THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE line U.S. 41 in Marquette on Saturday, protesting the Trump administration and its policies. (Antonio Anderson/Mining Journal photo)

MARQUETTE — Saturday saw protesters line nearly 2 miles on both sides of U.S. 41 in Marquette to protest the Trump administration and what many claim are his heavy authoritarian actions.

The protest in Marquette was among a larger nationwide movement that coincided with President Donald Trump’s birthday and the parade he had in the nation’s capital.

“It is a national call,” said Barb Coleman, a safety worker for the protest. “Indivisible has joined with many groups; we have a local chapter of Lake Superior Region Indivisible, which has joined with Yoopers Unite.”

The event saw protesters unite under a common theme, but many were there for personal and different reasons.

“The people, as you can see from the signs, the theme is ‘No Kings’ but a lot of people have chosen specific issues in terms of what’s going on in our country to protest. They are very, very upset and scared, and mad, and all of the above. So peaceful protest is our way of speaking up,” Coleman said.

The number of attendees surprised the event organizers, as well as the reaction from those driving by who honked their car horns in support.

“It is solidarity for people to speak up for our country,” Coleman said. “It is our country, it is everyone’s country, not belonging to an individual. That’s why it is ‘No Kings.'”

The event also had a food donation station set up that drew massive support. The food donated took multiple trips to bring out and will be going to food pantries across the Upper Peninsula.

“We have been doing this now for a few months,” said JoAnn Tadgerson, a donation coordinator for Yoopers Unite and Lake Superior Region Indivisible. “We are doing all of the local food pantries. We have members that have come from Crystal Falls and have done as far as there and all around.”

Food donation workers say that this recent year has seen a large need for food to be donated to food pantries as many are struggling with food insecurity. This event was a way to counteract that.

“Places have seen an exponential need,” Tadgerson said. “We were here at nine (in the morning) and it was already starting … we already filled up half a pickup truck and its only been an hour and a half. And monetary donations on top of that.”

Many people from various backgrounds attended the protest and a large number of armed forces veterans made an appearance. One veteran attended the protest to show his disdain for the president and the military parade he had that coincided with the 250th anniversary of the Army’s founding in America.

“I served from 1969 through 1973,” U.S. Air Force veteran Tom Chapman said. “I hate what he (Trump) is doing; it is upsetting. Russia and China do that, America does not. It is a waste of money. Real patriots pay their taxes and support their country. He doesn’t.”

Chapman said he believed Trump would have a positive impact when he first took office in 2017, but now he isn’t as sure. “All of the bad he has done here and now outweighs every good thing he may have done,” Chapman said.

Other protesters were college-age students who felt the need to support their fellow Americans as well as to condemn the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, which have sparked weeklong protests in Los Angeles.

“There is a great mix of people here,” said Northern Michigan University student Lauren Melendez-Rivero. “All representations of people are here … People think that just because they aren’t in a targeted group that they are safe.”

Others were simply at the protest for various actions that the Trump Administration has done or have tried to do, which are considered unlawful. Protestors brought up examples of the attempted end of birthright citizenship and the federal use of California’s National Guard against the wishes of California’s governor.

“I am here because my culture is being targeted but also because Trump is going against the Constitution,” said Melendez-Rivero.

One notable protester was flying an American Flag from World War II. He said it was his father’s flag that flew over his Navy ship and that it was there to fight fascism once and is here to do it again.

The true number of protestors across the nation is estimated to be around five million people across all 50 states in the nation, as per an email released on Sunday from Indivisible.

“What an incredible day,” the email read. “We knew No Kings Day would be huge, but we never imagined just how big it would be. We turned out over five million people (and still counting) across 2169 events in countries all around the globe. This is what real democracy looks like. The over 200,000 people who turned out in NYC. The over 100,000 in Philadelphia. The 400 people who showed up in a town with a population of only 800 in Michigan. These people are the true backbone of America.”