There are three things that came from the military parade and the protests on Trump’s birthday
“No Kings”: A Demonstration in Philadelphia, the Birthplace of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Second State of the United States
In a document with guidance for participants and organizers, “No Kings” stressed that participants should practice nonviolence and de-escalate any conflicts with outside parties.
He told reporters from the Oval Office those who want to protest will be met with “very big force.” “And I haven’t even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.”
Trump wanted to hold the parade during his first term, but it was scrapped because it was deemed too expensive. The Bastille Day parade in France inspired him. The Bastille state prison in 1789 was taken over by French mobs.
According to the organizers’ website, the protesters are avoiding the nation’s capital “to draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington.”
The “No Kings” organizers describe the protests as a day of defiance to show the world what democracy really looks like.
The American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of teachers and the Communications Workers of America are part of the coalition that put on the demonstrations. Protests are scheduled in every state, but not in Washington, D.C. D.C. residents are being encouraged to attend the “No Kings” protest in Philadelphia. Philadelphia was America’s first capital and was the birthplace of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
The Washington, D.C., Military Parade on the 25th Anniversary of the First History of the U.S. Armed Forces
A huge military parade is being held in Washington, D.C. on Saturday in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S Army.
Plans for commemorating the milestone anniversary have been in place for at least a year – long before Trump had secured a second term. But the parade feature was added in recent months, ballooning the budget by tens of millions for the already large-scale event and leaving planners for both the city and military scrambling to prepare.
The parade is part of a larger slate of events, all taking place around the National Mall. The parade begins at 6:30 p.m. and the public festival will begin at 11 a.m.
Ahead of the weekend events, organizations across the country planned to protest against the parade, which has been criticized as a vanity project for the White House.
“To use the military in this manner when Donald Trump is slashing veterans’ benefits to aggrandize himself, to communicate to the country his control over the military, is just another shameful act of this administration,” said Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.
Matthew Frakes is a historian of American military history and an assistant professor at the Ohio State University. The key is to see how much of the parade is about history and how much is about military prowess.
Heather J. Hagan, a army spokeswoman, said that the weekend festivities had an expected price tag of between 25 million and 45 million. There are plans for repairs due to the possibility of damage from tanks rolling on the streets.
Trump’s birthday parade is not the center of gravity, but it is a celebration of a revolution and a challenge for the United States
Trump is expected to participate in the parade as a spectator, but he is scheduled to receive a folded American flag, according to Army spokesman Steve Warren. Such a presentations are usually reserved for the families of fallen soldiers.
Peirce Economakis was bartending on Tuesday evening in Shaw — a residential neighborhood in the city – when he said the main road nearby was suddenly closed off by police around 8 p.m. as truck after truck loaded with military machinery such as tanks and armored cars drove through. He says the whole scene probably lasted about 30 minutes.
This is unbelievable.” ” It’s not easy.” It’s a little depressing,” he said. A lot of people don’t realize that people actually reside here and it’s not a playground.
There have been a lot of street closing around the city since Thursday and Reagan National Airport has said it will shut down for several hours on Saturday to accommodate the military flyover.
The city has also been bracing for potential damage to its streets by installing steel plates along the parade route. Mayor Mariel Bowser is concerned about the damage that heavy machinery and tanks can do to roads.
The last major military parade was in 1991, also in D.C., to celebrate the end of the Gulf War and commemorate fallen soldiers from that conflict. But even that move was seen as controversial, says Joshua Zeitz, a historian and contributing editor for Politico magazine.
He told NPR’s All Things Considered that the country was born of an opposition to state power and it’s important to see the parade with that in mind.
Military parades in democracies are to commemorate, whereas in authoritarian countries they are to intimidate, such as the Soviet Union or China.
On June 14th, No Kings stated on their website, President Trump wants tanks in the street and a show of dominance for his birthday. It was meant to look like strength. In Washington, real power is not staged. It rises up everywhere else.”
Instead of allowing the birthday parade to be the center of gravity, it will be people from different walks of life who come together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption.
As of Friday afternoon, the National Parks Service had approved a protest permit for just one demonstration related to the parade, but other unsanctioned protests could pop up.
Takeaway from the Military Parade and No Kings Protests on Trump’s Birthday: An Army Veteran Says “It’s Yours to Be”
Trump is already facing sharp blowback for his decision to deploy the military to Los Angeles amid protests against ICE immigration raids. He has vowed to take action against demonstrators at Saturday’s events.
The No Kings protest movement sprang up across the country on Saturday because of what opponents viewed as a break from democratic standards and a politicization of the nation’s armed forces.
The military had been due for a big bash and Mike Davis, an army veteran who was at the parade as a spectator, said he was happy to see it.
“The last time we’ve had a military parade of any sorts, I recall, is the Gulf War,” Davis said. “So, it’s been a long time and what better way to celebrate it than the 250th?”
Davis said that protests against the event cast a pall on what he thought should be a celebratory occasion, but that he also backed people’s First Amendment rights to speak out.
“The Army keeps us free, you make us strong, and tonight you’ve made all Americans very proud,” he said. “Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too. That’s what we’re doing tonight.”
Source: 3 takeaways from the military parade and No Kings protests on Trump’s birthday
No Kings: A Distasteful Message from the Governor of California at the Center of a Dissipative Congressional Synod
“It’s a distasteful display,” said the governor of California during the news conference. “It’s the kind of thing you see Kim Jong Un, you see Putin, you see with dictators around the world that are weak.”
More than five million people were estimated to have participated in the protests. While protests were peaceful, police in Culpeper, Va., arrested a man who “intentionally accelerated his vehicle into the dispersing crowd,” at the end of a protest. One person was hit, but no one was hurt, police said.
Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible, another No Kings coordinator, said the atmosphere at the event was joyful.
Thousands were at a Dallas protest, one of more than 60 planned in Texas, KERA reported. In Alaska, there was a theme called “the only king I want is king salmon.”
Shahera Hyatt of Sacramento made signs for her local event that read, “From Palestine to Mexico, border walls have got to go,” and “ICE, you’re fired.”
Protesters said there was a vendetta against people who spoke up against the administration. “So I feel like it’s important to protect my fellow protestors today and not expose them or even have it on my phone.”
“I am completely terrified of what’s going on in our country,” said protester Margo Ross of Watsonville, Calif. “I believe from the beginning it’s been a coup and a fascist overthrow, and I keep thinking, ‘Well, it can’t get worse.’ And then it gets worse.
The US Capitol Police arrested 60 protesters Friday night after some pushed down barriers and ran towards the steps of the Rotunda. They say all 60 will be charged with unlawful demonstration and crossing a police line. Additional charges include assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. The groups behind the protests didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
