Over 8000 in Detroit stand up to Trump

Detroit, MI – On October 18, more than 8000 protesters gathered for a major No Kings protest starting at Roosevelt Park in Detroit to demand Detroit declare itself a sanctuary city, that troops be ousted from our cities, and the city divest from war profiteers.

The event began with a rally at Roosevelt Park. Speakers included long-time Detroit organizer Dr. Yusuf Shakur, members of the DROP Trump Coalition (Detroit Resisting Oppression by President Trump) , Engineers Against Apartheid, Doctors Against Genocide and others.

The massive crowd waved Palestinian, Mexican and upside-down American flags as they chanted “Detroit ain’t lickin’ no boots! No Trump! No troops!” and “Donald Trump you racist clown! The working class will bring you down!” Signs like “No ICE” and “No troops” were a prominent feature as well.

Marcel Ulacia, a member of the Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, called out the continued murder of oppressed nationality people by the Detroit police and uplifted the names of those murdered by killer cops, mentioning John Zook Jr., Sherman Lee Butler, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. He emphasized the resilience of Detroit in the face of thugs like Trump, saying, “We stand here today in Detroit, a city shaped by Black labor and Black struggle, to say we will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced.”

Ulacia went on to call for community control of the police, saying, “The Detroit Alliance has been fighting for over a year to pass the people’s body cam ordinance which would hold the police accountable and end their collaboration with ICE. But what did the city council give us? Either nothing or the most toothless version of our body cam ordinance. Trump cannot be held accountable if we don’t hold our local representatives accountable. Pack the city councils, demand the demands we yell today.”

Speaking on the demand for a sanctuary city, Kassandra Rodriguez of Detroit Comité de Acción Comunitaria stated, “Trump is not acting alone. His cruelty is backed by a system. A system that profits from private detention centers. A system that devalues Black and brown lives. A system that builds walls instead of bridges and prisons instead of schools.” She ended by stating, “Detroit will be a sanctuary city. Not out of sheer wishes but because we will not stop fighting until every immigrant, every refugee, every worker, every dreamer is safe, is welcomed, and is free.”

The protesters marched to the Patrick McNamara Federal Building, which houses immigration courts, Homeland Security, and the FBI. They chanted against the institutions that cause the working class great harm.

The march to the federal building was filled with high energy as people were screaming chants at the top of their lungs. People walked out of their apartments to join in, and some cheered from their balconies, waving Mexican and Palestinian flags in solidarity with the marchers.

As they gathered around the building, Jo Pico with Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “I want to build a Detroit that works for us, not the capitalists like the Ilitches and the Gilberts, but also because I want to end the rotten system that put Trump in power!”

Pico continued, “The truth is the entire history of the country has been a fight between us, the working class who make anything of value in this country, and the capitalists who exploit and oppress us. Their profits have always been paid for with the lives of indigenous peoples, of African Americans, of Chicanos and Latinos, of immigrants, of women, and of working-class people everywhere! From Detroit to Palestine to Venezuela and all the points in between!” He ended his speech with a rallying cry for the protesters make America ungovernable.

The energy was electric, with attendees expressing anger at Trump, but also at his capitalist allies. The people marched back from the federal building chanting “Fuck ICE. Fuck war profiteers. Fuck Israel. Fuck the Ilitches. Fuck Gilbert. Fuck Elon. Fuck Trump!”

The protest was organized by Indivisible, and partners, particularly the DROP Trump (Detroit Resisting Oppression by President Trump) coalition, comprised of organizations including Detroit Anti-War Committee Detroit Comité de Acción Comunitaria, Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, the Detroit District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, We The People Dissnet, 50501 Detroit, General Strike U.S. Detroit, and the Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

#DetroitMI #MI #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #Trump #NoKings