SOUTH BEND — The Michiana Alliance for Democracy plans to hold a “No Kings 2” demonstration from noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Jon R. Hunt Memorial Plaza in front of the Morris Performing Arts Center, 211 N. Michigan St.
It’s one of nine “No Kings 2” protests planned for the South Bend area in what national organizer Indivisible bills at its website for the protests as “a peaceful national day of action and mass mobilization” under the banner of “No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.”
“The president thinks his rule is absolute,” the national website says about the protests organized in response to recent actions by President Donald Trump and his administration. “But in America, we don’t have kings and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.”
The South Bend demonstration will begin with a program lasting 30-45 minutes of speakers, a choir and what organizers with Michiana Alliance for Democracy characterize as “calls to action.” That will be followed by attendees lining Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to display their protest signs to passing motorists.
As of Monday night, Oct. 13, Michiana Alliance for Democracy spokesperson Carrie Bowie said via email, the organization had received RSVPs from 600 people.
On June 14, more than 5 million people attended “No Kings” demonstrations nationwide, including between 4,000 and 5,000 people at the South Bend event.
Michiana Alliance for Democracy will collect food donations of non-perishables Oct. 18 for Portage Township’s Portage Pantry. At the June 14 “No Kings” demonstration, the organization collected more than 1,000 pounds of food and $550 in cash for the pantry, Bowie said.
Both the South Bend and national No Kings websites stress the non-violent intent of organizers at the demonstrations.
“We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events,” the websites say. “Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.”
The Indy Star published a guide Monday, Oct. 13 to protesters’ rights and limitations.
Free parking is available weekends on downtown streets and in the city’s three parking garages, the Leighton Garage at 109 W. Jefferson Blvd., the Main and Colfax Garage at 126 N. Main St. and the Wayne Street Garage at 121 E. Wayne St.
‘No Kings 2’ planned nationwide
An estimated 2,500 “No Kings 2” rallies are planned in all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C.; the American territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; Mexico; and several European countries.
According to the Indy Star, “No Kings 2” events are planned in more than 30 cities and towns in Indiana.
In a press release, the Michiana Alliance for Democracy, a member of the Indivisible network, says “No Kings 2” serves as a demand for “an end to the Trump administration’s attacks on civil rights, immigrant families, and democratic institutions.”
At the websites for both the South Bend event and the national Indivisible network, organizers list several grievances protesters have with the Trump administration, including references to the following:
● “warrantless arrests” by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement
● “the systematic dismantling of services like health care, public education, and environmental protection”
● attempts to deploy military personnel to U.S. cities, including Chicago and Portland, Oregon
● mid-decade redistricting efforts, including in Indiana
● the suggestion by Trump and members of the administration that Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act
The local organization’s website also says it is committed to “defending freedom of speech as a fundamental human right” and “a cornerstone of any vibrant and democratic society.”
Michiana Alliance for Democracy’s website adds that although “freedom of speech protects unpopular or controversial opinions, it also carries a responsibility: to use our voices in ways that promote understanding, truth, and progress.”
Republican response
Pushback against “No Kings 2” has come from several Trump administration officials and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).
As USA Today reported Tuesday, Oct. 14, Johnson, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have all accused Senate Democrats of refusing to approve a continuing resolution to end the government shutdown that began Oct. 1 until after the Oct. 18 protests in a bid to placate Democratic supporters.
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas also has made similar accusations, while adding without evidence that billionaire and Democratic supporter George Soros is paying protesters to attend the “No Kings 2” events, USA Today reported in the same story.
On Oct. 10, Indivisible responded to Johnson with the following statement:
“Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down. Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.”
Where are other area ‘No Kings 2’ events?
The map on Indivisible’s “No Kings” website lists the following “No Kings 2” events in the South Bend area on Oct. 18:
● Elkhart: 10 a.m. to noon at Elkhart Civic Plaza, 350 S. Main St.
● LaPorte: noon to 2 p.m. CT at the LaPorte County Courthouse, 813 Lincolnway
● Plymouth: 10 a.m. to noon at River Park Square, 112 Water St.
● Warsaw: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the corner of Center and Detroit streets
● Warsaw: 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Warsaw Community Public Library, 310 E. Main St.
● Niles: 3 to 4 p.m. at the corner of Second and Main streets
● Cassopolis: 1 to 2 p.m. at Cass County Government Offices, 120 N. Broadway
● St. Joseph: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Park and Main streets
For more information, visit nokings.org and madindivisible.org.
Email Tribune staff writer Andrew S. Hughes at ahughes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend and surrounding area to hold 9 ‘No Kings 2″ rallies. Here’s what to know.
Reporting by Andrew S. Hughes, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
