No Kings messaging before Saturday and a few reflections about No Kings in GR and the possibility of mass Direct Action

The No Kings events are now in the past, but there is plenty to think about and reflect on regarding some of the messaging leading up to the event, the event itself and some possibilities for moving forward.

There was one meme that was floating around prior to October 18th, which said: Resist like its 1776 or live like its 1984. It’s an interesting framing for our current predicament, but there are several issues I take with the wording.

First, while the colonies in 1776 were fighting against the British army to win independence from England, to say that we should resist like its 1776 would mean that we engaged in armed conflict, since the primary strategy of those in control of the 13 colonies was to wage a war against the British. This contradicts the messaging from the dominant groups across the US that the No Kings events should be “peaceful.”

Notice that I don’t use the word non-violent, because people who have been practitioners of non-violent resistance don’t use violence, they do take actions that result in the state using violence against them. The Vietnam War resistance in the US or the Civil Rights movement both engaged in a great deal of direct action, most often civil disobedience to challenge systemic oppression. When the dominant national groups calling for everyone to be peaceful, they mean be nice and don’t break the law. This was certainly the sentiment shared in the Top 10 Rally Reminders here on the left, with most of the reminders reflecting values held by people with tremendous privilege and those unwilling to take risks.

Then there were politicians like Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin telling us that we had a right to protest peacefully or non-violent protest. See her video comments, beginning at 6:06 into the video. Slotkin makes the point that it is important that these No Kings protests need to remain peaceful, that the state is looking for a pretext to be violent and that we shouldn’t give them a reason to engage in repression. Slotkin says, “it’s on all of us to maintain rigorous commitments to non-violence.” It is clear that Sen. Slotkin is unaware of the history of non-violent direct action, which most movements have engaged in, where people collectively challenge unjust and repressive policies or engage in civil disobedience that illuminates how the political and economic system oppresses us. The state never needs a pretext to repress public dissent, since state repression is a constant, even if it isn’t evident to those who disproportionately benefit from the system. Lastly, Senator Slotkin, who recently voted for a $914 billion US military budget, telling us to be peaceful during the No Kings protest is the height of hypocrisy.

No Kings event at Rosa Parks Circle

Just so people are clear, I was there to table with Movimiento Cosecha GR and GR Rapid Response to ICE. Gema Lowe from Cosecha and I both spoke from the stage, with Gema talking about the terrorism that ICE is inflicting on the immigrant community, while I talked about the ways in which we are concretely resisting the ICE terrorism. I also made the point in saying that we have to move from protesting oppression to actually resisting it. Holding signs somewhere is protesting, but it is not resistance.

I was grateful that the event organizers did not invite political parties or candidates to speak because voting will not get us out of the mess we are currently in. Unfortunately, the Kent County Democrats had a booth there, which is a joke, since they do nothing meaningful for the community, especially the most marginalized in this community. They want power, they don’t want collective liberation.

It was encouraging to see the march after the rally go into the street. When there are numbers we should always disrupt business as usual, whether it is state carceral violence or the violence of Capitalism.

It was reported that at least 10,000 people showed up at the No Kings rally at Rosa Parks Circle. It is always great to see people show up in large numbers, especially in a system that promotes consumerism and politics as a spectator sport. However, imagine what could be done if 10,000 people in Grand Rapids showed up in other ways.

It was lovely to see local clergy lead the march after the rally, but it would be even more amazing if the congregations that they are part of would declare themselves sanctuary spaces for undocumented immigrants and commit to providing material and financial support to families that have been separated by ICE. It would also be great if local clergy/congregations would commit to never collaborating with the GRPD or any cops, condemn the economic system of Capitalism, denounce systemic racism in Grand Rapids, practice trans justice and climate justice and commit to actively opposing US Imperialism and the US role in funding genocide in Gaza.

• Imagine if the 10,000 people that came would all have donate $5. That would translate into $50,000 for Mutual Aid support to immigrant families affected by ICE terrorism, or people who need rent assistance or to post bond for people in the Kent County jail so they didn’t have to be locked up until their court dates, or to fund places like SECOM allowing them to provide a shit ton of food assistance right now.
• Imagine if 10,000 showed up to demand that the City and County adopt the sanctuary policies that Cosecha was been demanding since January.
• Imagine if 10,000 people took over the DeVos family headquarters on the corner of Monroe and Lyon and demand they pay reparations for the all the heinous shit they have done over the decades – all the anti-trans, anti-union, anti-public education, shit they have done. We could make them give back the $565 million they got in public subsidies for the Three Towers project they are getting ready to build, how they fleeced the public for millions more with the Amphitheater and the Soccer stadium. Imagine the wealthiest family crapping in their pants as we took over their space and made them pay reparations.
• Imagine if 10,000 people showed up to take over the federal building and demand that Senators Slotkin and Peters, along with Rep. Scholten end their votes for funding Israel and their genocide, stop voting for nearly a trillion dollars annually to fund the US military and make them redirect our money towards housing, healthcare and mass transit.

This is what radical imagination looks like. The possibilities are endless, if we would just realize the collective power we have. This is what scares the shit out of those in power, way more than voting, rallies or people holding signs. Direct Action is what they fear.