Americans continued to exercise their First Amendment right when they gathered for protests across the country, the state and in Mount Pleasant on Saturday, Oct. 18.

"No Kings" demonstrations took place at over 2,000 sites and across all 50 states and were organized by national and local groups, including Indivisible, according to the New York Times reporting.

Mount Pleasant and Lansing were no exceptions.

Hundreds of demonstrators line Mission Street in Mount Pleasant

People were holding signs that read “Save our democracy,” “Dump Trump” and yelling chants including “This is what democracy looks like.”

Evan Mattson, a Central Michigan University student, said that it is important to have these demonstrations because it is a way to exercise First Amendment rights.

“It’s an important part of free speech,” said Mattson. “I think it's a way to peacefully organize change.”

Jasmine Brookins

Invisible Central Michigan hosts the second part to the No Kings Protest on South Mission Street on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)

Mattson said that as a citizen, he believes protesting is one of the few things that can spark change besides voting.

There was a diverse age group of all the demonstrators present at the rally, including Central Michigan University students, children, high schoolers, young adults and retirees.

Delaney Murphy, a CMU student, said that she feels a strong sense of community in Mount Pleasant and was getting emotional about how many people were present at this demonstration.

“People from all walks of life are out here," Murphy said. “I’ve never seen this many people of all generations out for a cause like this before.”

Isabella County is historically a Republican County, according to Ballotpedia.

“It’s very critical (to protest) in a red county because there are so many people who think that their county isn't going to show up, but we are showing up here,” Emily Doering, CMU student, said.

Thousands of protestors gather outside the Michigan State Capitol

In Lansing, demonstrators were waving handmade signs that read “We want our country back” and “Power to the People." They filled the Capitol lawn with chants demanding accountability from elected leaders. The rally, one of several similar protests across the state, drew a diverse crowd of students, parents, retirees and activists from across Michigan.

Ella Miller

Arjen Greydanus displays his sign during the No Kings protest at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. “We think we have a dictator running this country and we think something has to be done about the situation,” Greydanus said. (CM-Life | Ella Miller)

While the atmosphere was charged with emotion, many participants said they were driven by a shared fear that speaking out could bring personal consequences. Several attendees declined to provide their last names for safety reasons, citing concerns about online harassment and political retaliation.

But David Claire, a Michigan resident, said he felt compelled to be there despite those risks.

“I came out here to stand up against our president, who is trying to take our rights away,” he said. “He needs to stop the lying. Their idea of health care is dying.”

Claire said he believes rallies like this one serve as reminders that citizens still have power through collective action.

For protester Mya Kraut, the demonstration was about more than one city or one group.

“There’s multiple protests happening, so it’s not just one; they’re everywhere, and it shows that people are upset about this,” she said. “Even in rural areas where there’s a lot more people who may support him than here, it’s more of a democratic demographic, but I think it’s just good to see that as a country, we have a unity against this presidency.”

Ella Miller

(From left) Becky Fitts, Mary Brown and Nan Barone perform in a group called the MI Vote Strummers during the No Kings protest in Lansing on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CM-Life | Ella Miller)

Her sister, Katie Kraut, said she hopes lawmakers are paying attention to the growing unrest.

“I know that Trump’s not going to change, but I hope that people in the House and the Senate will finally listen to us and start representing the people and not him,” she said.

Throughout the afternoon, speakers took turns at the microphone, urging attendees to stay engaged beyond the protest. Volunteers passed out voter registration forms and information about upcoming legislative hearings. A few musicians played sets on the side of the protests, and their lyrics carried themes of resilience and unity.