Shoppers at the Alameda Farmers’ Market last Saturday may have noticed a man wearing a straw sun hat and a button-down shirt featuring the smiling faces of his grandkids. Jim Cummons, an Alameda resident, was passing out fliers for the No Kings rally set to take place in Alameda on Saturday, March 28.
Cummons told the Alameda Post that he signed up to attend the event and then responded to a call from organizers Shalom Bruhn and Tina Davis for volunteers to help promote the rally and march. He is one of many Alameda residents working with Bruhn, Davis, and organizations such as Indivisible Alameda and All Rise Alameda to make the No Kings Rally a success.
Bruhn is excited about the rally. She confidently stated, “Thousands of us right here in Alameda, in solidarity with millions nationwide, will make it clear that we will not stop until democracy is secure and people are treated with respect.”
She explained to the Post that Saturday’s event will start at 10 a.m. with a family friendly pre-rally at Chochenyo Park, where people will be able to make protest buttons and signs. There will be chalk and bubbles for kids along with art projects and music. Attendees can learn songs for the march and rally and make bandanas with the No Kings logo.
No Kings is the united front and name under which nationwide protests and rallies are taking place. While the Alameda rally is organized by Bruhn, Davis, and local organizations, they chose to use the national No Kings name and logo to add weight and visibility to all of the other rallies taking place that day.
At noon, attendees will march to Alameda City Hall for the rally. It’s a chance for protestors to make their voices heard, but Bruhn stresses that it’s also a way for people to network and get involved with more direct action. There will be tables with whistle kits and sign-ups for ICE patrol training, letter-writing to people who have been detained and incarcerated by ICE, as well as letter-writing campaigns to CEOs of companies. The rally will also showcase ofrendas dedicated to people who have died in ICE custody so far this year.
Bruhn said the No Kings rally “is an on-ramp to activism until we are clear that our democracy is safe and we are not run by a tyrant and have no king.”
There will be music, of course, and the lineup of speakers at the rally include Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, West Alameda Business Association Executive Director Elissa Glickman, and Paul Hauser, a veteran on the advisory board of the Mastick Senior Center who will be talking about the legality of the war in Iran.
Bruhn, whom Alameda residents may recognize as the woman standing on Park Street in a suffrage outfit during elections, has lived on the island since 1994 and is a part of Indivisible Alameda, All Rise Alameda, the Alameda Democratic Club, and East Bay – Fierce, Loving, Organized Women (EB-FLOW). Much of her involvement began in 2017 during the start of President Trump’s first term in office. After 2020, some of the groups became dormant and then were relaunched or reorganized after the 2024 elections.
“It was important knowing that Trump was coming back to power to reaffirm our sanctuary city and to use our first amendment rights to speak our truth to power,” said Bruhn.
Bruhn also told the Post that she has seen a recent evolution of the groups, with members wanting more in-person, localized interactions. All Rise Alameda has been holding monthly meetings with actions such as postcard-writing parties. Indivisible Alameda, meanwhile, is having its first physical gathering at the No Kings rally and is planning on regular meetings. They are also planning on holding community defense training against ICE.
Bruhn encourages participants in the rally to register through the No Kings Alameda Mobilize website. With the contact information that is collected, Bruhn and Davis are able to make a call for volunteers and ask for help in their cause.
“I urge everyone and anyone who cares about democracy to join the March 28th action,” Bruhn said. “One antidote for fear and depression is action, and in a democracy we all need to be a part of that action.”
Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.
