I have covered the news in Livingston County for over three decades, and I’ve never seen anything quite like today’s No Kings rally in downtown Howell, part of the nationwide day of protest of President Donald Trump and his policies.
Despite the 2,700 No Kings events planned across the U.S. being painted in recent days by some Republicans as “Hate America” rallies, the reality — at least in red, red Livingston County — was way more party than protest. The vibe in downtown Howell was all peace and love; and it appears divine intervention turned predictions of rain into a beautiful fall day.
Today’s event will go down as the biggest, happiest protest ever in Livingston County. A preliminary crowd estimate from law enforcement just after the event began pegged its size at 1,500 people; but soon after that, the crowd swelled, and the rally spread to both sides of Grand River Avenue. I’d venture that there were well over 2,000 people in attendance, maybe even closer to 2,500.
Folks were having fun. Lots and lots of fun. The party vibe was helped along by music: songs from Taylor Swift’s new “Life of a Showgirl,” as well as music from Bruce Springsteen and others could be heard from time to time. There were chants of “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Tump’s gotta go.” Traffic honked and waved as the block of Grand River Avenue between Michigan Avenue and North Barnard Street became a sea of bodies and signs.
There were even a good number of inflatables there, including a green frog who became the symbol of resistance in the Portland, Ore., protests against ICE.
While it was all peaceful on the part of protesters, there was this one guy in a black SUV who jumped out of his vehicle to yell something unintelligible at protesters before zooming away, and one truck that “rolled coal,” spewing stinky exhaust on the protesters. But that was it.
And hats off to those shepherding protesters from one side of Grand River Avenue to the other. They kept people off the roadway, and they kept traffic moving.
