Across the country, over 1,800 rallies, with around 40 expected demonstrations in Ohio, are planned in response to President Trump’s military parade on Saturday.
The parade is set to honor the Army’s 250th anniversary, and it also falls on the president’s birthday.
No Kings Day of Defiance was initially organized by Indivisible, a grassroots organization with a mission to defeat the Trump Agenda.
Michael Pacifico, one of the organizers for the Kent No Kings protest and former May 4 Task Force member, said the organization wants to “save the nature of their government.”
“Personally, I’m a senior citizen, I want to continue my social security,” he said. “I have friends who are on Medicaid, I want to make sure they continue their Medicaid, they’re very poor. I want to advocate for LGBTQ rights, I’m anti-racist, I mean there’s a lot of reason.”
In a statement on June 8, the coalition organizing No Kings Day responded to the Trump Administration federalizing the National Guard stating, “On Saturday, more than 1,800 rallies will take place across the country — peaceful, organized and united. Join your community. Bring a sign. Make it clear: We don’t do kings in this country.”
Pacifico and another woman registered the city of Kent to host a No Kings protest. He said a number of individuals helped with the organization and that it was made in connection with Portage Resists, a non-partisan network with a focus on defending democracy.
Having organized the Hands Off! protest, May Day and other protests in Kent, Pacifico said the No Kings protest will be peaceful, even with its large expected turnout, because those in attendance have received de-escalation training.
Throughout June 13, every hour, Pacifico received alerts from 10 to 15 individuals signing up to attend the demonstration. Following the Los Angeles protest against the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement raids, he said registration for the demonstration has tripled.
Trump originally planned the parade for 2018 but had to cancel it due to high-cost estimates, and the 2025 parade could cost between $25 and $45 million, according to the Associated Press.
There will be no demonstrations affiliated with No Kings hosted in Washington D.C. The main No Kings protest will occur in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“Let him have his day, and the rest of the country will have our day,” Pacifico said.
Although the demonstrations are planned on the same day as the parade, he said these protests began planning in May from frustration of the U.S. ICE raids, executive orders and the end of government agencies.
“Basically, everyday there’s some bit of news about what Trump is doing that obviously points to tragedy,” he said. “It’s not like there’s one instance.”
The Kent protest will take place from 3-5 p.m. in the gazebo downtown. Other protests near Kent include one in Akron at the John F. Seiberling Federal Building from 1-2:30 p.m., and another one in Cuyahoga Falls at Doodlebug Memorial Park from 10-11:30 a.m.
The expected attendance numbers for the protests are not finalized, meaning people can still register to attend a protest near them on the website.
“I’ve been involved in Kent city and Kent State politics since 1970,” Pacifico said. “There’s not an issue I don’t feel strongly about that Donald Trump is trying to mess with.”
Savana Capp is managing editor. Contact her at [email protected].
Adriana Gasiewski is digital content manager. Contact her at [email protected].
