On Feb. 5, 2025, there were 50 simultaneous protests, one of which was held in Lansing. The protest was held in Lansing, at the Capitol building, on the lawn, with the speakers lined up along the stairs. The day was cold, around 20°F, cloudy and there were news stations. Some were interviewing protesters, while others recorded footage. The protest was stationary, with a warming station at a nearby church. You could also go inside the Capitol Building to get snacks and warm up. Although I do not like politics, I decided to attend because I do not believe it is right for the current president to put into effect all of these laws, this is because of how negatively they affect most of our population. I feel that he should not be president because of how he acted during his first term, this is because he is a felon. At the protest, participants discussed how bad of a president we have for a second time. I am shocked that people voted for him after his first term. I expected that more people would have voted for Kamala, because her policies, even though they are a change, are for the betterment of the US.
The protesters talked about rejecting fascism and defending democracy, and another topic of discussion was about how LGBTQ rights are non-negotiable. The protesters were strongly against the State Department’s erasure of transgender representation from its web pages, with one of the significant decisions made being the shortening of the acronym “LGBTQ” to “LGB.”
A lot of people attended the protest; around 700 people. Although I was expecting a larger crowd, due to how my dad was talking about it, I expected around 800-900 people, it was still a considerable turnout. The organizer, Jill Murphy, planned this protest in hopes of stopping Trump’s agenda from moving forward and it was organized on Reddit, Discord and various Facebook communities. Many different people were there, including senators, one of whom was Michigan’s first openly gay senator, Jeremy Moss.
The Lansing protest was a powerful display of how, when people unite, they can have more of an effect on society than if they were to go it alone. While the cold deterred some, the turnout demonstrated that so many people are committed to defending their right to democracy. As we move forward, it is clear that protests and movements like this are what our country is based on and can have a potent effect on others.
