printed and homemade signs expressing dissent against the administration, donned yellow for the rally and subsequent march.

Some counter-protesters parked near the march and exhibited a Trump 2024 flag.

In Congress last week, Republicans derided the No Kings protests against the Trump administration as the “I Hate America” rallies, suggesting that Democratic lawmakers were only trying to keep the government shut down until after the protests.

“I hope, after they have the ‘I hate America’ rally on Saturday, that some reasonable Democrats will stop being ruled by their Marxist left-wing arm of their party and come to their senses and open up the government for the American people,” said U.S. Rep. Lisa Mc-Clain of Bruce Township, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference.

Pushing back against that narrative, Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Holly led a group of Democratic members of Congress last week.

The group, which served in the military or, like Slotkin, in national security roles, called on veterans and others to show up “patriotically” and protest peacefully at their local No Kings rally on Saturday.

“We are all watching what President Trump is doing with the uniform military, using it to police American streets. ... We’ve seen this authoritarian playbook before in too many other countries,” Slotkin and the others said in a montage video.

“As people who have served, we think it’s important that we say something. ... Let’s exercise our freedoms and make clear that this is out of a deep sense of patriotism, love of country and collective desire to make our country better. ... Because this is our country, and we need to fight for it, because America ... has no king.”

Appearing in the video with Slotkin were Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of Arizona and U.S. Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Pat Ryan of New York, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire.

In Traverse City, rally organizers and local police officers tasked with public safety noted that Saturday’s event proceeded peacefully and everyone showed respect for the law.

Cedar residents Mike and Cara Durbin, who attended the protest and brought American flags and signs to the event, acknowledged their concerns about infringement on constitutional rights.

Durbin said he is a teacher with Traverse City Area Public Schools and believes “the Constitution and our freedom of speech have to be protected for everyone.”

In an interview Thursday before the protest, DeSpelder said the goal is to ensure community voices are heard and that residents have the opportunity to gather freely.

“We are not at the point where we’re talking about a Democrat winning over a Republican,” DeSpelder said. “We are talking about being civil, being respectful, being concerned about how our government conducts itself – both locally, nationally and worldwide.”

Protesters dance to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center during the “No Kings Day 2” rally in Traverse City.

Record-Eagle / Aly Kleidon