North Drake Road in Kalamazoo was awash in a sea of homemade signs and honking horns on Saturday, October 18 for the second round of national “No Kings” protests.
The event took place along both sides of Drake Road between KL Avenue and Main Street from noon to 2 p.m. — instead of a central location with speakers, demonstrators were encouraged to line up along the sidewalks. Though people with signs could be seen gathering along the entire protest route, crowds became denser near Main Street.
Demonstrators also turned out in Battle Creek, lining Beckley Road, and Attorney General Dana Nessel was a surprise speaker at the Paw Paw No Kings event.
People of all ages attended the Kalamazoo event, nearly all carrying signs with messages speaking out against the Trump administration and its policies. Many protestors wore elaborate costumes, among them Lady Liberty, various iterations of President Trump in different outlandish outfits, and many inflatable suits.
A parade of inflatable characters wound through the sidewalks, growing larger as it made its way along the route.
Many people came with their family members, friends, dogs, and children. Kathy Zachery attended the event with her son Trevon Zachery, his friend Reyna Nielsen and her mom Rochelle Rojas. Kathy said it’s important to her because her kids are the future generation of voters.
“I’m just here to protect our rights because they’re going away right before our eyes,” Zachery said.
When asked why they were at the protest, Trevon, 7, and Reyna, 8, shared similar sentiments.
“Donald Trump stinks!” Nielsen said.
“He stinks like macaroni,” Zachery said. “He took away free healthcare!”
Kate Kanaley-Miller, 88, came to the event with her husband, Bill. She said she remembers participating in the civil rights movement.
“I turned 88 on the 15th of October, and I never thought I would have to stand on a street and do a peace sign [again],” Kanaley-Miller said. “And it’s just very, very sad. But I’m glad we’re here.”
Some recurring themes included demands to release the Epstein files, messages calling for the arrest of President Trump and other members of his administration, and frogs.
Another common sentiment echoed by many was a wish to close the gap between the working class and upper class. Kalamazoo College student Danny Ewing, 20, attended the protest with his friends.
“My great-grandfather fought against fascism in France in World War II, so I’m here fighting fascism about 80 years later,” Ewing said.
Ewing’s friend Isaac Leonard, a 20 year old student at Western Michigan University, said he attended because he wants to bring back “qualified politicians”.
Throughout the 2-hour event, counter-protestors did not appear to be present. Most of the protestors picked a spot along the route and stayed there, waving at passing cars and encouraging them to honk —many did. Some drivers hung signs and flags out of windows, giving thumbs-ups or waving as they passed.
Alicia and Kevin Youngblood attended the protest together. The husband and wife duo said they didn’t have signs to bring at first, but another person at the protest gave them signs to hold. Kevin said the event was full of community, togetherness and a shared desire to create change.
“I think people are fed up with where this country is,” Kevin said. “People are tired is what this is. We are nine months in and we are exhausted. And there is going to be a change. People out here are demanding — we will have something different."
In a statement from Indivisible Greater Kalamazoo after the protest, the group claimed there were nearly 10,000 people in attendance.
