‘Joyful resistance’: Thousands rally at Capitol for No Kings protest

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On the heels of violent protests around the U.S., Lansing activists threw a carnival.

Several thousand rallied on the Capitol grounds beginning at noon Saturday as part of the nationally coordinated “No Kings” protest.

Blending protest with pleasure, the event featured circus games and drag performances as organizers both opposed and diverted attention from Trump’s military parade marking the Army’s 250th anniversary.

“We need to use joy as an act of resistance,” the rally’s host, who identified himself as Moxie, said of the aesthetic. “Do not let them take your joy from you.”

Raymond Holt for City Pulse
A protester on Michigan Avenue heading to the Capitol.
Raymond Holt for City Pulse A protester on Michigan Avenue heading to the Capitol.
Raymond Holt

Ari Stewart, an organizer with 50501 Michigan who manages booth operations, said the aesthetic was inspired by similar protests hosted by the national Women’s March organization. She called it “satirical.”

“Satire, mockery and clowns have always been used as a weapon against authoritarianism,” she said, “and in addition to the historical use, this is about poking tyrants in the ego.”

As with the April 5 “Hands Off!” protest, attendees opposed a litany of Trump actions and speakers represented a diverse coalition of organizations. Nichole Keway Biber of Clean Water Action linked the fossil-fuel sector to “anti-trans propaganda.” Other speakers touched on disability rights, legal abortion, the Israel-Palestine conflict, ICE detention centers and environmental protections.

“They’re all here because they’re all being attacked,” said protester Tabrian Joe of the broad range of causes. A Detroit resident, Joe said he had been involved in political activism since 2006, when he fought against the 2006 ballot proposal that banned affirmative action in Michigan public universities. He said he was concerned by the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

“They want to call it DEI, but it’s not at all illegal,” he said. Trump banned DEI programs in an executive order calling them illegally discriminatory against majority groups.

Raymond Holt for City Pulse
“We love our country,” David Slaggert said about why he took part Saturday. “We need to stand up.”
Raymond Holt for City Pulse “We love our country,” David Slaggert said about why he took part Saturday. “We need to stand up.”
Raymond Holt

Robin Young, of Okemos, said she had been “called to the cause of immigrants” amid Trump’s immigration crackdown. The daughter of a Canadian immigrant, she said she was from an “agricultural family” and had recently become politically involved during the Latino Legislative Advocacy day June 10.

After two hours of speeches and a march downtown, stilt walkers from the Motley Misfits circus collective pranced about the Capitol lawn. Children competed to dunk a Trump-masked volunteer in the Central United Methodist Church parking lot. Attendees tossed rubber chickens into taco-shaped decorations — a reference to the acronym TACO, for “Trump always chickens out.”

Some marchers never joined the revelry, instead sticking around downtown and holding signs on street corners. Some even took to the roads, holding signs out of car windows to marchers’ cheers.

While the rally followed violent anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles that saw protesters clash with the police, it stayed peaceful. Stewart said that had been a major focus.

“We have a very strong culture of peaceful resistance,” she said. “All our marshals have undergone at least one of two hour-long de-escalation trainings, and we prioritize putting anyone with de-escalation certifications in lead positions.”

Raymond Holt for City Pulse
American flags were an important theme at Lansing’s No Kings rally, as this protester demonstrates.
Raymond Holt for City Pulse American flags were an important theme at Lansing’s No Kings rally, as this protester demonstrates.
Raymond Holt

Stewart also said 50501 Michigan has “a good relationship with the Lansing Police Department.”

“We have a police liaison,” she said, “and the police know our marching route.”

Safety was another focus, with organizers passing out water and sunblock and a volunteer medical team on-call. The medical team rushed into the crowd at least once to assist an elderly woman who had collapsed in the heat.

The rally was preceded by a one-hour memorial for Ted Lawson, the local Democratic Party activist who was shot and killed in October 2023 while canvassing for a Lansing City Council candidate. State Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and other speakers championed gun control and political involvement in a memorial hosted by the Ingham County Democratic Party.

The combined memorial and protest was a compromise, according to local activist David Hopkinson. Hopkinson was involved with both Indivisible MI 7 and the memorial, which he said had been in the works “for months” when the national Indivisible and 50501 organizations chose June 14 as a protest day.

“The permit was already pulled and everything,” he said.

Though the planned memorial was “whittled down” to a one-hour event, Hopkinson said everyone involved was “very accommodating” of each other. The march, originally planned in Lawson’s memory, was reworked to incorporate both group’s visions. The final event was co-hosted by the Ingham County Democratic Party, 50501 Michigan, the Crowded Table Coalition and Indivisible MI 7.

Though Lansing’s rally remained peaceful, there were instances of violence in other “No Kings” protests nationwide. In Salt Lake City, a bystander was shot and killed by armed peacekeepers during a confrontation with a rifle-bearing assailant. In Culpeper, Virginia, a man drove an SUV into a crowd of protesters. A riot was declared at a Portland, Oregon, ICE facility following the protest.

The fear of similar violence, and the shadow of violent protests in the week prior, hung over Saturday’s rally.

“I’m seeing a lot of people here who look like me,” said speaker Marie Lowry, an older white woman. “Who is not here because it is not safe for them to be?”

While the causes represented were diverse, there was a strong focus on anti-authoritarianism and grassroots democracy. One speaker, Jamie Hill, is running for Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District and asked attendees to run for local office as well.

Raymond Holt for City Pulse
“We’re all here for the same reason,” said Marcos Zamora: “Supporting our community.”
Raymond Holt for City Pulse “We’re all here for the same reason,” said Marcos Zamora: “Supporting our community.”
Raymond Holt

“How many school board races have you voted in with only one candidate?” Hill asked. “Maybe you think you’re not qualified, but if you can find your way to the Capitol building and find your way home, you’re more qualified than most establishment candidates.”

“They make it to the Capitol building and forget how to come home and listen to their constituents.”

 

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