2026 No Kings - FREEDOM OF SPEECH

On March 28th, a crowd estimated at 8 million-strong took part in this year’s nationwide “NO KINGS” demonstrations to protest the Trump administration’s policies and actions. The multitude included about 200-300 of our Miami Beach neighbors who showed up at Pride Park to peacefully voice their dissent and discontent (under the watchful presence of about a handful MBPD officers).

Internationally, more than a dozen countries across Europe, North and Central America and Asia joined in solidarity with the No Kings movement, including some with monarchs of their own like England, Spain and Sweden.

Our Constitution and democratic system are things of wonderment. While, admittedly, the framers were imperfect men, they crafted a document with built-in self-correcting mechanisms that have over time expanded the protections and rights it grants to include, at least in principle, every individual in the United States.

The Constitution of the United States is not just a document. It is a declaration of the belief that power must be restrained, that rights belong to the many, and that justice must evolve. This framework has shaped American society, inspired democratic movements around the world and fronted humanity’s advancement.

Freedom of speech, as embedded in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, is Democracy’s lifeblood. This principle guarantees the right to express ideas and opinions and to dissent and challenge power openly and without interference or restraint from the government. Freedom of speech is how injustice is exposed and how our nation holds itself accountable. This free exchange of ideas has nurtured innovation, reform, and nearly every dimension of human progress. UNTIL NOW.

Today our constitutional freedoms are under an existential threat not from an external autocratic force, but from the President, members of Congress, and, here in our city, local public officials.

When those in power undermine and attack open expression, or intimidate or punish dissent, they are not merely engaging in politics— they are using their power to blur the line between public service and personal interests. In so doing, they are weakening the pillars that buttress democracy.

Even here in our sunny paradise, peaceful protests and the right to free speech appear to be running counter to local leaders’ ideology.

Some of our residents are still alarmed by the mayor's attempt, close to a year ago, to penalize our art cinema for showing a controversial documentary.

And then there was the incident that brought a police officer to a resident’s door with a flimsy explanation that a social media post could be seen to incite violence, in the mayor’s opinion.

Given such apprehension about the incitement of violence, it is curious that there have not been any expressions of displeasure coming from our very concerned Mayor about the violence incited by our own President’s speech, or about our President’s connection to members of organizations known to promote violence against specific ethnic groups and individuals.

Statements of outrage from City Hall against government actions that had two American citizens murdered on American streets have failed to surface in any of multiple Google searches.

Our local leaders should reconsider where the threats lie, stop harassing residents and rescind resolutions that limit free expression or impose limitations on our community members' constitutional right to peaceably assemble.

This moment demands courage and vigilance. It mandates that ordinary people continue to speak out and refuse to accept a future where power, whether federal or local, goes unchecked.

So, as Hamlet would say and we can clearly see and feel, "the time is out of joint." It will take all of us working together to set it right.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed herein are only intended to incite non-violent, righteous indignation.

What's Next:

No School. No Work. No Shopping. Be on the lookout for information about May Day Strong rallies and marches and take action to demand a nation that puts workers over billionaires. A coalition of labor and community groups, including the 50501 Movement is organizing the May 1st event as a coordinated economic and political protest.