No Kings Day in Princeton and Lawrenceville proves peace and passion can coexist in protests
By Mary-Simone Collazo
Around 2,500 people of all colors, races and creeds gathered in front of Princeton Battle Monument at 9:30 a.m. on the crisp morning of March 28, wearing heavy coats and holding up signs declaring their opposition to President Donald Trump’s administration. The third official “No Kings” Day ignited gatherings in several cities all across the United States, engaging in peaceful protest.
More than 5 million people in all 50 states showed up to their major cities to march on June 14 for the first No Kings Day protest. The movement kept going, with the next protest day on Oct. 18 having a turnout of over 7 million. This past Saturday, March 28, the countrywide numbers were over 8 million and counting, according to 50501’s official Instagram account.
“The people, united, will never be defeated!” was a common crowd chant in several cities nationwide.
The Princeton protest, co-hosted by Ezra Rosenberg of New Jersey’s affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union and Linda Dodd of Indivisible Princeton, was scheduled to start at 10 a.m., but had an early start when Governor Mikie Sherrill gave a speech at 9:30 a.m.
“We are here to stand up strongly to say ‘no kings, no dictators.’ We believe in the Constitution. We believe in the rule of law. We believe in the people,” Sherrill said.
Homemade signs decorated the crowd, such as “No Pedophiles for President,” “My ESL Students Are Not Criminals,” “Renee and Alex Deserved Better” and “Sorry Folks, But Ignoring It Is What Germany Did.”
A number of speakers shared their stories with the intention to inspire the crowd to continue the resistance. Among them was State Senator Andrew Zwicker, Damon King from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Ana Paola Pazmiño from Resistencia en Acción, and a staff member of Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. Each focused on an issue on their heart, such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the anti-LGBTQ+ bills and the investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein.
A man in a keffiyeh at the front of the crowd was visibly upset when Mayor of Princeton Mark Freda spoke without any mention of the war in Iran. He shouted “What about the war? Talk about the war!” as Freda said his closing remarks and the crowd applauded.
Raisa Rudin-Stankiewicc, a safety marshal from Indivisible Princeton and a recent graduate of Rutgers University said, “[We were] making sure that everybody was okay when things were raised … Thankfully no altercations, no counter protesting, to my knowledge.”
Overall, the demonstrators were electric with positive energy, the crowd growing larger with each speaker. Hands were held, songs were sung, smiles and hugs were exchanged and a combination of anger and hope were vocalized.
Cindy Billarie, a resident of Howell said, “The cruelty in everything that [Trump] does, that seems to be the nucleus, it’s all based on cruelty and retribution … Everything is the opposite of love.” Billarie is a mother and former primate caretaker, who has attended all three of the No Kings protests with her cousin, Gina DiArchangel.
“There’s just so many issues. I’m here because I want to support people, I need to support people. It’s all in the name of love … of freedom … everybody belongs here. And this president is not making that possible. And we have to fight him tooth and nail,” said DiArchangel, a resident of Monroe and a psychotherapist.
The power in protests
No Kings Day first started on June 14 when the 250th U.S. Army Anniversary Parade coincided with Trump’s birthday. Trump turned the usual parade into a day-long celebration, costing over $74 million, according to NBC News. The celebration included between 6,000 and 9,000 military personnel, over 25 tanks and over 50 aircrafts, a military fitness competition and a fireworks display.
When spending plans for the birthday parade were released to the public, many Americans were outraged at how much of their tax dollars were being used for the celebration, and what that represented.
In response, the progressive nonprofit Indivisible, the grassroots organization 50501 and the group American Opposition joined forces to turn June 14 into a day of peaceful protest. At its core, the protests were sending the message that the American people do not see Trump as a king, and they oppose his administration’s actions of stripping away the rights of millions.
Princeton’s protest, which concluded at exactly 11 a.m., was marked by music and speakers; nearby in Lawrenceville, in front of the Municipal Building, a crowd of a couple hundred people gathered together for a smaller but mighty street protest.
Brian Tobin, a Rider student and acting major, joined his and his boyfriend’s families in standing with their fellow demonstrators waving and chanting at cars nearby. It was Tobin’s first protest, something he wants to continue doing in the future.
“We waved our signs at all the cars going by… It was a good vibe. I mean, other than the people who flipped us off, but there were much, much less of people doing that than there were people honking their horns and giving us thumbs ups and giving us like ‘rock and roll, go you!’ It was pretty sick,” said Tobin.
Tobin and his family were at the Lawrenceville protest from the start time of 2 p.m. to past the end at 3:45 p.m. People of all ages were gathered around, waving to driving cars and showing their support.
Being an openly queer man, Tobin believes much of Trump’s policies about the LGBTQ+ community are meant to be a distraction from what ICE is doing to immigrants and people of color, as well as the Epstein files.
He encouraged fellow Rider students to go out and join the next protest, to make their voices heard and to call their local representatives.
“For those who believe in my beliefs and did not attend, for whatever reason, I hope to see you at the next one. If at all possible, go out and protest,” Tobin said. “There’s a lot of hope at a protest, as it should be, but don’t let the protest become the end.”
