This is for my friends outside of the US – i meant to publish it on Sunday, but lost track of time on the departure day!
Across big cities and small towns on Saturday, millions of Americans poured into the streets in a sweeping, coordinated protest against President Donald Trump, in what organizers of the “No Kings” movement said could become the largest day of demonstrations in the nation’s history.
From New York to California, and from rural Kentucky to the nation’s capital, demonstrators marched, chanted and waved signs denouncing authoritarian overreach, war in Iran, and an aggressive immigration crackdown that has roiled communities and national politics alike. More than 3,000 events were planned nationwide, with turnout expected to surpass the estimated 5 million to 7 million people who participated in earlier rounds of protests over the past year.
Read more: ‘No Kings’ Protests May Draw Biggest—and Most Diverse—Anti-Trump Crowds Ever
By midday, the flagship rally in Minnesota was already underway, with at least 50,000 people gathered at the State Capitol in St. Paul. Organizers had promised a high-profile lineup of speakers and artists, which included Senator Bernie Sanders, Jane Fonda, and Bruce Springsteen, who performed “Streets of Minneapolis,” a song he wrote in the aftermath of fatal shootings by federal immigration agents in the city that drew national outrage and helped fuel the protest movement.
“Your strength and your commitment told us that this is still America, and this reactionary nightmare and these invasions of American cities will not stand,” Springsteen said to the crowd. “You gave us hope. You gave us courage, and for those who gave their lives, Renée Good, mother of three, brutally murdered, and Alex Pretti, a VA nurse executed by ICE, shot in the back and left to die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths—their bravery, their sacrifice and their names will not be forgotten.”
Sanders warned of an “unprecedented and dangerous moment in American history.”
“We will not allow this country to descend into authoritarianism or oligarchy in America,” he told the crowd. “We, the people, will rule.”
In New York City, tens of thousands of protestors demonstrated across all five boroughs. The biggest event took place on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, featuring actor Robert DeNiro, civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton and Attorney General of New York Letitia James as speakers.
“We still believe in the core American values of justice, equality, decency, and kindness,” de Niro said. “Because we’re going from the streets to the ballot box and because we all deserve a country with no king.”
Mixed grievances
The demonstrations, organized by a loose coalition of activist groups under the “No Kings” banner, reflected a broad constellation of grievances rather than a single demand. Some protesters aimed their criticism at Congress, chanting “do your job” and carrying signs that mocked lawmakers as timid or unwilling to stand up to the Trump Administration. Protesters pointed to the war in Iran, as well as a protracted government funding standoff over immigration enforcement that has left airport security lines snarled and federal workers unpaid. Many also focused on the Administration’s highly visible immigration raids, while others decried proposed changes to voting laws, environmental rollbacks, and what they see as a steady erosion of democratic norms.
“We have a president that is out of control,” Ken Wyben, a New York City protestor and veteran, told TIME. “All the wars that I’ve been in—and I’ve been in two—we planned it a little better.” He held a sign that read “I served with real leaders. The President is no leader.”
In New York, thousands of marchers began at Columbus Circle and Central Park, eventually spilling into Times Square. Two younger protestors, Natalia and Sailor, both 21, were in the city for only a few days but chose to attend the demonstration to protest Trump’s immigration and border policies.
“Being here, and seeing the majority of people of an older generation really fuels me,” Sailor said, adding that she is just “trying to represent our age group.”
Beatrice Moritz, an immigrant from a family of immigrants, said she attended the protest because she loves America.
“The way people are being treated now is so un-American,” she said. The most pressing issue on her mind was the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, currently under consideration in Congress, which would introduce new identification requirements for voting. “They’re trying to take away our right to vote,” she added.
In Washington, D.C., a stream of protesters marched from Arlington, Va., to the National Mall, beating drums and ringing cowbells as they chanted, “No justice, no peace. No ICE in our streets.” Some carried oversized puppet heads of Administration officials. An inflatable effigy depicting Trump defacing the Constitution made its way through the crowd.
In New York, marchers filled Midtown, spilling into Times Square. In Austin, a small ice sculpture inscribed with “ICE MELTS IN TEXAS” was left to liquefy in the sun. In Boston, protesters erected a memorial honoring children killed in a recent missile strike in Iran, which the U.S. was reportedly responsible for, according to The New York Times.
‘Just a start’
The protests appeared to be largely peaceful, even as a few counterprotests appeared.
Ezra Levin, the co-founder of Indivisible, the progressive coalition behind the protests, called for a nationwide economic protest on May 1, urging supporters to skip work, school and shopping. “We’re going to show up and say we’re putting workers over billionaires and kings,” he said.
Some Democrats echoed the sense of momentum. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on social media that the protests were drawing “record turnout,” calling them “a very strong sign of what’s coming in November.”
The White House, however, sought to dismiss the demonstrations. A spokeswoman said that “the only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”
Polling in recent days has found Trump’s approval ratings sinking to their lowest levels since he returned to the White House.
Hettie's Reflections 