By Gabriel Solis
On Saturday, March 28, thousands of protesters gathered in the streets of Grand Rapids and throughout the nation in support of the “No Kings” movement, a rebuke of the policies of the Trump administration. There were several demonstrations in the area, beginning at 10 a.m. and stretching into the afternoon.
The earliest event of the day was a smaller-scale protest at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Rivertown Parkway in Grandville. Carol Brzezinski is on the leadership team of West MI Indivisible, the group that organized the Grandville protest.
“We decided that we had enough people … in this area that were interested in Indivisible, and in opposing the current administration, that we could have a rally down here again,” said Brzezinski. “We have almost 700 members. So, if all 700 came, and they brought people with, you know? That would be so cool.”
Brzezinski was not disappointed by the turnout. Protesters lined the streets in tightly-packed lines on both sides, many displaying homemade signs depicting anti-Trump rhetoric. Passing cars honked in support. At several points, chants rang out among the protesters: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go.”
In downtown Grand Rapids, a singalong was hosted at Calder Plaza by a group known as the Singing Resistance of Grand Rapids. The original Singing Resistance was formed in Minneapolis after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, with the goal of utilizing music as a form of nonviolent protest. The idea was brought to Grand Rapids by Tracy Lee McKenna and Melissa Combs, who spontaneously began performing at an “ICE Out” protest in February and expanded their group from there.
“The whole idea of it is that there’s nothing in it that’s performative, in that you don’t have to come and memorize all your words,” said McKenna. “You have to show up, be a part of a community, you know, stand in solidarity, and sing. And what is more healing than song?”
The group performed a variety of protest songs, some popular and some original, to an enthusiastic and participating crowd that seemed to grow by the minute. Speakers delivering calls to action punctuated the performance.
“I think it’s great. I love it,” said Ernie Silverthorn, a participant in attendance at the sing-along. “I love seeing a whole lot of folk coming together, you know, for the purpose of resisting what is happening in America today.”
Silverthorne was one of many attendees of the events to draw comparisons between today’s political climate and that of the American Revolution in 1776.
“(Republican House Speaker) Mike Johnson is on record as saying these are the ‘hate America’ rallies. I would say these are the ‘last remaining patriots in America’ rallies. I would say that these people are the new Sons and Daughters of Liberty. And that Trump is the king, King George.”
Immediately following the sing-along, protesters migrated to Rosa Parks Circle for the largest event of the day. Thousands squeezed into the area in front of the stage and spilled out onto the surrounding sidewalk and streets. The crowd was the most active of the day, with attendees cheering in support of the movement against the near-constant backdrop of car horns honking in solidarity with the protesters. Speakers onstage disavowed what they characterized as Christian nationalism within the government, and emphasized what they called the need for America to reaffirm its identity as a country of freedom.
One speaker onstage said that they hoped the event would turn out to be “the largest single-day peaceful protest in history.” Nationwide attendance is reportedly estimated at over 8 million, which would make Saturday’s events more well-attended than either of the preceding No Kings protests and the second largest single-day protest in U.S. history.
Organizers in Grand Rapids were happy with the local turnout. Daniel Terpstra, who assisted in coordinating the organizations behind the events, said in a text message to the Collegiate, “I’m very pleased (on) a day that was expected to be mostly cloudy with moderate winds and cool, so many people still made it out to practice solidarity and community together!”
Throughout the events, a common theme emerged among protesters attending each one: unity.
“I think that (protests) can show people who are feeling isolated in the modern political landscape that they are not alone. It’s healthy to get out into a physical space with like-minded people,” said Jason Derry, 26, of Grand Rapids, an attendee of the Calder Plaza singalong.
Marilyn Springman, 73, of Sturgis, who attended the Rosa Parks Circle rally, agreed.
“This is just the thing to get people to understand that we are not alone, and there are things that everybody can do, even homebound,” she said.
Brzezinski, the organizer of the Grandville protest, emphasized that getting involved can be done by anyone and goes beyond public demonstration.
“Every little bit helps, you know? I mean, there are small things that you can do. You know, you don’t have to be a protester,” she said. “You don’t even have to join an organization, but you can do a lot of things … in order to have your voice heard.”
