Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy took to social media to offer some words of caution from a law enforcement perspective to the public ahead of anticipated rallies and protests this weekend.

A number of protests are expected this weekend as part of the widespread movement that will run counter to Saturday's multi-million-dollar military parade in Washington D.C. to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump.

It’s called the “No Kings” Nationwide Day of Defiance that aims to shed light on alleged corruption, the “$100 million parade, and Trump’s billionaire-first agenda”. The website states "In America, we don’t do kings. They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings."

There are more than 50 protest locations across Michigan – including Howell, Brighton, and Fenton among the local areas.

Sheriff Murphy stressed that people can have their own opinions but it’s important to not antagonize or instigate issues with people who might feel differently than you.

Murphy said when people do rallies and protests, they’re looking for that “5-minutes of fame”. He stressed what’s not ok is opposing people coming to create issues, leading to possible violence.

Murphy noted the protest-model has also evolved in that there’s actually people who come from out of the area who are embedded in a group that will cause trouble to make it look like the other side is causing trouble. He said “it’s not a healthy place to be” and society has become much more violent with people quick to lose their tempers and it’s time to get back to “a little bit of civility.

Murphy said if people want to be a part of the protests and rallies, no matter what group, “great”. He’s asking those who don’t to please just stay away – saying stay off social media, go do something else, and stay away because it doesn’t help to show up and voice your displeasure. Murphy advised to just let groups “do their thing and get out of there”.

Murphy said “Let's all remember that people can hold their own opinions and not get bogged down in our differences. If you want to attend a rally, great. If you don't agree with the rally, that's perfectly fine too. The most important thing is not to antagonize or instigate issues with people who feel differently than you do. Let's focus more on what connects us than divides us this weekend and keep it peaceful for our community”.


Meanwhile; Matt McCool of the Secret Service's Washington Field Office said they’re preparing for an “enormous turnout” with more than 18 miles of anti-scale fencing erected and multiple drones in the air. The entire District of Columbia is normally a no-fly zone for drones.

Army officials have estimated around 200,000 attendees for the evening military parade, and McCool said he was prepared for "hundreds of thousands" of people.

The military parade has been designated a National Special Security Event — similar to a presidential inauguration or state funeral. That status is reserved for events that draw large crowds and potential mass protests. It calls for an enhanced degree of high-level coordination among D.C. officials, the FBI, Capitol Police and Washington’s National Guard contingent — with the Secret Service taking the lead.

The Associated Press reports the Army birthday celebration had already been planned for months. But earlier this spring, Trump announced his intention to transform the event — which coincides with his 79th birthday — into a massive military parade complete with 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks and Paladin self-propelled howitzers rolling through the city streets.

Multiple counter-protests of varying sizes are planned for Saturday, with the largest being a mass march to the White House. Officials say they are also on alert for signs that the immigration-related clashes between law enforcement and protesters currently roiling Los Angeles would spread.