A rising tide of activism

Thousands of people across the Greater Rochester area joined the second No Kings protest Saturday—a day of rallies staged in both the city and surrounding suburbs. The turnout, estimated at nearly 10,000 across various locations, is viewed by organizers as a sign of growing momentum for civic engagement.

Local communities have taken to advocacy in the months since Donald Trump began his second term—whether through weekly rallies in Brighton, Irondequoit, and Pittsford; political organizations pursuing smaller campaigns; or significant, communitywide acts of resistance. The actions have come in response to sweeping federal budget cuts, threats to higher education funding, and an immigration crackdown. 

Groups have shown up to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, in support of proposed legislation so that ICE officers are identifiable, and against Avelo Airlines, which has transported undocumented immigrants.

“We need to defy totalitarianism, defy tyranny, but all with joy,” says Todd Greanier, who joined his family at Rochester’s No Kings rally. “It’s like a dystopian novel. My first reaction is ‘I’m always overreacting,’ but I’m not.”

In an analysis published two days before Saturday’s No Kings event, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School found that protests and rallies have begun to occur across a broader range of U.S. counties—not just in liberal strongholds—since 2017. 

“The share of counties hosting at least one anti-Trump protest has risen markedly during his second term, surpassing the historic spikes observed during his first term,” the analysis states. “The current protest movement has already reached deeper into Trump country than at almost any point during the first Trump administration.”

The day of No Kings

On Oct. 18, approximately 5,000 people attended Mount Hope’s No Kings rally, according to Invisible Rochester. Separately, Great Rochester Integrity and Truth estimates that more than 2,000 gathered in Brighton and Fairport, 1,500 in Henrietta, and 1,000 in Gates. Nationally, the crowds were huge, with numbers in the millions—some estimates placed the total at roughly 7 million attending 2,600 rallies.

For organizers like Indivisible Rochester, which co-hosted No Kings in Rochester alongside 1199SEIU, Rochester NOW, Federation of Social Workers, IUE-CWA 8131, and Pride at Work AFL-CIO (Rochester), the success of Saturday’s No Kings event does not end with the numbers.

“Reaching those who might not have ever attended a rally before means that the message is penetrating beyond those who have shown up in the past. Increasing diversity of attendees demonstrates that communities are coming together more than we have before, though we still have a way to go,” says Janice Bullard, an organizer with Indivisible. “We believe the more we demonstrate our opposition, the more people are willing to openly question what this administration is doing.”

“I think primarily what has changed is that Project 2025 has continued to be implemented by the current regime, and people are seeing now what the effects of that are,” says Donald Thompson, civil rights attorney and speaker at the Mount Hope rally. “Now people are at the point where they’re not thinking they don’t have to do anything. They think, ‘I better stand up and say something while I still have the opportunity to do so.'”

The Monroe County Republican Party did not respond to a request for comment on the No Kings rallies. Nor did Conservative Party chairman Donald Mazzullo.

Speakers at the rally discussed the impact of the federal immigration crackdown on families and communities in Rochester. At the same time, many attendees shared their personal experiences over the last 10 months, emphasizing that their presence at No Kings felt necessary in response to what they had witnessed across the nation.

“There is no crisis at the border that compares to the crisis of turning our backs on human beings,” says Angelica Perez-Delgado, president and CEO of the Ibero-American Action League. “Instead of honoring the humanity of those seeking safety, they’ve doubled down on cruelty … unleashing policies that hunt down Black and Brown immigrants with militarized force. Let’s not sugarcoat it. These aren’t just policy decisions. They are acts of violence.”

“It’s not only important to me as a citizen, but as a veteran as well. What I see going on is something I haven’t seen in my entire life before,” says John Godwin, who attended Fairport’s No Kings rally with his wife. “Not even Nixon came close to this. This is a man who is trying to change our Constitution and absorb all the power unto himself. … I’m not going to stand by and do nothing.”

Sanctuary status

For some protestors, specific Trump policies prompted them to join the ranks, while others were motivated by issues. For instance, safeguarding the city’s sanctuary status has drawn its share of supporters.

Rochester codified its protections for immigrant and LGBTQIA+ communities in late August. In doing so, the city aligned itself with places like Chicago, Boston, Portland, and Los Angeles—municipalities led by Democratic mayors in staunch defense of their sanctuary designations, despite being targeted by the Department of Justice for their alleged impediment of federal immigration enforcement.

“This is an arrogation of power to the executive, that Dwight Eisenhower warned us against that hasn’t been seen in our lifetimes, or the lifetimes of our parents, or their parents in the United States, ” says Thompson. “ICE has become Trump’s private police force. And a large part of that is (Attorney General) Pam Bondi, who has apparently pursued the idea that the Department of Justice is Trump’s enforcement arm.”

The Department of Homeland Security, in response, has launched a series of targeted operations, with Chicago’s Operation Midway Blitz and Boston’s Operation Patriot 2.0 representing efforts to increase immigration enforcement activities in sanctuary cities nationwide. Federal agents will arrive in Alameda, Calif., this week to support U.S. Customs and Border Patrol activities in the San Francisco Bay area.

The Trump administration has also moved to deploy the National Guard in 11 cities; many of them named in the list of 35 states, cities, and counties identified by the Justice Department. Rochester remains on that list.

City Councilmember Stanley Martin expects to see the same in Rochester, “especially because they’ve been targeting sanctuary cities.”

June saw the president first deploy the California National Guard to Los Angeles, claiming the move was done in response to alleged lawlessness after protests throughout the city had, at times, developed into riots targeted against ICE. The months following have seen similar deployments of the National Guard in cities the federal government has claimed are rampant with crime and lawlessness.

August saw the National Guard in Washington, D.C., while a September deployment to Memphis saw the president announce the move would include the efforts of a variety of federal agencies, including ICE. Similar protests in Portland have resulted in the most recent attempt to deploy the Oregon National Guard in October, all featuring an underlying claim: that lawlessness and anti-ICE rioting has prompted the National Guard to directly tackle crime in these areas, or assist ICE in immigration enforcement operations. 

On Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Trump administration, saying that the president can federalize the Oregon National Guard to Portland. 

“After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority,” the court’s majority opinion states.

Trump’s use of the National Guard in this manner—of deployment within the United States for interior defense—is the first time a U.S. president has used 10 U.S. Code § 12406 to federalize the National Guard since 1970, and the first time since 1965 that a president deployed a state’s National Guard without a request from that state’s governor.

Despite myriad lawsuits against his use of the National Guard, Trump has spoken of deploying troops to cities like New York City and San Francisco, as well as smaller cities such as Baltimore, New Orleans, and St. Louis. While Rochester has not yet seen these developments, concerns have remained that its designation as a sanctuary municipality may place the city under target.

In preparation for a potential deployment of the National Guard, Martin says legislation could be passed that would ensure local law enforcement does not comply with the National Guard—or any federal agency—for immigration enforcement. The newly passed sanctuary city legislation specifically codifies protections around ICE.

“If there’s any gaps in how (our sanctuary city policies) could be interpreted by RPD, I think it’s important that we look to our legislative powers to fill those gaps and ensure that if the National Guard was deployed here in Rochester for immigration enforcement purposes, RPD is explicitly not allowed to coordinate with them in any capacity,” adds Martin.

ICE agents’ attempts to arrest roofers on Westminster Avenue in September were not assisted by local law enforcement, in line with the city’s sanctuary policies. Their continued efforts were met with vocal opposition from over 200 individuals, ranging from local legislators and clergy to advocates and labor organizers. Initial efforts to arrest three individuals resulted in agents leaving the scene.

Carlos Villegas, an organizer with 50501, compares the roofers to his own relatives. Some were crying out to their families, he says, using their phones to make one final call before the risk of detention.

“When I looked at (the roofers), I had no way of knowing if they were documented. I just knew that they were being targeted and that they were stuck on this roof,” says Villegas. “I know we can’t do much as citizens. We can’t just show up and start boxing with ICE … but people show up, and in that moment of anxiety, in that moment of anger, they look for ways to fight back. And simply doing chants added that pressure on these people.”

“We also see that we have very strong support from our senators and our assemblymembers who are also putting their bodies on the line and saying, ‘We are going to resist ICE,’” adds Martin, commenting on members of the state Assembly who joined the community in protest that day. “We’re not only going to do that through words, but we’re actually going to physically show up and make sure that our community is safe.”

Assemblymember Demond Meeks declined to comment when asked how he would continue to defend Rochester’s immigrant communities in the face of a National Guard deployment. State Sen. Samra Brouk, who did not respond to a request for comment before publication, later provided this statement: “Rochester is a sanctuary city, and as the daughter of an immigrant and a proud representative of the people, I will continue to protect our immigrant communities against the actions of a cruel federal administration. It is appalling that masked ICE agents continue to infringe upon the human and civil rights of our residents. This is not how we build community—this is not how we build trust.”

In addition, the Beacon also sought comment from Republican Assemblymember Josh Jensen and GOP state Sen. Pamela Helming. They also did not respond.

Masked agents

While rallies represent a first step in getting the public’s attention, what follows is dedicated campaigns that organizations like 50501 have pursued in resisting ICE.

“If it’s someone’s first time stepping outside and holding up a sign that says ‘I don’t like Trump,’ that’s great for you. That’s your first step into this world,” says Villegas. “I think that providing this opportunity for people that usually aren’t involved in politics or in activism is an amazing thing that 50501 and Indivisible are doing to put these events on. … This is going to be a good first step into activism, but also a wake-up call for a lot of people. They’ll be able to put feelings (into) words.”

In response to tactics deployed by masked federal immigration enforcement officers across the nation, the lawmakers in Albany have introduced the Mandated End of Lawless Tactics Act, legislation that would force ICE agents in New York to be more easily identifiable.

“I’ve seen videos of masked people without any sort of credentials, or not giving any credentials, no warrants, no names, no badge numbers, no affiliation. Just tackling people, kidnapping people off the street,” says Susan Woods, who attended Fairport’s No Kings rally. “We’ve heard about it here (with) hard-working people who have been a part of the community for decades. … I understand wanting to have rules and restrictions, but this is beyond that. This is something else. This is just cruelty for cruelty’s sake.”

50501, alongside the Party for Socialism and Liberation, held a rally Oct. 11 outside the office of State Sen. Jeremy Cooney to encourage him to co-sponsor the bill. Cooney, however, is listed as an additional co-sponsor of the MELT Act, and states he has been reviewing the legislation to ensure its effectiveness.

“I’ve long supported transparency and accountability in law enforcement, especially at a time when ICE raids are instilling fear across our communities,” Cooney says. “Federal agents should be held to a higher standard and should not be allowed to intimidate our neighbors by hiding their identity.”

The MELT Act would prohibit local, state, and federal law enforcement officers from using masks or personal disguises when performing their duties in New York, marking efforts by the state Legislature to garner further transparency regarding the actions of federal immigration agents. 

Sen. Patricia Fahy, who introduced the bill in the state Senate, the MELT Act would directly impede ICE and other related law enforcement agencies from what she views as a proliferation of a secret police state. The legislation has also been introduced in the Assembly by Assemblymember Tony Simone.

“When agents of the federal government are operating like masked militias, we’ve crossed a dangerous line by turning immigration enforcement into a paramilitary secret police force that should shock the nation’s collective conscience,” said Fahy at the time. “This goes beyond immigration enforcement; it’s intimidation and it echoes authoritarian regimes, not the United States of America.”

For 50501, the work behind No Kings has involved assisting immigrant communities and local rapid response networks with resources and boots on the ground, whether it be grocery deliveries for families in fear of leaving their homes or escorts for individuals in fear of being targeted by ICE. October’s rally, with speakers lamenting what they viewed as a fascist overreach of power, represented a call to public action.

“Once those masks come off, (ICE agents) will become more timid and more cautious with the way they treat migrants. … Right now, (due process) is not being carried out at all. In these raids, people are just getting detained regardless of how they appear, regardless of what documents they have on them at that moment,” says Villegas. “It’s essentially just a form of fascism that they’re putting on the American people. It’s not just the migrants that are being affected. It’s anyone that’s living near them.”

The boycott 

Protests have extended to Avelo Airlines, a Houston-based low-cost startup airline that services Rochester. In April, the airline said it would begin deportation flights as part of a new contract with ICE. Local protests were held in April and May, with a recent petition to boycott the airline circulating among members of Indivisible’s Rochester branch and the First Unitarian Church‘s “This Is What Democracy Looks Like” group.

The push for a local boycott originated from Indivisible’s One Million Rising trainings, where advocates and individuals learn to build campaigns of strategic non-cooperation that can be embedded locally as part of a national movement. A petition asks residents of Rochester and Monroe County to make a personal commitment not to fly with Avelo Airlines until the airline terminates its contract with ICE.

“It’s very community-driven, because we feel like the nation’s leadership has abysmally failed by and large, even state and local leadership to a large degree,” says organizer Ellen Nakhnikian. “It’s on citizens to try and do something.”

For Rochester’s organizers, however, the petition represents not just a boycott but a larger commitment brought forth through a moral appeal: to make sacrifices in the face of persistent injustice.

“I kind of feel like clicking a link on a national petition is okay (and) important, but it doesn’t really indicate any true commitment,” says Amy Stockwell, a member of First Unitarian Church who leads the “This Is What Democracy Looks Like” group, with 140 members who meet every week.

The idea of the local petition, she says, originated from a religious intent to make a personal commitment to hold face-to-face conversations and ask community members to sign a statement of values.

“I’m a big fan of the way you get people involved in activism (being) you get them to take baby steps,” says Stockwell. “Listening to the story face-to-face with somebody, that’s step No. 1. Signing the petition and really thinking about your own consumption patterns, step No. 2. Step No. 3 is taking it to your group and then talking to other people.”

Through continued conversations with individuals and legislators, the working group has been able to inform a larger community on the actions Avelo has taken in recent months, guiding them to join the national boycott through an individual commitment. During Rochester’s No Kings rally, members of First Unitarian Church were present at Genesee Gateway to spread information regarding the local boycott.

“There’s just tremendous reinforcement in that sort of being together in community,” says Stockwell. “We’re trying to create this virtuous cycle of being in community, telling each other what we’re doing, (and) being inspired by that.”

Building momentum

For Indivisible, the work following No Kings involves continued coordination towards larger efforts, including support for progressive candidates, letter-writing and postcard campaigns, and appeals to elected officials. The immediate goal for Bullard is voter registration.

“We need to stand at the local government (level) to vote for qualified people who are going to continue to defend our rights,” says Millie Sefranek, Democratic candidate for the Henrietta Town Board. “I think we need to continue to fight to make life easier and accessible for all people at the local level. And as local participants in politics, we need to use our voice to advocate at the state and the federal level for those individuals.”

At No Kings, members from Metro Justice, 1199SEIU, and the Rochester-Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation showcased ways for individuals to continue their engagement with organizations and individuals committed to long-term campaigns in pursuit of social justice and resistance against the Trump administration.

“People always ask, ‘Well, what can I do? I’m just one person,’” says Thompson. “What you can do is be a part of this group, because groups have power. … If there’s a group, other people are more willing to participate and say, ‘Okay, I’ll stand up too.'”

Thompson’s drive and commitment are similar to those of others who showed up at No Kings last week. 

The verdict on protest movements remains unclear, however. Some experts find they don’t necessarily bring about significant change in voter behavior or public opinion (Trump’s approval rating has changed little over the last several months), while others find that they do shape electoral outcomes.

What’s clear is that such activity has not slowed down so far this year.

“The first eight months of the year have seen more sustained and geographically widespread protest than any comparable stretch in Trump’s first term—including the early waves of resistance in 2017 and the mass mobilizations of 2020,” the Harvard report states. “(Protests are) not just continuing to spread into previously unrepresented parts of the country, but also maintaining (their) geographic reach.”

“It’s easy to live in a sweet, blissful ignorance in this country where you don’t necessarily consume what’s going on in the news or in the media,” says Villegas. “This is an opportunity for people to just come together and get more on the same page better than ever. … (We’ll) have a great opportunity for people to connect. 

“After this No Kings II, we’re looking for a No Kings III, (and) a way to (keep) this energy and momentum going.”

Narm Nathan is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and a member of the Oasis Project’s inaugural cohort.

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