protests

Volunteers at protests across the state focused on collecting signatures for a 2026 ballot measure that would overturn Missouri's recent redistricting plan. The new map was drawn by Republican lawmakers to weaken Democratic voting power around Kansas City.

People gathered by the thousands across cities in the U.S. on June 14 to protest actions of the Trump administration. Organizers expected a bigger turnout for the second wave of protests Saturday, driven by the ongoing shutdown of the federal government and immigration crackdowns.

The second wave of mass protests organized by the progressive No Kings network saw protesters unite against President Trump's anti-immigration tactics, slashing of federal programs and other concerns.

A federal judge ruled Friday that University of Missouri System President Mun Choi violated students' freedom of speech when he barred the group Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine from taking part in the Homecoming parade. The judge ruled Choi excluded the group because of its views on Israel and Palestine.

Protesters demanded that Republicans halt their efforts to redistrict Missouri and make it harder for voter-led constitutional amendments to pass. After protesting in the rotunda, rally-goers packed the Senate chambers, where lawmakers are set to take up both proposals.

Lucas Cierpiot, a disability-rights activist, said he felt intimidated by the governor’s actions and too unsafe to attend any “No Kings” protests on June 14.

Joining anti-Trump rallies across the country on Labor Day, workers, civil rights advocates and ordinary citizens gathered at Mill Creek Park Fountain on the Plaza. The Kansas City protests took aim at the president’s effort to maintain Republican control of Congress by altering blue districts to favor his party.

As the Trump administration ramps up its mass deportation campaign, with several recent incidents of ICE raids in Kansas City, civil rights advocates nationally and locally are emphasizing training for bystanders and a heightened attention to nonviolent civil disobedience.

U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, a Democrat representing St. Louis County, was repeatedly challenged about the war in Gaza at a town hall that drew about 300 people. The event ended with security officers and police getting into a physical altercation with protesters, but no arrests were made.

Signed 35 years ago this month, the ADA was the world’s first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities — guaranteeing equal opportunity in public accommodations, employment, and more. But it likely wouldn't have passed without the relentless pressure of grassroots activists and Kansas Republican Bob Dole.

The Satanic Grotto sought a permit at the Kansas Statehouse to protest "Christian favoritism within our state government." State officials say they denied the permit because of safety concerns, after the group's last protest ended with several arrests.

Immigrants, including unaccompanied children, have little legal options once they're targeted for deportation — and no universal right to a government-appointed attorney. Kansas City's immigration court currently has a backlog of more than 52,000 cases.