Written by Tanya Terry, with featured photo by L.M. Land
No Kings rallies were held across Michigan, throughout United States and even in other parts of the world on October 18. Protesters in the Flint area rallied with signs stating multiple messages down Linden Road to speak out against efforts of the current administration to do what they feel circumvents Constitutional checks and balances through Congress and the courts, giving all power instead to the executive branch.
Some of the protesters wore colorful costumes, played patriotic music or waved American flags, with many of them having participated in similar protests in June. But, now they were making known new and growing concerns.
“I think it was necessary from the very beginning with this regime when they started dismantling parts of the government and taking power from Congress,” said Elizabeth Carmichael-Davis, a co-chair of Indivisible Glow, one of the groups that hosted the demonstration.
“The Congress and the judiciary are kind of caving,” she added. “As time has gone on since January, we see the immigration issue, the troops being sent to cities, these ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) people acting outside of the law and all the things add up. We don’t see the Constitution being followed. We see the law being applied differently to different groups. We came out to say ‘no’ and to say ‘yes’ to democracy.”
Carmichael-Davis said her group has been protesting several times a week at the Fenton Post Office and group members have been communicating with state representatives.
“We’re reacting in part to what they call the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ that isn’t beautiful. It has effects in healthcare, in education, in distributing federal money to communities and it’s everything together. People who work for the federal government are getting laid off…There are grants being shut down and taken away from the arts and from libraries. That’s affected me personally…My daughter is in college and she has classmates who’ve lost their grants to do scientific research…”
“We have somebody in the office right now who feels they can do whatever they want to do,” said DeWaun E. Robinson, president of Black Lives Matter-Flint, another group that helped host the demonstration.
Robinson continued: “They can treat people how they want to treat people. They can release certain documents when they want to release certain documents. They can ostracize certain groups of people….But understand the power is always going to be with the people.”
Robinson said the current administration was “trying to take away voting rights” and “trying to give themselves extra time in office.”
“It’s important that people get out to vote and that they vote for the right people,” Robinson added.
Robinson said: “It’s always the people of the bottom who get the short end of the stick.” and urged those present to let hurt and anger turn into action.
He stated: “It’s not a Black thing. It’s not a white thing. It’s an us thing.”
10-year-old Aleigha Nelson of Flint said she hoped as a result of the protests “people would fire Trump and get ‘baddies,'” which she said referred to getting very strong women in office.
Keisha Hernandez of Swarts Creek, Nelson’s aunt, said: “I’m just here because I feel we need to save our democracy…We all have rights. It’s not just one group of people that have rights. I feel we’ve got to stand up for everybody, especially the immigrants. This land was founded by immigrants. This land was stolen…I’m just really passionate about my country, and it’s going downhill because of what’s going on.”
Stanley Turner of Flint said he is concerned about a criminal being in the White House.
“Going back to the pandemic, our country had the worse pandemic response in the world, and we are supposedly one of the most advanced nations,” Turner said.
“Now, we’re getting chapter 2,” he continued. “Evidentially, we don’t have enough laws now to stop him from doing what he’s doing.”
Jimmela Byrd of Mt. Morris Michigan said she works in Flint as a community school director. She said she has seen the actions of the current administration affect grants in certain areas within the school systems.
“But now I’m more concerned about my parents and my families when it comes to their benefits like healthcare and if they’re going to be able to eat,” said Byrd. “Are they going to be able to be present? I’m noticing with my staff and those around us, we just have to have so many plan A, B and Cs, and that’s just kind of hard to think about.”
“Being out here has been very empowering,” Byrd added. “It reminds me that we’re not alone. It can be a spiritual and a physical thing. Just seeing the people here is reminding me that I’m not the only one who want us to be together and be one.”
Counter-protests also took place in which participants voiced their support for President Donald Trump. In Bay City, Michigan, for example, counter-protesters confronted the protesters at the city’s riverfront, letting them know they disagreed with the protesters’ mission.
