The Saturday, April 5 demonstration was part of a national day of action entitled “Hands Off!” Shortly before the rally got underway, a community organizer was taken into custody by Grand Rapids police officers who had a warrant out for their arrest.

Over 1,000 events were planned en-masse across the country, with the Grand Rapids rally organized by Indivisible Greater Grand Rapids, which is part of a national organization that advocates progressive politics. Michigan demonstrations were organized in Holland, Big Rapids and Muskegon, among other cities. A Lansing rally also took place at the State Capitol.

The Grand Rapids gathering included speeches, a poetry reading and activists flyering for a variety of community groups. Protesters then took to the city’s sidewalks, chanting, “This is what democracy looks like.”

Before the event began, GRPD officers arrested Emerson Wolfe, the co-chair of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids (PSGR). According to Wolfe, they were apprehended for a warrant that was issued after an International Women’s Day march last month. Wolfe helped facilitate the demonstration and claimed the warrant was issued for failing to obey an officer’s order, a misdemeanor. 

According to a GRPD spokesperson, officers did not seek out Wolfe but placed them under arrest after they “approached a sergeant who was meeting with event organizers.”

Wolfe was held in custody at the Kent County Jail for a short period of time, but returned to the gathering following their release. They spoke to the crowd, commenting on their arrest.

“Instead of helping us (safely protest), the Grand Rapids Police Department decided to repress our movement and arrest me as a figurehead,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe encouraged community members to “fight back” by engaging in actions that support immigrants, unions, the transgender community and the Black power movement.

Protesters, including community member Savannah Harrington, also expressed upset over what they feel is a disenfranchisement of rights for transgender and immigrant populations. Harrington was glad to see people taking action in Grand Rapids and across the country, despite what she described as the Trump administration’s attempt to stifle dissent.

“The Trump administration has tried its darndest to incite fear in the general public, making them feel like they’re not allowed to have free speech or protest,” Harrington said. “The fact that people are standing up despite that is reflective of who we are as a society.”

Grand Valley State University student Dorian Fedewa took part in the protest. He has attended previous city demonstrations and feels community members are increasingly compelled to join rallies. 

Fedewa noted the “Hands Off” gathering and similar actions have the ability to foster solidarity in times that many deem “hopeless.”

“That feeling of solidarity helps give people hope and also helps show the leaders of Grand Rapids (and) the police department that we’re not going to put up with repression and oppression,” Fedewa said.

Community member Susie Krupp said she’s felt downhearted by the state of political affairs in the United States. Yet, she voiced her excitement about the nationwide demonstrations and is hoping for “dramatic” political change.

“I really hope and feel like this could be the tide that changes things,” Krupp said.

By using his already-established SpaceX rockets, Starlink uses thousands of micro satellites scattered around in low orbit to bring high-speed internet anywhere on the planet. This is a huge step up from traditional satellite internet from say, Hugh’s Net, as those satellites traditionally sit much higher up in a geosynchronous orbit. 

This lets them project down in a fixed spot on the Earth but the large distance to land drastically reduces internet bandwidth and latency. In contrast Starlink’s constellation of satellites move around the earth at a high speed, roughly making a complete orbit in 100 minutes. 

It’s because of this high speed that Starlink relies on a much higher count of satellites that has ever been put in space before. All of this does come with the added benefit of allowing internet connections to rival that of traditional cable internet and blowing right past rural DSL or even dial-up connections. 

The staggering amount of satellites being proposed for this network has given some concern however. For one, if an accident such as a collision were to occur like it almost did in 2019 with an ESA satellite, the debris of the impact could multiply exponentially in an effect called Kessler Syndrome. If you recall the movie Gravity, its potential destructibility is shown in great effect. 

For another potential issue, astrologists have voiced concern of satellite visibility. 

With the roughly 1,000 Starlink satellites in orbit already, Starlink’s early prototypes caused issues for land-based space telescopes by blocking clear views of the skys. The satellites orbit much closer to earth than traditional satellites and the sheer number of them orbiting makes them a much more visible object. Starlink plans to rectify this by applying antireflective coatings on the satellites and adjusting its designs to be less visible to telescopes. 

Potential problems aside, Starlink stands to bring internet service provider (ISP) competition to rural or otherwise underserved areas so long as they have a clear view of the sky. With the pandemic still affecting people and encouraging remote work, those with spotty internet connections stand to gain the most from this network. 

The FCC has already promised to award SpaceX through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund if it can deliver on its promise to serve 35 states. 

For now, Starlink is operating in a beta state as it expands its satellite network. It’s available in the Northern US (including Michigan) for $99 a month with a $500 hardware kit. It may sound like a lot, but for those truly living with no better option, it can be the difference between being able to work and learn remotely or not at all. 

The USA could use some competition in the ISP space and if it takes the likes of Starlink or other satellites like Amazon’s Project Kuiper or OneWeb to increase access and bring everyone to modern internet speeds, so be it.