PETOSKEY — Waving handmade signs and American flags, an estimated 1,500 people gathered in downtown Petoskey on Saturday, June 14, for the No Kings Day protest.
The local demonstration was organized by NoMi Indivisible founders BriAnna and Mark Weinmann, in coordination with nationwide protests opposing President Donald Trump’s administration.
The protest began under the clock tower in Bayfront Park, where former Democratic congressional candidate Callie Barr delivered a speech to the crowd.
“Our democracy has been co-opted by the wealthiest class in human history,” Barr said. “Enough is enough. We refuse to be pawns in a game with people who have never known what it feels like to need.”
Barr, who ran last fall in Michigan’s 1st District but lost to Republican incumbent Jack Bergman, urged participants to reclaim the values of American democracy.
“We refuse to be ruled by one,” she said. “This government belongs to us.”
After the speech, demonstrators marched to the intersection of U.S. 31, Mitchell Street and East Lake Street where they lined the sidewalks, chanting and holding signs. Calls of “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here” were made. One protester walked through the crowd shouting, “Show me what democracy looks like” as the crowd responded, “This is what democracy looks like.” Some drivers passing by honked in support.
Organizers said the event far surpassed expectations.
“At our April 5 event, we had about 150 people sign up online, and almost 800 actually showed up,” BriAnna said. “Today was way bigger.”
The Weinmanns launched NoMi Indivisible in the wake of the 2016 election, motivated by what they described as a need to take action and educate their Northern Michigan community.
“We felt penned up watching it all happen and just wanted to do something,” Mark said. “We’ve hosted Zoom calls, brought in lawyers to explain legislation like the SAFE Act and created opportunities to help people get informed and involved.”
While both have full-time jobs — Mark as a web developer and BriAnna in human resources — they say building community and encouraging civic engagement has become a central focus.
“We’re just hoping to give people that stepping stone,” BriAnna said. “We don’t want to be the face of the movement — we want everyone to be part of it.”
Some attendees traveled hours to take part. Diane and Rick Bannister made the two-hour drive from Glen Arbor.
“It’s hard to know what we can do sometimes, but this felt like something,” Diane said.
For the Bannisters, concerns around immigration enforcement and the broader erosion of democratic norms drove their participation.
While the demonstration remained peaceful, organizers acknowledged the lingering anxiety that can come with public protest.
“There’s always that small fear,” Mark said. “But we believe there’s power in numbers, and that’s what we saw here today.”
More information about NoMi Indivisible can be found at nomiindivisible.org.
— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at 231-675-0099 and adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: ‘No Kings Day’ protest draws large crowd to downtown Petoskey
Reporting by Annie Doyle, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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