'No Kings' Protests Planned for Saturday at a Dozen Locations Across Northeast Ohio

Some 1,500 protests, rallies and marches led by progressive groups across the country will be held this Saturday, all to criticize the Trump administration’s brazen use of the military and cuts to social services. Credit: No Kings

It’s Trump’s 79th birthday on Saturday, and his planned festivities are militaristic –tanks rolling in front of the Capitol Building in D.C., Marines and Army infantrymen marching in front of spangled banners and balloons.

Elsewhere, there will be different gatherings.

On June 14, in at least 1,500 towns and cities across the country (except D.C.), progressive activists are leading “No Kings” mass protests, both in defiance of Trump’s military display and to criticize the administration’s brazen displays of power, from its cuts to Social Security and Medicaid to it sending Army troops to Los Angeles in response to anti-ICE protests.

And there will be a dozen “No Kings” protests across Northeast Ohio, including one in Downtown Cleveland that afternoon.

The protests, a spokesperson for the advocacy groups leading Downtown’s march, are meant to “contrast” the tone and timbre of the country’s chief showing off tanks in the nation’s capital—with a $100 million price tag.

“I mean, it’s something so offensive, to spend that kind of money,” Cindy Demsey, a spokesperson for local No Kings organizers, told Scene on Wednesday. “This is a collective response to what Trump’s doing—mimicking Vladimir Putin and Kim Jung Un. I mean, when do we have a military parade?”

“It’s unprecedented to have that level of a military parade when they’re making cuts indiscriminately,” she added. “We’re saying, ‘Hell no, it’s wrong and this is our country. We don’t believe in kings. Not now. Not ever.”

Demsey told Scene that “at least 1,500 people” have RSVP’d for the downtown Cleveland protest. After a rally at the Free Stamp in Willard Park, the group will then walk northward to Voinovich Park. After a 2 p.m. start, the protest will wrap up around 4 p.m.

A trio of organizers—Mobilize The Vote, Indivisible NEO and the Cuyahoga Democratic Woman’s Caucus—will be backing a dais of speakers to kickoff the march: State Sen. Nikki Antonio, Ward 15 Councilwoman Jenny Spencer, former State Rep. Jeffrey Crossman, Army veteran Michael Beck and Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin.

A full list of locations and times is below.

• Chagrin Gateway: 30550 Pinetree Road, Cleveland, OH 44124, 11am to 1pm
• Downtown Cleveland: East 9th and Lakeside Avenue, OH 44114, 2pm to 4pm
• Chagrin Falls: Riverside Park, 82 N Main Street, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022, 10am to 12pm
• Bainbridge: 8501 Tanglewood Square, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023, 1pm to 3pm
• Parma: Ridgewood Lake Park, 7620 W Ridgewood Dr., Parma, OH 44129, 11am to 1pm
• Mentor: Great Lakes Mall, 7900 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH 44060, 12pm to 2pm
• Hudson: Gazebo Green, Rt 91, Hudson, OH 44236, 2pm to 4pm
• Chardon: 435 Water St, Chardon, OH 44024, 10am to 11:30am
• Akron: John F. Seiberling Federal Building and United States Courthouse, 2 S Main St., Akron, OH 44308, 1pm to 2:30pm
• Cuyahoga Falls: Doodlebug Memorial Park, 2641 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221, 10am to 11:30am
• Kent: Gazebo, 100 Franklin Ave, Kent, OH 44240, 3pm to 5pm