WMass No Kings protesters say ‘No crown’
SPRINGFIELD — Hundreds gathered in front of Springfield City Hall on Saturday and at other locations across Western Massachusetts and nation, in the third such No Kings protest against an administration many decried as cruel and unconstitutional.
One of over 3,000 protests happening across the U.S., the Springfield protest featured music, creative signs — such as "No Crown for the Orange Man" — and many retirees.
In Springfield, many were distressed by ICE deportations and the decision to wage war on Iran.
The word pedophile — a reference to the Jeffrey Epstein files, in which there are 5,300 items that mention President Donald Trump — was visible on more than one sign. That was a development that distressed Katie Cushman, who was accompanied by her two daughters, Ivy, 11, and Rheya, 9.
Cushman, of Prospect, Connecticut, said she found herself having to explain to her daughters the meaning of many of the more colorful signs. She said there were few reasons to believe that "people in charge have got your back, and grownups protect kids."
Sponsored by Climate Action Now and Arise for Social Justice, the rally featured speeches from Jackie Neiman, an organizer, and John Bonifaz, founder of Free Speech for People.
Bonifaz began to list grievances against the Trump administration, including some ICE-related ones that he said he included in a letter to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell. Bonifaz argued there were 27 grounds for impeaching Trump, taking aim at his use of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct deportation sweeps that often turned violent.
"No person, no human being, is illegal — abolish ICE!" he said.
Anne Richmond, of Springfield , said she was disconcerted by the president pumping tax dollars into a war with Iran that the U.S. "shouldn't be involved" in.
She had been to other protests and could spot some differences on Saturday. "I think we're growing in numbers," she said. "I think people are angrier."
The protest attracted about 900 people, according to an estimate Neiman shared with The Republican. That comes after a previous No Kings attendance on Oct. 18 of around 1,500 people.
Kevin McCarthy and his 3-year-old son attend the No Kings rally on Saturday. March 28, 2026. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
Amherst protest
In Amherst, locals gathered on the Town Common for their own No Kings protest.
Vikram Vallabhanath, of the Amherst College Democrats, asked several rhetorical questions in a speech about what it meant to be an American. If being an American meant supporting Trump's policies, he said, "Then I am not an American, and I sure as hell hope none of us are."
He lambasted the president for perpetuating the "horrors of tyranny, oligarchy and autocracy" before declaring that "the president is not an American!"
Amherst resident Dave King, left, and Andy Fisk, of Holyoke, are upset by President Donald J. Trump's actions during his time in office. Fisk holds a sign of his mother, Betsy Fisk, 92, who is too old to join the protest in her home city of Baltimore so he holds a picture of her at the Amherst No Kings rally on Saturday. March 28, 2026. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
Don DeVeuve, of Needham, said he had attended the October No Kings rally in his town, as well as protests outside the ICE facility in Burlington. Asked what had brought him out Saturday, the 69-year-old answered that it was difficult to pin down, since there were so many things he could point to.
"He's just doing everything by executive order," he said of Trump's governing style. "Congress is just lying down and not doing their job."
A copy editor from Northampton, who declined to share her last name for fear of retribution, said Congress was being cowed into submission, and that Trump could be impeached "a million times over."
Unitarian minister the Rev. Rachael Hayes addressed the crowd with a parable taken from the Bible, comparing Trump to a pharaoh. She encouraged those gathered to not wish for the leeks and cucumbers of their former bondage, and to push for political change.
"We are in opposition to all who would be kings and pharaohs, limiting our freedom," she said, before starting a chant: "No pharaohs! No kings!"
Still, amid the frenzy, there were a few who had doubts.
Amherst local Amy Steinhauser, 74, was perplexed by the lack of college students, even though Amherst College was a stone's throw from the common. Like other grandparents who spoke to The Republican, she said part of the reason she showed up was to lead by example.
At least one demonstrator in Amherst harbored doubts about the protests turning the ship around, as Trump was booted from the White House in 2020, only to reclaim the presidency in 2024.
"I'm wondering if this is gonna do anything," said Jorah Byl-Evora, 14.
Packed sidewalks in Northampton
In Northampton, hundreds of protesters packed sidewalks the full length of Main Street, from the railroad bridge east of downtown to the Edwards Church near the Smith College campus.
Organizers with megaphones guided protesters into positions near the city's main intersection, preparing to capture the turnout with drone photos showing a massive "X" of people.
At the historic Hampshire County Courthouse, one stop for the Expandable Brass Band, musicians pumped out beats with the help of Rebecca Curzon, who shook maracas. From a median strip on Main Street, rally organizers led protesters in call-and-response chants, as a Northampton Police Department cruiser stood by.
Maureen Brown, of Northampton, took up a position on the courthouse steps with relatives David and Kelly Sharpe, of Goshen.
"I think this is going to help with the groundswell of a blue tide in the midterms," Brown said.
Kelly Sharpe said she has attended No Kings rallies in Boston and Pittsfield, as well.
"If feels like action I can take and to be with like-minded people — because enough is enough."
Sharpe said she believes the country is close to losing its democracy. "That's why we're here," she said.
Rebecca and Chris Mercer, of South Hadley, came with their 6-month-old son, Joseph, and another child, plus a sign that read, "Baby's First PROTEST."
"I figure he's finally sturdy enough to come out in the cold," Rebecca Mercer said of her son on the chilling late March morning. "I'm not telling them or grandkids that we weren't doing anything in a historic time. It's their future."
Hundreds of small hand-made signs displayed throughout the protest took aim at all aspects of the Trump administration.
"It's so bad even the introverts are here," one read. Others: "Make America Kind Again." "Draft Barron." "Teachers Against Tyranny." "Rebellions are built on hope." "My grandkids are making me do it." "Cleanup in Aisle 47."
With protesters spread out along the full length of Main Street, the gathering resembled an extended block party, complete with warm reunions and chance encounters.
On King Street, one counter-protester was seen waving a Trump banner from the window of his car and calling out taunts.
Many interviewed said this was their third time attending a No Kings event.
Rob Okun, of Amherst, said No Kings protests help people find community.
"It reminds us that 'we the people' are in charge of things. I do think that this November will make for a big sea change," he said.
Near the corner of King and Main streets, Charlotte Collins, of Singing Resistance of Western Massachusetts, led more than a dozen people through refrains of a hymn-like song.
Collins said she views song as a potent way to express civil unrest, in part because no one can accuse people joined in song of being un-American.
"Song is the No. 1 way to bring humans together on a vibrational and emotional level," she said.
Around 160 protests were set to unfold across Massachusetts alone on Saturday.
No Kings organizers have a goal of turning out 3.5% of the national population — or around 12 million people — on a single day. Harvard political scientist Erica Chenoweth says that level of sustained resistance has never failed to produce political change, Neiman said in an email to The Republican.
Until Saturday, organizers seemed poised to achieve that goal, with 5 million turning out in June and 7 million in October — a jump from 1.5% to 2% of the U.S. population, according to U.S. Census figures.
Organizers expect around 9 million to have turned out at Saturday's protests, Neiman said.
Larry Parnass of The Republican contributed.
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