By Michael Wright
On Saturday, October 18, 2025, thousands in the Kalamazoo community gathered along Drake Road between KL Avenue and West Main Street to take part in the second national “No Kings” day, a pro-democracy organization that had their first National Day of Action in June of this year. That day saw massive protests all across America, drawing nearly 7 million gatherers in total (a higher turnout than the first day of action in June), with over 2,700 events nationwide. In Michigan alone, there were over 100 protests planned in various cities, from Detroit to Paw Paw.
Among the 7 million people who gathered across the country was myself (it was in fact my first ever protest), although I was not there to picket, ring cowbells, or observe. I went to No Kings to circulate petitions for two ballot measures that have the potential to radically change Michigan politics.
When the van carrying me and a select few other student volunteers neared Drake Road, you could already see the protestors from a distance. As we turned left heading southbound, trying desperately to find parking, the scene in front of me was awe-inspiring. Both sides of the street were lined with people, everyone holding signs, chanting, and showing support for democracy in every way they knew how to. There were costumed characters running about, in a clear pastiche of scenes from Portland, Oregon the weeks prior. For the two hours that the protest lasted, there was near constant honking of horns from passers-by in their cars. Some cars were even covered with slogans and reclaimed American flags, while other people drove by slowly with their passengers holding up signs.
As our group scattered, I spent the first hour of the protest behind a tent in front of Skyridge Church for the nonpartisan group Voters Not Politicians, collecting signatures for their ballot initiative that would prevent utilities and companies with large government contracts (250k dollars or more) from giving direct donations to politicians that are supposed to regulate them. My estimates for how many signatures we got in that one hour range from 15-30.
What I found remarkable was how little convincing many people needed to sign the petition; just introduce it as “Michigan Voters for Money Out of Politics” and they ask for the pen. When you first start circulating, one of the first things people will tell you is that less is more: be concise, be short with your words, and keep the people’s attention. I definitely had more success collecting signatures on this initiative than I did on the second one.
The journey from the first site to the next was about a full mile, but it was worth the trek. This second petition came from Rank MI Vote, which is dedicated to allowing state-wide ranked-choice voting in the state of Michigan. RCV, also called instant-runoff voting, is a system whereby voters rank their preferred candidates from most preferred to least preferred, and the candidates with the least votes are eliminated until one person comes out with a majority. It has gained support in the past few years, with supporters saying it allows for greater participation for citizens, and it has indeed led to greater participation in cities that have implemented it (in New York and Minneapolis, for example). To my pleasant surprise, many people had already signed the petition, and I was paired up with a man much more experienced than me to help circulate. Others said they would look up more information about it later, which is certainly a step in the right direction.
All in all, No Kings Day was very productive and helpful for me, and quite eye-opening as well. It truly is awe-inspiring to see so many in the community show up in support of a cause like this, especially in an era where it seems like no one is politically engaged anymore, and doomerism is running rampant. I spoke with a man who had a slight tremble to his voice who shared these sentiments as well. “Seeing this gives me a little bit of hope,” he said to me. Thinking back on it now, the feeling is still unrecognizable, and even more astonishing is that no arrests were made! Neither Kalamazoo nor much bigger cities like New York saw major disturbances during this National Day of Action. Often, I have seen people overseas make off-hand remarks about Americans just letting everything the Trump administration is doing happen, but if the scenes from the 18th are anything to go by, we are not just letting this happen. Forever united America will stand in the face of tyranny, and never will we accept a king.
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