A second nationwide No Kings protest is planned for October 18th, with rallies set to crop up around Southwest Michigan.
After recent acts of political violence, local groups say they're putting more emphasis on keeping attendees safe as they plan.
Kalamazoo
Carol Anderson is with the nonpartisan group Indivisible Greater Kalamazoo, which organized Kalamazoo's last No Kings protest.
She said the national branch of Indivisible is providing more safety resources to local branches for the upcoming protests.
“The support we're getting from national has really increased with this one which is good, which then in turn allows us to increase our depth and our skill," she said.
Anderson added that national Indivisible is requiring her group to submit a safety plan for the upcoming protest while also offering online safety training to the event’s volunteer peacekeepers.
She said returning protestors should also make their job a lot easier.
"We are anticipating that most of the people who come have been to one of our events before. And so they know how to behave, and we keep each other safe. And that's our biggest advantage is we keep each other safe."
St. Joseph
In Berrien County, Southwest Michigan Indivisible is also preparing for the upcoming protest.
Organizer Denise McGowan Tracy said volunteers have access to the same training as other Indivisible groups, adding that law local law enforcement is also set to patrol the event to add an extra layer of security.
But Tracy said there was no way to 100% guarantee the safety of attendees.
“It would be insane for me to stand here and say that I could guarantee the safety of everyone. What I can promise everyone who attends is that we are doing our very best with every resource that we know of."
Tracy added that she hoped safety concerns wouldn't dissuade people from attending the event.
"No one is forced to show up, but we also hope that people will feel compelled to show up and to say, 'I want my voice heard, and I don't want to be intimidated by fear.'"
Paw Paw
Indivisible Paw Paw is also planning with safety in mind.
"We're aware of the political climate in the country and we felt it was our best interest to increase the number of peacekeepers at this event. We've stepped up the training for those peacekeepers,” Safety Lead Martin Sauter said.
Sauter added the group will also speak with attendees before the event to provide safety instructions.
"You can't get the whole crowd to attend any kind of seminar or webinar. But what we will have is instructions for the crowd and what we expect of them. We are a non-violent group. We're going to look out for each other."
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
