NEWS

Voters cast their ballots for U.S. President and down ballot candidates in Dearborn, MI on November 5, 2024. Being home to one of the largest Arab American populations in the United States, Dearborn has a powerful influence on the outcome of Michigan’s overall vote as ongoing humanitarian concerns over the United State’s involvement in the Israel-Gaza War has become a significant issue for voters.

Vice President Kamala Harris holds a campaign rally at the Jenison Field House on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI on November 3, 2024 in the final days before the election. With several thousand in attendance, Vice President Harris was supported by fellow speakers former Congressman Curtis Hertel, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, and candidate for U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin.

Former President Barack Obama holds a presidential campaign rally for Kamala Harris at The Huntington Place in Detroit, MI on October 22, 2024 to encourage early voting. With several thousand in attendance, Barack Obama was supported by fellow speakers Eminem, candidate for U.S. Senate Elissa Slotkin, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Senator Gary Peters, and former Detroit Lions Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

Vice President Kamala Harris holds a presidential campaign rally at the Oakland Expo Center in Waterford, MI on October 18, 2024 to discuss early voting, protecting unions, abortion rights, and calling for an end to the war in Gaza.

Several hundred activists and community members led by the Palestinian Youth Movement, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, and other activist organizations gather in Detroit, MI on October 5, 2024 to hold a march marking one year of anti-war and genocide protests and to continue their demands for divestment, an arms embargo on Israel, and for permanent ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 146th National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) General Conference and Exhibition hosted at The Huntington Place in Detroit, MI on August 26, 2024. The former president spoke to several thousand service members in attendance while criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Gaza War, the withdrawal of Afghanistan, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the U.S. border with Mexico.

Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to several thousand attendees at her presidential campaign rally alongside her recently nominated running mate Governor Tim Walz at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, MI on August 7, 2024. Pro-Palestine protestors disrupted Vice President Kamala Harris with chants of “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide, we won’t vote for genocide!” as she spoke to the attendees. Kamala Harris responded to the disruption from the stage stating “If you want Donald Trump to win then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”

A few dozen pro Palestine activists gather outside the A. Phillip Randolph Vocational Technical Center in Detroit, MI on July 12, 2024 to protest the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the Israeli-Gaza War and express concerns over his age and cognitive decline to attendees entering the Biden campaign rally.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at The People’s Convention hosted by Turning Point Action at The Huntington Place in Detroit, MI on June 15, 2024.

In response to disturbing videos of civilian deaths including those of children and the aftermath from an Israeli bombardment on a refugee camp of displaced Palestinians in Rafah circulated on social media platforms Sunday, about 300 pro Palestine activists gather at Grand Circus Park in Detroit, MI on Monday, May 27, 2024 for a rally and march through downtown to call for an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and for the U.S. to cease support in providing military aid to Israel.

A few hundred pro Palestine activists and students gather outside of the Huntington Place to protest the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the Israeli-Gaza War during President Joe Biden’s visit as keynote speaker for the NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner hosted at the Huntington Place in Detroit, MI on May 19, 2024.

University of Michigan students and community members march through downtown Ann Arbor, MI on May 15, 2024 to pay remembrance to the 76th anniversary of Nakba, or "the catastrophe," where in 1948, hundreds of Palestinian villages were destroyed, displacing approximately 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland as Israel gained statehood. Now in its fourth week, the student encampment continues to pressure the University of Michigan school administration for disclosure of financial investments and for a divestment in companies profiting from the Israel-Gaza war.

About 1,000 people joined together to hold a rally and march in Detroit, Michigan on May 14, 2022 for the second straight weekend since the leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court’s intention of overturning the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade surfaced in a Politico report.  The participants held speeches at the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse with U.S. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Andy Levin in attendance before the crowd marched through the downtown district, chanting demands for the preservation of Roe v. Wade and the protection of women’s reproductive rights.

Volunteers with the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee pack field medic bags and unload donated deliveries of medical supplies, tactical equipment, clothing, hygiene products, and more on March 20, 2022 at Standard Trucking in Hamtramck, Michigan, all of which will be shipped over sees to Ukraine to both civilians and military personnel.

The Ukrainian Cultural Center in Warren, Michigan hosted a Stand With Ukraine rally and fundraiser organized by the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan on March 13, 2022. About 300 community members attended to hear cultural leaders, US State Representative Andy Levin, and local politicians condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and call for expanded humanitarian support. After the speeches, participants purchased potato pancakes to support the fundraising efforts for medical and tactical supplies that will be shipped to civilians and military personal in Ukraine.

Activists led by the Palestinian Youth Movement and the Yemeni Liberation Movement marched through Dearborn, Michigan, home to the largest population of Arab Americans in the United States, on May 24, 2021 demanding Israeli occupation forces stop human rights abuses in Palestine.

Metro Detroit activists gather at Detroit’s McNamara Federal Building for a rally and march through downtown Detroit, MI on March 27, 2024 to show respect to the eight individuals who lost their lives to a hate crime in Atlanta and to demand an end to hate, racism and discrimination towards Asian Americans.

Activists from Metro Detroit met at Spirit Plaza in the city to hold a Stop Asian Hate rally and march, standing in solidarity with cities across the nation fighting against the white supremacy and racism that led to the loss of eight lives in Atlanta on March 16, 2021.

National Guard members were sent in to support Michigan State Police and Lansing Police in anticipation for armed protests at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan on January 17, 2021. A gathering of a few dozen armed and unarmed protestors attended, some fervent Trump supporters, others not, culminating in a speech by members of the Boogaloo Bois standing alongside BLM protestors calling for unity and stating, “If you (government) continue to oppress the American people, they will remain rational no longer.”

On January 6, 2021 at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, a few hundred Trump supporters, some armed, gathered to protest the certification of electoral votes by the United State Congress as Washington D.C. fell into chaos with Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol Building.

Trump supporters showed up to protest the voting results at the TCF Center in Detroit, Michigan on November 6th, 2020 where absentee ballots were counted for the city. A small counter protest formed beyond a police barrier. Detroit police stood in in between the barrier to mitigate conflict between the two groups.

Detroit activists from 13 different organizations marched through the city in the days following the 2020 general election, joining movements across the nation to demand that all votes be counted in response to President Trump’s threats to go to the Supreme Court in order to stop votes from being counted, a clear threat to the democracy itself. From the White House in the early morning hours of November 4th, Trump chose to prematurely claim victory by stating "This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country…We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election." Trump went on further, showing his disdain as he trailed Biden in key states by making threats - "We want the law to be used in a proper manner, so we'll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court… We want all voting to stop. We don't want them to find any ballots at 4 o'clock in the morning and add them to the list. It's a very sad moment." The Trump campaign has since filed lawsuits in Michigan, Georgia, and Pennsylvania while also demanding a recount in Wisconsin as a last ditch effort to stop the vote in places Trump is ahead, counting again in states he is behind, and to cast a shadow of doubt upon the election as a whole.

Voters cast their ballots in the Metro Detroit suburb, Royal Oak, Michigan for the 2020 presidential election. With over 4 million people living in Metro-Detroit, the region is a key battle ground to win the state of Michigan in the race to the White House.

Bernie Sanders held a campaign rally in support for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan on October 5, 2020 to discuss the middle class, health insurance, climate change, and more to appeal to a vital electorate. Macomb County is viewed as a crucial battle ground in the state of Michigan for the 2020 election as in previous election cycles, the county as swung from backing Obama in 2008 and 2012 to Trump in 2016. The drive-in style rally allowed for safe social distancing in regards to concerns over COVID-19 for the hundreds of supporters in attendance. Pro-Trump protestors organized just outside of the official Biden-Harris campaign rally space to show their opposition to the various Democratic platforms. One particular pro-Trump protestor infiltrated the official rally to wave a Trump 2020 flag in front of the stage and yell in effort to disrupt Bernie Sanders’ speech. After the rally ended, verbal confrontations occurred between the Republican and Democratic constituents in the side parking lot. 

An estimated 10,000 Trump supporters were in attendance at the presidential rally hosted at MBS International Airport in Freeland, Michigan on September 10, 2020. With twice as many people in attendance as expected, many supporters filled overflow areas to see Trump descent Air Force One and speak on stage from a jumbo screen outside the hanger where the main stage was located. A small gathering of counter protestors organized outside of the airport to display their opposition to the president’s rhetoric and policies, seeing some tension form as Trump supporters began to shout back.

After the Woodward Dream Cruise was canceled due to concerns over COVID-19, Oakland County Republicans organized a MAGA Classic Car Cruise along the Woodward corridor through Metro Detroit suburbs on August 15, 2020. While the event was mostly banner waving to vintage vehicles, a small counter protest against President Trump formed with minimal interaction as most sides stayed separate. However, a press photographer was repeatedly harassed by Trump supporters despite having her press pass around her neck. A separate incident resulted in the arrest of an aggressive Trump supporter who verbally assaulted numerous counter protestors and physically assaulted another. The man was arrested by Bloomfield Hills Police while backing up his car aggressively, then burning out in the busy parking park to get away, all after receiving multiple warnings to leave peacefully.

Gun rights advocates and militia members from the Michigan Liberty Militia, the Michigan Home Guard, the Three Percenters, the Boogaloo Boys, the Proud Boys, and others gathered at the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan for the annual Constitution Day - Second Amendment rally on September 17, 2020. Most attendees open carried long rifles and handguns in expression of their Second Amendment rights that state “a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”