Will this third wave of No Kings protests in Livingston County be larger than the ones in June and October of 2025?
All signs point to yes.
If current polling is to be believed, Americans are fed up with the current state of politics. President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have sunk to a new low as he wages an unpopular war in Iran, and holds travelers hostage for passage of the SAVE Act, which most Americans don’t agree with.
Even in red, red Livingston County — which boasts the highest per capita income in the state — folks are making tough choices every time they shop for groceries, pay their utility bills, and fill their gas tanks.
Consider, too, that on Saturday — in addition to Brighton and Howell — there will also be an event in the Village of Pinckney. And just outside Livingston County proper are two in South Lyon, and one in Whitmore Lake.
Consider, too, how attendance at the two big Livingston County events has blossomed.
In Brighton, the June event drew about 1,500 people to the Mill Pond, while the October event saw 2,500; in Howell, the protest grew from 300 in front of the Howell City Hall in June to over 2,500 people at the Livingston County Courthouse amphitheater in what I called the “happiest protest in county history.”
And Pinckney is going all in Saturday, too.
Here is what we know about the events so far:
Brighton
Hosted by Indivisible Livingston, the No Kings event is set for noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Brighton Mill Pond.
The program will feature seven speakers: state Rep. Jennifer Conlin of the 48th District; Ellen Laffety of the League of Women Voters; Dan Berland of Ranked Choice Voting; Rob Hower, a Democrat who is running for the 22nd state Senate seat currently held by term-limited Lana Theis; poet Isabella Mansfield; veteran Adam Smiddy; and Will Lawrence, who is running in the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional District seat currently held by Tom Barrett in a race that is ranked as competitive.
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Howell
Hosted by SAGE (Stand Against Extremism) Livingston, the event is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Livingston County Courthouse amphitheater.
Attendees are asked to bring donations of non-perishable food that will be used to replenish the street pantries in the area that are being emptied daily in the wake of escalating grocery costs.
Pinckney
The event is set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the public park at Howell and Main streets in the downtown area.
Just over the Livingston County border are two events:
Whitmore Lake: noon to 2 p.m. at the Six Mile Bridge overlooking U.S. 23 (Exit 50)
South Lyon: 1-3 p.m. at McHattie Park in South Lyon.
