Covering the 'No Kings' Rally at Michigan State Capitol

The right of peaceful assembly was on display at protest event

Some photos from the ‘No Kings’ rally at the Michigan State Capitol in Downtown Michigan

The First Amendment contains four ‘rights’ which are speech, press, religious belief, and that of assembly to redress grievances against the government. All four were in full display and being exercised this past Saturday (June 14) at the Michigan State Capital in Downtown Lansing, although it was the latter one—that of peaceful assembly—which was most prominent.

An estimated 8,000-to-10,000 people gathered on the east lawn of the Capitol for the ‘No Kings’ Rally—part of a nationwide effort to address the concerns and objections many citizens have with certain policies and practices being pursued by President Donald Trump and his Administration and to counter the military parade being held in Washington, D.C. the same day. The latter event, as many people know, took place ostensibly to celebrate the founding of the U.S. Army on June 14, 1775 by the Continental Congress. This was done at the start of the Revolutionary War—namely the Siege of Boston then going on. The commander appointed by Congress to head the army was, of course, George Washington.

But as we also know, President Trump had been lobbying for a large-scale military parade since his first term and this one happened to fall his 79^th birthday. Many detractors, from the beginning of his proposal, felt such a display of armed weaponry and troops was more reminiscent of what takes place in countries run by a dictator than a functioning democratic republic.

Since the Continental Army was established to combat what were then perceived to be the unlawful and heavy-handed actions of the British government, headed by King George III. and since a goodly number of people feel the President has been acting in a king-like, or authoritarian manner, organizers came up with the idea of a ‘No King’ counter-event.

The Lansing gathering was one of over 2,000 similar rallies held across the nation and was among over 70 that took place in Michigan. The Lansing organizers had a subheading to the ‘No Kings’ moniker: “Kick Out the Clowns”. They urged those attending to use this with the signs they brought to the protest and, if they saw fit, to dress accordingly. Which many did.

I had my usual Saturday morning routine of delivering our weekly newspapers to an area south of Fowlerville which takes a little over four hours. This task was in addition to having spent the day before doing the same. I’m usually ready to chill out at home after spending this amount of time in a vehicle, distributing the latest edition. Still, in the back of my mind, I had thought about attending the rally in Lansing which didn’t start until noon and had been scheduled to last most of the afternoon.

The newsworthiness of the event was one reason for my urge to show up—the journalistic itch if you will. But the larger motivation was the importance it held, given the context of what’s been taking place these last few weeks. I felt the need to observe (up close and in person) what was taking place, the mood of the crowd, and the message being conveyed. I felt, as a commentator, that first-hand journalism—judging the scene as a reporter—is a good foundation to build a viewpoint or analysis upon.

Admittedly, many of my opinions are based on the accounts done by other reporters, coming from trusted news sources, but also from my own background and experiences of life and living which includes having done a fair share of reading and my own reporting.

As you can see with this article, I took several photos. These included shots of the crowd to show its size, another of a speaker who was addressing the crowd from the podium set up on the steps of the capitol building, and (getting their permission) a couple of close-ups of attendees. I also took a picture of one of the signs that had an arresting message “I need to tell my granddaughter I did not stay silent.”

One of the close-ups showed a group of ladies, attired in identical long red dresses and wearing white bonnets. I asked one of them if they were part of a special group, wondering why they were all adorned in the same outfit.

“Are you familiar with The Hand Maid’s Tale?” she asked.

I replied that I’d heard the title, but not being as attuned as I should be to current culture, I did not then grasp the connection. Afterwords, curious, I looked it up on the internet and found this brief description:

“Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel depicts a totalitarian, patriarchal theocracy called the Republic of Gilead that has replaced the United States. The novel explores the themes of female oppression, loss of individuality, religious extremism, and the fight for reproductive rights.”

There’s more to the book’s plot than this nutshell summary, buts I now have a pretty good idea where these ladies were coming from with their wardrobe statement.

The main organizer of this and other ‘No King’ Rallies was 50501 which is a grassroots group opposed to what it calls “the illegal and anti-democratic actions of the Trump Administration.” The numbers stand for ’50 Protests, 50 states, 1 movement.’

Among the other groups involved in the event or who were present with booths on the grounds included the Ingham County Democratic Party as well as those advocating for clean water and other environmental concerns, indigenous rights, disability rights, reproductive rights, trans rights, ranked choice voting, the ending of the war in Gaza and the oppression of the Palestinian people, and protecting Medicaid and Social Security.

Several of these groups also had representatives speak to the crowd, with this portion of the event running from noon to 2 p.m.

The parade began after the final speaker was finished and proceeded, via the sidewalk, east along Michigan Avenue to (I believe) Cedar Street. There was small police presence, mainly there for traffic control and to block side streets while the parade was going on. However, I’m guessing there was a larger force stationed nearby, possibly inside the Capitol, in case any violence erupted. Fortunately, none did. This was due, in large part, to there not being a counter-protest or rogue actors.

I should qualify the latter observation. There were three young men at the southeast corner of Michigan and Capital Avenues, holding religious-themed signs and shouting their message to the passersby. One read “Jesus Christ is the One True God, and Eternal Life” and another “Jesus is Still the Answer”.

While I stood near them, watching the people as they headed east along the parade route, I couldn’t hear what the three men were shouting. But based on the reactions they received, my guess is they were implying the attendees had a need of salvation for protesting the Trump Administration’s policies and, by extension, needed to change their views on several public policy issues.

An elderly gentleman, wearing a fluorescent vest that identified him as part of the 50501 group, stood next to the more vocal of the three men to head off any confrontations. A couple of those passing by shouted responses, yet many more simply shouted “Love Thy Neighbor.”

I leaned over to the gentleman and joked “Are you being your brother’s keeper?” Being tired and probably a bit stressed, he didn’t respond to the intended humor, saying instead, “I’m trying to keep the peace.”

“A good idea,” I said.

As a reporter, my usual routine would have included stopping a few of those present to ask them ‘why’ they were at the rally and include their name and place of residence. However, given that the event is outside the coverage area of our newspaper and is limited to this Substack post, I didn’t see any point in getting such responses. The number of those reading this commentary is, truth be told, rather small. That said, I’ll add that I’m grateful for anyone who takes the time to read what I have to say.

I decided the better choice would be to repeat what I saw on some of the signs. Afterall, I reasoned, this is the message each person had taken the time to design, assumably what motivated them to attend, and what they are passionate about.

Many showed creativity and careful thought in creating their signs. Others were simply cardboard rectangles cut from a box with black marker used to write the saying. A few displayed irony and wit, while a handful had the F-word.

“Different strokes for different folks” would be my best description of what they wanted to say.

So, here are a few samplings:

“No crown for a clown” with President Trump’s face displayed in clown makeup

“Remember Only You Can Prevent Fascism” with a picture of Smokey the Bear

“We Believe in the Constitution, Not Kings” and “Freedom, Not Kingdom”

“Fight Trump Decay” and “History has its Eyes on You”

“Due Process for All on American Soil” and “Americans Don’t Run from Tyrants, We Fight Them”

There was the book cover of Animal Farm by George Orwell and another that said “It’s Not Political, It’s Moral”

In a less serious mode were “Crushed Ice is the Best Ice” and “This is the White House, not the White Castle”

More serious was “No Human is Illegal” and “We are a Democracy with 3 Equal Branches” as well as “Stop Mass Deportations” and “Real Patriots Don’t Grovel”

Finally, reflecting the variety of motivations and causes, was the one that stated, “No Sign is Big Enough to List All the Reasons.”

News reports on the overall event indicated that thousands of people (as in perhaps a few million) attended the rallies. In Lansing case, many of those present were older, although there were a fair number of younger people and parents who brought their children. The report of a Minnesota state legislator and her husband being murdered and another state lawmaker and spouse being wounded in an apparent act of political violence, occurring earlier in the day, provided additional context to what was happening in Washington, D.C. and with these protest rallies.

Despite the seriousness that brought them to the State Capital, the mood of those present was festive and there were plenty of smiles. From my past experiences at rallies, that’s not unusual. A shared comradery seems to boost the spirits. I saw similar smiles and sense of excitement at a Trump campaign appearance that took place in Howell last fall.

Which, I suppose, is why the right of assembly is important and vital to our democratic society. It provides a means for like-minded people to gather and, in doing so, show those in power what this group of citizens feels. As a forum, it’s a more dramatic means of free expression than individual speech or a small meeting. It also offers the media the opportunity to report on this viewpoint, and it even allows those who are so minded a chance to save the wayward soul.

When all was said and done, the First Amendment was alive and well this past Saturday in Downtown Lansing. I’m glad I was there to witness it.

Steve Horton is a mid-Michigan journalist and commentator.

hortonnotebook@gmail.com