Rallies across metro Atlanta and Georgia to protest President Donald Trump’s administration and its immigration enforcement policies were mostly peaceful Saturday, except for one in DeKalb County where police deployed tear gas.
Thousands took to the streets as part of a broader wave of demonstrations that took place across the country. The events happened on the same day as a military parade in Washington celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary, which also coincides with Trump’s 79th birthday.
At the intersection of Northcrest and Chamblee Tucker roads in DeKalb, about 200 people gathered for a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation that began at noon.
Shortly before 2 p.m., police in riot gear arrived as demonstrators tried to march on the road. Tear gas was subsequently deployed as officers blocked the road and urged protesters to leave the area. By 3 p.m., most people had dispersed.
DeKalb County police officers previously walked through the crowd asking those wearing masks and other facial coverings to remove them. An AJC reporter witnessed at least two demonstrators getting taken away in handcuffs.
Signs at the rally condemned the flurry of ICE raids in Georgia and across the country. One stated, “Immigrants are the backbone” while another read, “My Venezuelan husband is not a criminal.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
At least eight people were arrested in DeKalb County, officials said. The names of those arrested and their charges were not immediately released.
The Georgia State Patrol and DeKalb police department deployed tear gas to prevent the situation from escalating.
“The right to protest is fundamental and respected in DeKalb County,” said CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson in an emailed statement. “But when a protest shifts from peaceful and law-abiding to one that threatens public safety and disregards lawful orders, I trust our officers to respond appropriately. Our duty is to protect both the rights of individuals and the wellbeing of the broader community.”
Genny Kennedy, an organizer with PSL, said the protest was to stand in solidarity with immigrant communities.
“We’re here to oppose the ICE raids that have been happening and tearing apart families and neighborhoods,” she said.
Zach Norton, an organizer with Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, said immigration laws aren’t inherently moral and called social justice a shared fight against systemic racism and exploitation.
“The laws … may be legal, but we, the people, have a duty to challenge unjust laws and work to change them by protesting and speaking out for what we believe is right,” Norton said.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/
Credit: Arvin Temkar/
Earlier Saturday on Liberty Plaza, the downtown Atlanta site across from the Georgia Capitol, about 5,000 people gathered for the first of two “No Kings” rallies in Atlanta.
No arrests were reported in the City of Atlanta throughout the day, according to Officer Aaron Fix, police spokesman. A total of 10,000 people attended all rallies in the city, he said.
The Georgia State Patrol confirmed there were no arrests at the Capitol. At the request of the event organizer, two individuals were asked to leave the plaza, and they complied without incident, GSP spokesperson Lt. E. Starling said.
The Indivisible Georgia Coalition, one of the main organizers of the Atlanta event, deployed more than 100 trained volunteers, including medics and marshals, to maintain safety, said activist Laura Judge. Many participants held signs that read, “Protect the Constitution,” “Resist tyranny” and “Veterans against Trump.”
In attendance was Mary Ellen Burgoon, who emphasized the need for urgency. The 68-year-old said she was inspired to join the protest by her late father, who taught her to always question what she was told and form her own opinions.
“The rule of law and the lack of it in this administration is really, really the main concern,” she told an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter. “We need to stop it now. We can’t keep getting pushed over because we know from history: You wait too long, you lose too much ground, you got to resist.”
Simone Mitchell, 66, a longtime Atlanta resident, said she joined the protest for her granddaughter and grandson. She expressed concerns about democracy and recent immigration enforcement.
“We shouldn’t treat individual people as a different class in our society. And this is our America. This is our country, and we should fight for our rights and our civil good,” Mitchell said.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
After the first “No Kings” protest wrapped up around 11:30 a.m., another kicked off around 1 p.m. on the 17th Street overpass near Atlantic Station. Rain briefly fell, but most protesters remained with signs.
Michael McDaniel, 77, of Smyrna said he wants Republicans in Congress to realize that Trump must be impeached. He admitted he’s pessimistic and doesn’t think much will change.
He attended the protest because he still believes “enough people will wake up and see how close we are to an authoritarian government.”
“There are lots of people who are like us who want to save democracy,” McDaniel added.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
In downtown Suwanee, just steps away from City Hall, a protest unfolded hours after authorities say a gunman assassinated a Democratic state legislator in Minnesota and attempted to kill another. Several state legislators and political candidates joined rallies across the state to send a message that they won’t be cowed.
“We are here today because we are fighters. We are here today because we refuse to bow down to would be kings who think they could silence us,” Democratic state Sen. Nabilah Islam told hundreds in Suwanee, where sign-waving protesters crowded around the suburb’s main drag.
On Decatur Square near the John Lewis statue, protesters, which included parents pulling children in wagons, held signs and waved the American flag as cars passing on Ponce de Leon Avenue honked in support around 1 p.m. Saturday. The event was billed as family-friendly, with free popsicles, music and bubbles.
Abigail Bello, a resident of Tucker, brought her sons, Joaquin, 6, and Matias, 3, as well as her mother, Carrie Quinn, to the demonstration. Bello, whose husband is a naturalized citizen from Mexico, said she came because “I want to make sure, for my kids especially, that they see we stand up for what we believe in. When we don’t agree with something, we vocalize it.”
Bello said she chose to attend the Decatur event over other demonstrations being held in metro Atlanta because “this just felt safer.”
In Macon, a few hundred protesters rallied without incident in a tree-lined park along Poplar Street, a main downtown thoroughfare in that Middle Georgia city. They chanted at times, “Protect the Constitution!” and sang freedom songs. A few children played with bubbles.
The first 125 protesters were handed red clown noses. Anita Hayes, a former truck driver and pastor, sported one.
“I’m very concerned that we’re on a walk in this country that’s leading us away from everything that this country has stood for,” said Hayes, 67, who lives in Wilkinson County.
Gary Simson, a law professor at Mercer University, carried a cardboard sign that bore a version of a Benjamin Franklin quote: “We must all hang together, or we shall all hang separately.” Simson, 75, said public voicings of discontent like the ones Saturday can be influential.
“Then I think our elected representatives will pay more attention,” Simson said. “We need our elected representatives to stand up. Congress has to start acting like it’s a branch of government.”
Savannah’s “No Kings” demonstration drew more than 2,000 protesters, many of whom took turns sitting on a stage prop throne rented for the occasion.
The message? That the American people rule the United States.
Organizers emphasized the “We the people” theme throughout the gathering. Activists advocated for a number of causes — including pro-democracy, pro-immigration, pro-LGBTQ+ — and delivered short speeches in a city park adjacent to Savannah’s historic Bull Street Library just south of downtown.
Kris Mecholsky, one of the protest’s organizers and the chair of the activist group Coastal Georgia for Democracy, told attendees the “No Kings” effort is “a marathon where we have to keep the pressure up.”
In Athens, a large and diverse crowd stayed through a late afternoon downpour, chanting and waving signs at a peaceful protest. An Athens-Clarke County police spokeswoman said there were no arrests and an estimated 1,000 people in attendance.
State and local law enforcement agencies, along with Georgia leaders, have said peaceful rallies wpuld be tolerated. But violence will not, Gov. Brian Kemp said.
“Crime, vandalism and any threat to public safety will not be tolerated in this state,” Kemp said Wednesday. “We know the difference between utilizing constitutionally guaranteed rights and committing violent crime.”
Tensions leading into the weekend were heightened after six people were arrested during a Tuesday night protest along Buford Highway. The rally began peacefully around 6:30 p.m., but police in riot gear responded around 9:40 p.m. after several people did not leave the area after the assembly permit had expired.
In Los Angeles, massive protests over immigration raids have led Trump to deploy 700 U.S. Marines and roughly 4,000 National Guard members, The Associated Press reported.
The “No Kings” protests opened with calls nationwide for peaceful demonstrations. Texas and Missouri activated the National Guard in advance.
“While other states may wait for chaos to ensue, the State of Missouri is taking a proactive approach in the event that assistance is needed to support local law enforcement in protecting our citizens and communities,” Gov. Mike Kehoe wrote on social media Thursday in announcing his executive order activating the Missouri National Guard.
In Florida, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said his department would not tolerate violence toward law enforcement.
“If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of my deputies, you won’t be leaving in handcuffs — your family will be collecting your remains,” Ivey said. “We are not going to tolerate violence. We are not going to play games.”
— Staff reporter Greg Bluestein contributed to this article.
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