“Small-town America pushes back against authoritarianism” as Traverse, Leelanau Indivisible hold third No Kings national day of action

Photo of demonstration in Traverse City on April 5, 2025, by Chris Hintz

From staff reports

Traverse Indivisible and Leelanau Indivisible are teaming up to hold a third No Kings national day of action in Traverse City on Saturday, March 28, as millions gather nationwide to protest the Trump administration’s policies and politics, at home and around the world.

Organizers say they expect as many as 7,000 people to march in Traverse City “as small-town America pushes back against authoritarianism.” In a city of 16,000 people, that would make No Kings Day one of the largest protests in Northern Michigan history.

The march begins at 1 pm at F&M Park (716 E State St) and proceeds through downtown Traverse City before concluding at 3 pm. Participants are encouraged to bring signs, noisemakers, and their voices. A food drive drop-off will be at the gazebo in F&M Park. Click here for route details, accessibility information, parking, and more information.

“The timing matters,” organizers write. “ICE agents are being deployed to airports where they seem to do little besides intimidate travelers, while TSA workers still aren’t getting paid. An unauthorized war with Iran continues with no congressional approval. The Epstein files remain buried while oligarchs tighten their grip on power.”

Read our Glen Arbor Sun coverage of ICE’s siege of Minneapolis this winter and Chicago last fall, and how everyday citizens and businesses, including artists are speaking out against the growing militarization. Fears of growing ICE presence in Northern Michigan prompted the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians to issue an advisory in January to its tribal members to coach them on how to handle encounters with federal agents. Also read our coverage from inside ICE’s massive immigrant detention facility in nearby Baldwin, Michigan—the largest such facility in the Midwest.

The Sun’s coverage of the Trump administration also includes stories about Canadians boycotting tourism and travel to Michigan, the impact of his tariffs on local businesses, cuts to conservation projects as well as national nutrition education programs, and his incendiary and false rhetoric about immigrant communities and people of color who have integrated into our community.

Two previous No Kings Day demonstrations last year drew thousands in Traverse City and hundreds to small towns like Glen Arbor.

“We’re a small town in Northern Michigan,” said Leif Kolt, communications team lead for Traverse Indivisible. “We’re not supposed to be a center of resistance. But last fall we had 7,000 people show up for No Kings 2. That’s nearly half our population. We keep breaking our own records because people understand what’s at stake.”

The marchers aren’t a monolithic bloc, wrote Traverse Indivisible in a media release. “High school students are organizing groups. So are senior citizen coalitions. Veterans will be there. Teachers. Members of local congregations. Indigenous community members. LGBTQ+ residents. Small business owners. People who voted differently in the last election but agree that what’s happening now crosses a line.”

The Northern Michigan Justice Singers coalition will lead resistance songs at F&M Park and Rotary Square, and along the march route. There will be a food drive collecting donations for neighbors in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties, “because while billionaires get tax breaks and tech companies get bailouts, working families are struggling to buy groceries.”

“People are tired of being told to stay quiet and trust the process,” Kolt said. “The process isn’t working. ICE is grabbing people from our community. We’re fighting an unauthorized war. Working families can’t afford food while corrupt politicians bail out their friends. So yeah, we’re going to march. We’re going to be loud. And we’re going to keep doing this until something changes.”

The march will go rain or shine. Organizers are committed to nonviolent action and have been working with the Traverse City Police Department and Downtown Development Authority to ensure safety and legality. The Traverse and Leelanau Indivisible groups are volunteer-run, donor-supported grassroots groups that organize mass mobilizations, community defense efforts, and strategic resistance to authoritarianism. All events are grounded in a commitment to nonviolent action, de-escalation, and peaceful resistance.