This story was updated to add new information.
LANSING — Thousands gathered on the Michigan Capitol lawn on Saturday, June 14, for one of the No Kings demonstrations planned across the country to protest President Donald Trump’s administration.
Organizers had planned more than 1,800 events across all 50 states to protest Trump’s policies and the recent military response to ICE protests in Los Angeles. There were 70 protests scheduled throughout Michigan, including in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Alpena, Gaylord, Ironwood and Marquette.
Speeches began shortly after noon, following a memorial event for Ted Lawson, well-known in political circles for having worked on many election campaigns for Democrats before he was shot and killed on Oct. 8, 2023, while campaigning for a Lansing City Council candidate.
By 1:30 p.m., nearly the entire lawn on the east side of the Capitol was filled with people holding signs and waving American flags. Shortly after 2 p.m., the crowd began to march down Michigan Avenue before turning around near Cedar Street and returning.
Cherie Ferro of Okemos was among those in the crowd.
“It’s important that all across the country, and perhaps other places in the world, that people show up to voice their discontent,” she said, adding that she’s attended many protests and rallies and believes there are signs of momentum. She pointed to Republican elected officials like U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, who have not attended town halls held in their districts.
Ferro said she was particularly concerned about the Trump administration’s decisions regarding climate change.
Susan and Steve Swaton are retired teachers from Marshall. One reason they attended the protest is the changes made to school curriculums and cuts to education.
Steve Swaton said he taught U.S. history and was concerned over attempts to “whitewash” the nation’s history. He said it’s important to learn about all of the country’s past, “good, the bad and the ugly,” and learn from mistakes.
“But also — also — the resilience of people in this country, from slaves who got freedom, though it took a bloody war, to women getting the right to vote to Americans rallying around the idea of civil rights and ending the cruelties of Jim Crow,” he said. “You got to know about that stuff. It’s not all bad because you had people stepping up, risking their lives to make changes.”
Susan Swaton said this was their first protest of this kind, and they felt compelled to show up.
“There are so many cuts being made to research,” she said. “Cuts being to Medicaid. The human rights that are being taken away from people. It’s really scary how fast it’s happened, and if it keeps going in this direction, it’s just going to get so much worse.”
The crowd included at least a dozen American flags and hundreds of signs.
“I’m here for my grandkids,” read one sign near the Capitol steps. Others included “Liberty and Justice for All,” “No Kings! We are Free! USA,” “All the homies hate I.C.E.” and “We the People (with a crossed out crown).”
The Lansing rally was scheduled to go until 6 p.m., with speeches, conversations with politicians, games, street performers and other activities in the theme of a carnival “to highlight the absurdity of the military parade Trump has planned on his birthday,” according to the events page.
The event also included a “mutual aid” drive accepting shelf-stable foods, hygiene supplies, sexual health supplies, gender-affirming items, first aid supplies, and gently used clothing.
“The United States has never hosted a major military parade that wasn’t either during wartime or to mark the end of a war,” 50501MI said on the event page. “On June 14, Trump plans to host a military parade on the 250th anniversary of the Army’s founding, as well as his birthday. This is his second attempt to plan one, after a failed attempt for Veterans Day of 2018.
“If Trump wants a birthday party, let’s give him one to remember,” the group added.
Trump administration officials, including the president himself, have stoked fears that there will be a crackdown on protesters, and officials in other states are preparing for what one governor suggested would be ensuing chaos.
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of U.S. cities and towns in coordinated “No Kings” events, billed as a “national day of peaceful protest,” in the largest outpouring of opposition to Trump’s policies since he returned to power in January.
The mostly calm marches, organized under the theme that no individual is above the law, coincided with the day President Donald Trump hosted a military parade on the streets of the nation’s capital.
The Army marked its 250th anniversary with a day-long festival including a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Other events included music performances, fireworks and a parade.
Republican governors in Texas and Missouri activated their National Guards, declaring a state of emergency. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott deployed more than 5,000 troops. In Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said lawlessness would be squelched. In Florida, which also has a Republican governor, state leaders reportedly said rioting would be nipped in the bud, and a sheriff warned that if there was violence toward deputies that law enforcement would “kill you.”
In Minnesota, a gunman posing as a police officer shot and killed state Sen. Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband Mark early Saturday at their home in Brooklyn Park, officials said.
Authorities found papers with “No Kings” written on them in the back seat of the suspect’s vehicle, Col. Christina Bogojevic with the Department of Public Safety said. Officers also found a “manifesto” listing the names of other legislators and officials, according to authorities.
At least one protest was met with violence when a man intentionally drove an SUV through a crowd of departing pedestrians, striking at least one person in the parking lot, Culpeper, Virginia, police said.
There was no apparent disorderliness at Lansing’s rally. In Detroit’s Clark Park, thousands of protesters had gathered in a concert-like environment, when a skirmish broke out between protesters and bikers, with shoving and fisticuffs until others, including police, broke it up.
The protesters, which had gathered by 12:30 p.m. waved signs that said “No Kings in America,” “I prefer crushed ICE” and “Resist the oligarch,” as vehicles drove by, honking in support.
Reporters Sarah Moore and Frank Witsil contributed to this story. Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at mjmencarini@lsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Voicing their discontent: Thousands demonstrate at the No Kings rally in Lansing
Reporting by Matt Mencarini, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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