Update on No Kings Day 3 on March 28 in Menlo Park
Emails Mary Watson from Menlo Speaks Out:
“When Menlo Park Speaks Out was getting tuned up for No Kings Menlo Park we got to view the chalk art by It’s Blue Turn, a Mountain View Indivisible group that periodically visits Menlo Park.
“The rally will be held Saturday, March 28, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm along El Camino Real, stretching from Santa Cruz Avenue to Middle Avenue all along the east side ( same side as Cafe Borrone).
“We are encouraging the crowd to join us in singing some of their favorite protest music.
“Join up with family and friends and find a spot to either stand or bring a chair to sit. Don’t forget your signs, flags, and singing voices!”
Photos by by Julia Hallee (c) 2026; www.juliahalleephotography.com
Ardan Michael Blum March 26, 2026 at 12:13 pm
This is such a wonderful, touching, essential and beautiful expression of being American.
Mich March 26, 2026 at 12:27 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t we literally celebrating 250 years of having no kings? If some people are unhappy with our elected officials, why put effort into bringing about actual change by developing platforms and candidates who have a chance in elections? Gavin Newsom, for example, isn’t going to win the White House.
Ardan Michael Blum March 26, 2026 at 1:36 pm
Hi Mich,
I appreciate your perspective on our 250-year legacy of rejecting kings—that is, at its core, the most essential and beautiful part of being American. However, that’s exactly why I find our current reality so devastating.
Here is my subjective take:
It is one thing to celebrate a history of having no kings; it is another to ignore when a leader begins to act with the unchecked authority of one. While we talk about developing platforms and finding the “right” candidates for the next cycle, there are people—neighbors, friends, human beings—who are being hunted by a Gestapo-like force right now because of their skin color or the way they speak.
Developing a political platform is a vital part of the democratic process, but it feels like a cold comfort when the house is already on fire. For those living in fear of being snatched off the street, “waiting for the next election” isn’t a strategy; it’s a luxury they don’t have.
We can’t truly celebrate 250 years of liberty if we are willing to look the other way while that liberty is systematically dismantled for the most vulnerable among us.
I don’t plan on expanding this into a longer thread, but I felt it was important to clarify why the “just vote” argument feels so disconnected from the alarm I’m feeling. I love this country’s ideals, and it breaks my heart to see them being destroyed.
Mich March 28, 2026 at 6:53 am
Hi Ardan,
Your post expresses emotion and misinformation. When the Obama administration logged >3.1 million ICE deportations (source: Syracuse’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse), were those noncitizens deported “because of their skin color or the way they speak”? No. They were deported because they entered the country illegally. Today, too, noncitizens are being deported for the same reason. You cannot just move to Mexico/Canada to live there. If you did, would your deportation be because of the color of your skin or the way you speak? No, it would be because Mexico and Canada (and nearly every country in the world) have immigration laws and we need to follow them to live legally in other countries. The Biden-Harris administration opened the southern border and allowed about 10 million human beings to illegally enter the United States. The current administration has deported a little more than 560K, a small fraction of the number the Obama administration deported. Let’s not pretend this is about race. We have a housing crisis. We have deficit spending. We have immigration laws, and enforcing them like other countries do, is not racism. Ask the Democratic Party why Biden-Harris opened the borders. Was that racism?
Ardan Michael Blum March 29, 2026 at 3:47 pm
Mich,
To get straight to the point: You are measuring statistics, but I am measuring tactics.
My “information” isn’t false; it is a different focus. While you point to deportation totals across administrations, I am pointing to the militarized nature of how it’s happening today. There is a vast moral difference between administrative border enforcement and “hunting” people in our own neighborhoods based on how they look or speak.
A policy can be “legal” and still be a violation of the American spirit. The “No Kings” legacy isn’t just about who sits in the White House; it’s about ensuring no leader has the unchecked power to treat human beings as less than human. To me, that isn’t misinformation—it’s the entire point of being American.
Dorothy Fadiman March 26, 2026 at 5:58 pm
Linda,
Thanks for posting this call to action for us to come out and
take a stand on No Kings Day.
Appreciating your ongoing support for Menlo Park in helping
to let us know what is happening here and how
to participate.
From A Menlo Park resident
who’s been here for 50 plus years.
Dorothy Fadiman