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A third round of “No Kings” protests is coming this spring, with organizers saying they are planning their largest demonstrations yet across the United States to oppose what they describe as authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.Previous rallies have drawn millions of people, and organizers said they expect even greater numbers on March 28 in the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where violent clashes have led to the death of two people.“We expect this to be the largest protest in American history,” Ezra Levin, co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible, told The Associated Press ahead of Wednesday’s announcement. He predicted that as many as 9 million people will turn out.“No Kings” protests, which are organized by a constellation of groups around the country, have been a focal point for outrage over Trump’s attempts to consolidate and expand his power.“This is in large part a response to a combination of the heinous attacks on our democracy and communities coming from the regime, and a sense that nobody’s coming to save us,” Levin said.Last year, Trump said he felt attendees were “not representative of the people of our country,” and he insisted that “I’m not a king.” ‘No Kings’ shifts focus after Minneapolis deaths The latest round of protests had been in the works before the crackdown in Minneapolis. However, the killing of two people by federal agents in recent weeks has refocused plans.Levin said they want to show “support for Minnesota and immigrant communities all over” and oppose “the secret police force that is murdering Americans and infringing on their basic constitutional rights.”“And what we know is, the only way to defend those rights is to exercise them, and you do that in nonviolent but forceful ways, and that’s what I expect to see in ‘No Kings’ three,” Levin said.Trump has broadly defended his aggressive deportation campaign and blamed local officials for refusing to cooperate. However, he’s more recently signaled a shift in response to bipartisan concern over the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday. Previous ‘No Kings’ protests have drawn millions across the US In June, the first “No Kings” rallies were organized in nearly 2,000 locations nationwide, including cities, towns and community spaces. Those protests followed unrest over federal immigration raids and Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, where tensions escalated with protesters blocking a freeway and setting vehicles on fire.They were organized also in large part to protest a military parade in the nation’s capital that marked the Army’s 250th anniversary and coincided with Trump’s birthday. “No Kings” organizers at the time called the parade a “coronation” that was symbolic of what they characterized as Trump’s growing authoritarian overreach.In response, some conservative politicians condemned the protests as “Hate America” rallies.During a second round of protests in October, organizers said demonstrations were held in about 2,700 cities and towns across the country. At the time, Levin pointed to Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, his unprecedented promises to use federal power to influence midterm elections, restrictions on press freedom and retribution against political opponents, steps he said cumulatively represented a direct threat to constitutionally protected rights.On social media, both Trump and the official White House account mocked the protests, posting computer-generated images of the president wearing a crown.The big protest days are headline-grabbing moments, but Levin said groups like his are determined to keep up steady trainings and intermediate-level organizing in hopes of growing sustainable resistance to the Trump administration’s actions.“This isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans. This is about do we have a democracy at all, and what are we going to tell our kids and our grandkids about what we did in this moment?” Levin said. “I think that demands the kind of persistent engagement. “ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP Meg Kinnard, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Tech founder and provocateur Travis Kalanick made millions betting on key parts of the young adult lifestyle with Uber (transportation) and dining (ghost kitchen startup CloudKitchens). Can he hit a trifecta with a bet on tech-focused, community-driven apartments? Kalanick has partnered with Oliver Ripley, founder of the luxury hospitality company Habitas, to launch Sekra, a bid to tackle the massive multifamily housing market with a firm that will focus on building and managing upscale rental apartments. Its a market thats sure to grow: Ripley estimates 80% of people younger than 40 globally rent, and thats only going to increase as stubborn housing affordability impacts remain a key issue. In the U.S., the number of rental households has grown steadily, hitting more than 46 million last year, according to the Census Bureau, with strong growth in the percentage of Gen Z members renting. The idea is to apply layers of technology and hospitality to create a more profitable brand of rental housing; while Sekras tool and tech stack are still under development, other apartment companies have saved money by automating repairs, streamlining operations, cutting energy bills, and making the touring and leasing experience faster, reducing vacancies. There’s a real opportunity to do something different in the multifamily space, to build a global brand that sits at the cross section of community, culture, and longevity and wellness, Ripley says. [Photo: Sekra] Ripley describes Sekra as taking both a hardware and software approach. The hardware portion includes building a proprietary tech platform for operations and iterating with residents (other tech in the market such as Elise.AI has seen significant growth in recent years). The in-development resident app will incorporate programming, content, and in-unit internet of things functionalitysuch as the ability to control appliances or lightingthat will give residents an integrated experience that will command above-market rents. It also includes building a space that encourages socialization and better sleep, including consulting with sleep experts, installing noise insulation and blackout shades, and using circadian rhythm lighting. The software part means hiring ambassadors for the properties and curating the community and its residents. Ripley says the onboarding for new residents will be done by the Sekra team, the residents themselves, and through the resident app. The application of technology to a branded living experience may be harder than it looks. Evidence exists that tech can save apartment owners money: A survey by the National Apartment Association about AI usage found operators achieved 10% savings in payroll and a 15% increase in retention rates. According to Joel Steinhaus, a former WeWork exec who cofounded a coworking firm called Daybase, theres a big opportunity: The housing market is huge and there arent any dominant brands in the market. But theres a reason for that. It’s just hard to contemplate being relevant to someone in their personal space when they want to make it their own, he says. For context, a 2024 resident survey of 172,000 renters taken by industry group the National Multifamily Housing Council found that the most desired community features are fairly basic, including cell reception, a fitness center, covered parking, and a poolall sought after by more than 70% of respondents. Features like maker spaces, party rooms, conference rooms, vegetable gardens, dog parks, and others were cited by 50% or fewer renters. Sekra, which has quietly raised $12.5 million from a cadre of tech and real estate VCs and investors, including Fifth Wall, Moinian Group, and Harvey Spevak, the chairman and managing partner of Equinox, seeks to open its locations later this year, zeroing in on sites in coastal U.S. cities as well as in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai. Sekra will both renovate and operate existing buildings and eventually build its own new, ground-up projects. As Ripley says of the gigantic global rental market: It just felt like an industry ripe for disruption, ripe to be messed with. [Photo: Sekra] Go With The Flow A portmanteau of Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess of healing and protection, with Ra, the Egyptian sun god, Sekra seeks to combat a few hurdles facing renters and the apartment market: the challenge of buying a home, the lack of socialization and authentic community during a global loneliness epidemic, and the blandness of much of the high-end housing stock. Early renderings show a hotel lobby-esque experience, with a muted color palette, textured materials, and plenty of curved lines. Its not the first tech-bro-helmed startup seeking to revolutionize the apartment market. WeWork founder Adam Neumann launched Flow, his own rental platform, in 2022, and has quietly built a company valued at $2.5 billion, which includes 1,000 rental units and nearly 500 condo units in South Florida, control of an under-construction 4-million-square-foot riverfront district in Miami, and holdings in Riyadh. Ripley argues that his experience with Habitas in building hospitality brand suited to young travelers makes him an ideal candidate to change the way apartments operate. Sekras seeking to create points of differentiation in areas that have long been puzzles for multifamily operators: creating authentic communities and applying tech to help streamline operations. Both goals have a profit motive. Better community means fewer move-outs and vacancieskey measures of rental housing profitabilityand more efficient operations lead to lower operating costs. Ripley claims hell be able to double retention rates. Steinhaus says that building community in real estate, as he has in his coworking firm, means being cognizant of the mistake of making too much effort. Creating community means being the host of the party, not the life of the partytoo much forced fun and performative programming may make it impossible for organic community development to take root. When asked to define programming for Sekra, Ripley mentions elements empowered by residents, and some familiar concepts: game nights, movie nights, lectures or talks, therapy nights or wellness programming, and book clubs. Brendan Wallace, CEO and cofounder of Fifth Wall, an investor in Sekra, believes Ripley and his team, with their hospitality background, are the ones who can build a single tech ecosystem that addresses all of these challenges and do a better job managing and increasing profits. Many current owners lack an understanding of the elements of hospitality and community building, Wallace says. We see this when we talk to owners. They have big ideas, and even similar notions, but they end up being poorly executed and feel kludgey.
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E-Commerce
Another day, another announcement of restaurant closures in the casual-dining space. Earlier this week, FAT Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of that process, the restaurant company is seeking to reject leases for a number of shuttered company-owned restaurants, including locations for Johnny Rockets, Smokey Bones, and Yalla Mediterranean, court filings show. FAT Brands owns 18 restaurant chains in total, including Fatburger, Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookies, and more. Most of its more than 2,200 locations worldwide are franchised. FAT Brands said in its bankruptcy filing that it owns roughly 150 locations directly. “Our dynamic portfolio of brands has demonstrated tremendous resilience in a challenging restaurant operating environment over the last few years,” Andy Wiederhorn, CEO of FAT Brands, said in a statement when announcing the bankruptcy. “We are well positioned for long-term profitability and growth. The chapter 11 process will provide us with the opportunity to strengthen our capital structure to support our concepts and ensure they remain at the forefront of their sectors.” Which FAT brands locations have shuttered? In its bankruptcy announcement, FAT Brands said it expects restaurants to continue operating normally throughout the process. However, the company disclosed in a bankruptcy filing on Monday that it has shuttered a number of company-owned restaurants: 14 Smokey Bones locations nationwide, along with two Johnny Rockets and five Yalla Mediterranean locations. The latter twos impacted stores are only in California. Fast Company has reached out to FAT Brands to ask if other stores will be impacted. We will update this post if we hear back. Johnny Rockets closures California Orange: 20 City Blvd E Santa Monica: 1322 Third Street Smokey Bones closures Florida Casselberry: 1430 State Road 436 Fort Lauderdale: 6500 N Federal Hwy Plantation: 809 South University Drive Georgia Buford: 3333 Buford Drive, Site 1000 Illinois Rockford: 6690 E State Street Massachusetts Stoughton: 301 Technology Center Drive Michigan Grand Rapids: 4875 28th Street SE Utica: 45001 Schoenherr Road Ohio Columbus: 3939 Mose Crossing Maumee: 512 West Dussel Drive Pennsylvania North Wales: 252 Montgomery Mall Wilkes-Barre: 265 Mundy Street Virginia Newport News: 12541 Jefferson Avenue Woodbridge: 2601 Prince William County Parkway Yalla Mediterranean closures California Dublin: 5246 Dublin Blvd Dublin: 1781 N. Victory Place Seal Beach: 12420-A Seal Beach Blvd Fremont: 3141 Mowry Avenue Walnut Creek: 1813-A Ygnacio Valley Road Some casual-dining restaurants are struggling Life is continually getting more expensive and fewer people are spending their money at casual-dining restaurants. FAT Brands joins the ranks of Noodles & Company, Outback Steakhouse, and Cracker Barrel‘s Maple Street Biscuit Companyall of which have recently closed locations. Some fellow casual-dining restaurants, such as Red Lobster and TGI Fridays, have not only closed stores in recent years but, like FAT Brands, have filed for bankruptcy. However, both of those brands have since plotted out a comeback, and FAT Brands has hinted at one as well. “We plan to use this process to connect with key stakeholders around a value-maximizing plan and will act prudently to remain steadfast in upholding and protecting stakeholder interests,” Wiederhorn said in his statement. Shares of FAT Brands Inc (Nasdaq: FAT) fell 33% on Tuesday following the announcement. The stock was trading at under 25 cents a share in premarket on Wednesday.
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E-Commerce
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