No Kings protests against the actions of the Trump administration are happening around Metro Atlanta today, Oct. 18.
(Photos by Katie Burkholder)
An estimated 5,000 gathered at the Atlanta Civic Center parking lot in Old Fourth Ward on Saturday morning to hear from speakers, including Sen. Raphael Warnock and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams. Even more people joined a march from the Civic Center to Liberty Plaza outside the State Capitol building. The rally and march both ended peacefully, according to organizers.
Additional protests were taking place in Tucker, Decatur, Smyrna, Fayetteville, Hiram, Suwanee, Woodstock, Peachtree City, Canton, and many more.
The Metro Atlanta rallies were part of nearly 3,000 happening across the nation today that were expected to draw millions of protesters. A similar No Kings protest took place in June, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday and military parade.
(Photos by Katie Burkholder)
Saturday’s protest comes as the nation is mired in a federal government shutdown, which is dragging into its fourth week. Republicans and Democrats are at odds over a stopgap spending bill, with Democrats refusing to approve the spending without restoration of healthcare tax credits that expire at the end of the year. Democrats and healthcare advocates have been sounding the alarm that millions could lose insursnce coverage or be unable to afford it without the tax credits.
The Trump administration has also cracked down on U.S. cities, deploying National Guard troops and partaking in sweeping immigration raids in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Atlanta. Last month, 475 workers at Hyundai’s electric vehicle battery plant west of Savannah – most Korean nationals – were swept up in an ICE raid.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has been roiled by layoffs and fears over U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine beliefs.
The nation’s LGBTQ+ population has seen efforts to remove hard-won civil and human rights rolled back or threatened, including removing transgender troops from the military and concerns about the future of marriage equality.
(Photos courtesy Jodi Jernigan)
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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