Protesters hold ‘Anti-Kid Rock Rally’ at concert
Protesters gathered in downtown Detroit Tuesday evening to voice their opposition to musician Kid Rock, who was performing the first of six shows at the newly constructed Little Caesar’s Arena. Led by local clergy and representatives of the Detroit Chapter of Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, organizers estimate that over two hundred people marched down Woodward Avenue to participate in what has come to be known as the ‘Anti-Kid Rock Rally.’
While Kid Rock (born Robert Ritchie) has been highly controversial throughout his career in entertainment — most notably for flying a Confederate flag at past concerts and more recently for his criticism of NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick — he garnered significant social media attention in July for a tweet suggesting he was considering a run for the U.S. Senate in 2018. A Republican who supported Mitt Romney in the 2012 election and Donald Trump in 2016, Ritchie’s campaign-style rally before a recent concert in Grand Rapids went viral on social media, leading to increased speculation as to his potential success if he were to run against incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow. Stabenow — who is expected to formally announce her reelection campaign early next year — has not had a close race since her initial election to the Senate in 2000.
But not everyone thinks Ritchie is fit to hold national political office, and one of the reasons organizers gave to explain the unexpectedly large turnout of protesters — which included representatives from Black Lives Matter and Students for a Democratic Society — was due to the outrage at the idea of the singer as a serious political candidate.
While Michigan has gained a renewed sense of electoral importance following the 2016 Presidential election, not every protester had national politics at the forefront of their mind on Tuesday. For many demonstrators, choosing Ritchie to open the new Little Caesar’s Arena was emblematic of the problems with the city itself. “We didn’t want a stadium,” said Kevin Brown, 58, who indicated that building the $800 million arena was at best tone-deaf when Detroit continued to have such persistent problems with its schools and infrastructure.
And still there are those that could see Ritchie as a viable candidate. Among them, those attending the concert voiced various reasons for their support of Ritchie. “[Richie’s] been a good guy for Detroit” said Traci Hamm (who was wearing a “Kid Rock for U.S. Senate” t-shirt), adding “he’s gotten a bad rap lately.” Hamm noted that while she didn’t take Ritchie’s candidacy for Senate seriously at first, she said she had to rethink her position when she saw the way the entertainer was being treated by protesters. When asked if she supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election, Hamm said she originally backed Ohio Governor John Kasich for the Republican nomination but eventually chose Trump over Hillary Clinton.
Some concertgoers, however, were more adamant with their support. James Nichols, 33, said “If you went with Trump, you’re going to go Kid Rock.” Nichols indicated that while he was mainly at the concert as a fan of Ritchie’s music, he had bought several items of memorabilia to support the singer in his potential bid for political office.
No stranger to criticism, Ritchie took to social media Monday night to write an expletive-laden response to the National Action Network’s planned protest, calling their attacks “politically motivated.” With Ritchie scheduled to perform five more shows at the Little Caesar’s Arena this week, time will tell if his political ambitions flourish.
