Mari Karlstad holds a flag on Central Avenue while protesters on the opposite side urge cars to honk during the “No Kings” rally on June 14. The event was postponed, but that didn’t stop protesters from occupying the intersection. (Davis Steen)
With the shootings of Rep. Melissa Hortman, husband, Mark, Sen. John Hoffman and wife, Yvette earlier in the day, the leaders of the “No Kings” rally at Central and Lowry chose to move their June 14 event to a different day.
The postponement didn’t stick.
Sue Johnston alerting would-be protesters thirty minutes before the event that it was postposed for safety. (Davis Steen)
“This is what they’re trying to do. They are trying to frighten us into submission,” Cathy Weller said. “We are not going to lay down. We can’t.”
Weller, along with many people around the country, trained to be a marshal for the “No Kings” protest. The training, held by the national nonprofit organization Indivisible, was meant to help protesters keep the peace and remain nonviolent.
“When Mary (Lillestol) was getting huge numbers, she was worried about safety,” Anne Hinrichs said. “It was an hour and a half of online training. 3,800 people are registered as ‘marshal’/‘peacekeeper’ in the country. I prefer ‘peacekeeper.’”
Mary Lillestol, left, lead organizer of the protest, and Anne Hinrichs update each other partway through the protest. (Davis Steen)
Mary Lillestol is the leader of Indivisible’s Northeast Minneapolis branch. The nationwide entity held rallies in more than 2,000 cities — organized by 200 groups in total.
While the larger protest in St. Paul drew 25,000 people, according to the Minnesota State Patrol, the one in Northeast Minneapolis still attracted a crowd.
“We estimated that over 200-300 people gathered along both sides of Central Avenue at Lowry, speaking out and building community,” Lillestol wrote in an email to participants.
Kelley Broughton from North Minneapolis and Marni Ginther from Audubon neighborhood holding signs. (Karen Kraco)
Originally, 1,117 people signed up for the protest in Northeast Minneapolis through the Indivisible website. Many showed up and left upon hearing news of the cancellation. Still, many protesters chose to stay.
“My heart is swelling,” Lillestol said. “This is how fed up people are — that they are willing to risk the danger of coming out, because they know that there are folks who are wanting to create fear and they are channeling their fear in a way of action.”
Protesters were initially turned away; the group above left were contemplating their next move when learning about the postponement. They eventually chose to stay. (Davis Steen)
The original goal of the protest was to oppose the military parade planned in Washington D.C. The website for Indivisible and every No Kings protest reiterated a commitment to nonviolent action.
“I want to make sure that people know that the intent of this is about building coalition, it’s about peaceful gathering,” Lillestol said. “We’ve been working with Lt. Schoenberger at the second precinct to ensure everyone is safe and able to practice their right to free speech.”
Outspoken about the event’s cancellation one protester left and later returned. (Davis Steen)
The event was met with constant honks as cars drove through the intersection. With uncertainty around the news, Council President Elliott Payne showed up to provide support.
“You know this is really a reflection of the stakes of the moment that we are in right now,” Payne said. “The intention of today is to reflect our values, that we’re a democracy and no one person is in charge.”
The American flag was one of the more used symbols during the protests. (Davis Steen)
The nationwide protests were reported to total more than 5 million people, with very few reports of arrests and violence.
“My hope is that people see that they’re not alone,” Lillestol said.
Drivers would often roll down their windows and shout from their cars in support. (Davis Steen)