ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Thousands of people gathered in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon for a No Kings protest, one of thousands of protests happening all over the country today.
Watch the full story from Tiarra Braddock in the video player below
According to a press release from No Kings, these protests have been organized to reject authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of the country's democracy. According to an Associated Press report, the "No Kings" protests are being organized by the 50501 Movement, which, according to its website, stands for "50 protests. 50 states. One movement."
Chopper 7 shows thousands of people in Ann Arbor for No Kings protest
This isn't the only No Kings protest happening in metro Detroit today; protests are also happening in Detroit, Dearborn, Livonia, Farmington Hills, Ferndale, Novi, Roseville, Belleville, Troy, Waterford, Wyandotte, Romeo, Saline, Brighton and Milan. Today's Day of Defiance is expected to be the largest single-day mobilization since Trump returned to office, according to organizers.
We ran into an Ann Arbor state representative at the rally, who spoke about her motivations for particiapting in the protest.
"The political violence has got to stop," said State Rep. Carrie Rheingans, who represents Ann Arbor, referring to the Minnesota state reps shot overnight in what officials are calling 'a politically motivated assassination'. One of those state reps died, and police are still looking for the shooter.
"Every single person, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, everybody should be denouncing this politicial violence," Rheingans continued. "There are no kings in America, and that is why I'm here today, to make sure we are showing that there's more of us against Fascism than anybody who supports Fascism."
State Rep. Carrie Rheingans (Ann Arbor, 47th House District) speaks to WXYZ at No Kings protest; here is our full interview
These protests are happening on the same day as a planned military parade in Washington D.C. to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary. It is also Trump's 79th birthday and Flag Day.
Those who disagree with the protestors, like Michigan Sen. Jim Runestad (R), say that Democrats and the city of Detroit are making Trump's plan of action more difficult by refusing to follow orders.
"(Detroit is) officially not a sanctuary city, but they're doing everything they can to thwart ICE," Runestad told us earlier this week. "Again, we have 40 million people coming into this country illegally, competing with housing for the working class. So working class in your lifetime is probably not going to be able to afford a house," he said.
Watch our previous coverage
