Thousands of people across South Florida and Miami-Dade County took to the streets to participate in the “No Kings Day” protest on Saturday. However, Millions more people participated in more than 2,000 protests across the country.
The No Kings protests on Saturday directly followed the protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies and actions, particularly those in Los Angeles. Organizers planned the mass No Kings protest to fall on President Donald Trump’s birthday parade and the Army’s 250th anniversary.
The name “No Kings Day” comes from Trump’s Truth Social post celebrating his attempt to end congestion pricing in New York City.
Trump’s post read, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
There were 70 official protests across Florida. Protesters in Miami gathered around the Torch of Friendship on Biscayne Blvd. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. On Miami Beach, protesters gathered at Pride Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m..
Approximately 2000 people took part in the protest around the Torch of Friendship.
For rising UM sophomore Ariana Glaser, Trump’s post is one of the many reasons why she decided to join the protest in her home state of New York.
“I think Donald Trump feeds off of weakness – he feeds off of making civilians feel powerless,” she said. “But by going to these protests and using our voices, we take some of that power back.”
Glaser is not the only one who feels strongly about the Trump administration’s actions. She was joined by about 200 other people in Patchogue, N.Y. despite the rain. Although each sign was different, the message was the same.
“Everyone there was united by love for our country and what we believe it once was, what it still could be,” Glaser said. “It was all just people standing together in the face of fascism.”
While Glaser was joined by people from all walks of life such as teachers, retirees and veterans, there was a notable lack of young people at her protest and many others across the nation.
“I’d say there were a fair few (young people), even a couple of really young kids,” Glaser said. “There were definitely more older people though.”
Despite this, Glaser is relieved that the older generation is still taking a stand.
The Patchogue protesters and others across the country protested peacefully. Some organizers even coordinated with law enforcement to ensure a safe and peaceful demonstration.
Before the No Kings protests, multiple police departments across South Florida issued ground rules for what would and would not be tolerated from protesters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also reminded citizens of the state’s law against riots.
This is an extension of Florida’s “stand your ground” law. This justifies civilians using force, but not deadly force, when they or their property is threatened.
Gov. DeSantis said “If you drive off and you hit one of these people, that’s their fault for impinging on you. You don’t have to sit there and just be a sitting duck and let the mob grab you out of your car and drag you through the streets. You have a right to defend yourself in Florida.”
This intense effort to ensure that the organized protests would be safe and peaceful is in response to the recent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles.
Most protests, including those held in South Florida, remained peaceful.
Trump has made no comment regarding the protests other than not feeling like a king in the days leading up to his birthday and the protests. However, he has promised to expand the immigration crackdown in Democratic-led cities since the protests.