“Well, the festival is designed to invite people who are tired of what’s going on in our political world and to find a way find a way to be community and to help build a better future.”
Becky Palmer is a leader with Indivisible Greater Grand Rapids, the local branch of a national grassroots movement educating the public about current legislation and policies. She says this weekend’s events are expected to draw even bigger crowds than the previous “No Kings” Day in June, which drew thousands. Palmer says now there’s an urgency felt by many Americans due to the government shutdown.
“I believe that some of the tariffs are kicking in, and I think people are seeing that the grocery prices, in fact, are not going down; they are going up. I think that people are able to witness a lot more corporate greed and that we’re paying for people to become billionaires and trillionaires.”
Palmer says she hopes people who are concerned about the stigma that comes with attending political events will still attend.
“I’m really hoping that families come out just so that they can have a good time and gather information and recognize that it’s going to take all of us to build a better future.”
The “No Kings” Community Festival is at Riverside Park this Saturday, October 18th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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