Crowds across the North Shore rallied on Saturday to join the national series of “No Kings” protests in order to stand up against the Trump Administration and its influence of billionaires.
By 10 a.m. that morning, community members had gathered outside Linscott Park in Swampscott, where a massive sea of people gathered in solidarity, organized by North Shore Indivisible. The event drew in approximately 1,200 people, according to Michael Paquette, the event organizer.
“What an amazing, peaceful, and energetic crowd we had today at the Swampscott ‘No Kings’ day,” Paquette said. “Roughly 1,200 people attended that spread out on the monument and up and down Humphrey Street. The honks were overwhelming.”
He also thanked the Swampscott Police Department for its support during the protest.
Rep. Seth Moulton made an appearance in Swampscott and Marblehead, where he connected with The Item and shared his opinion on the protests.
“What better representation of democracy than what you see right here in Swampscott this morning? This is what America is all about… It’s not about Donald Trump and the wanna-be ‘kings.’ It’s about the power of the people, standing up for our freedom, for American values, for American rights,” Moulton said.
William Kozlosky and his mother Gloria came as a pair with their decorated umbrellas that had messages written on them, such as, “Melt Ice! Resist,” “Law is King, Trump is not,” and “Resist, resist, resist.”
“We have a dictator as president, who is taking away peoples’ benefits and health care. He’s all for him and not for the people,” William Kozlosky said as to why they decided to join the movement. “To me, he’s not even really a republican. He’s more of a dictator than anything else.”
Gloria Kozlosky echoed that message, noting that “all people, young and old, should get out there and show your anger.”
Another participant, Jill Porten, said what drove her to attend was her “fear for what’s happening to this country.”
Porten added that she hopes to help spread the message that the nation needs “our freedom of speech and right to gather (and) express our feelings about the failure of this administration (in order to) maintain democracy in this country.”
Doug Ellis said, “My concern is for the overreach of the executive branch (of the government) and in the unwillingness of the current congress to exercise their constitutional requirements.”
Ellis continued, “There’s so much going on with the ‘flood the scene’ philosophy that it’s important to keep people focused on what’s going on. It’s important to remind people and stay focused.”
At one point during the protest, an individual in an inflatable Donald Trump costume was assaulted by another attendee, Police Capt. Joe Kable confirmed. He noted an arrest was made, but no other information has been released at this time.
“I’m just sad for our country… But even though it’s a sad time, there’s still hope, and we can still make this country as great as it can be,” Allison Staton said. “I think it’s really important that we stop vilifying transgender children and adults (and) treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
That same sentiment was shared by the community members of Peabody, who gathered across from City Hall that afternoon to keep the spirit of the protest alive.
Councilor-at-Large Candidate Tristan R. Brown said he felt obligated to participate, and he feels strongly that “this country has given me so much.”
“I grew up poor, with a single mother, and I knew from a young age that I had actually hit the lottery because I was born a citizen of the United States,” Brown said. “And there were people who would kill and crawl over all sorts of terribleness to get what I was born with… And now, I see something happening where what I was born with is being taken away from others.”
Brown continued, “I think we all have to stand up, to demonstrate and fight back appropriately.”
Rosemary Bevins noted that she was there for her grandchildren: “I don’t like the direction that the country is going in (for them)… I’m very concerned.”
Robert Sultzbach said, “I’m disturbed by President Trump trampling the U.S. Constitution… This is thuggery, not proper political leadership. I was a Navy pilot, and I lost a number of squadron mates in defense of the constitution. I’ll be damned if this two-bit, wannabe dictator is going to run roughshod over all the men and women that have given their lives, from Bunker Hill, to Vietnam, all the way to Iraq.”
Ron Smoller noted he feels that people need to understand that “the Trump Administration doesn’t represent everybody with what they’re doing.”
In Saugus, a group gathered near Town Hall, standing on the corner of Central and Hamilton Street. Residents have been holding standouts every Saturday to stand for “No Kings” in America.
The group held signs of resistance, calling out the current racism and fascism.
Signs included “No Kings, No Dictators, No Tyrants, No Oligarchs,” “We can save democracy together,” “No kings in America since 1776,” and more, calling for due process and the release of the Epstein files.
Others were calling for a reminder of “free speech and freedom from fear” and a call for peace.
Mary Robblee, the outreach coordinator of the Saugus Democratic Town Committee, noted that while they typically have the same 10-15 people standing out every Saturday, mostly members of the Committee, the attendance on “No Kings Day” doubled.
“Some new attendees came to Saugus after they attended standouts in other locations in close-by cities and towns or joined for the first time. It was a peaceful protest but not without the occasional drive-by insults and attempted intimidation,” Robblee said.
She continued that some moms attended with young kids in tow, adding extra energy to the group.
“It was a very successful day that we hope to duplicate on Saturday mornings from 11 a.m. to noon,” she said.
In Marblehead, a crowd of approximately 825 gathered along the corner of Maple Street and Lafayette Street at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon for a “No Kings” protest that was also organized by North Shore Indivisible.
Dr. Elizabeth Sullivan explained why it was important to her to attend the event.
“I’m worried about a fascist government and the autocracy that’s now taken over… It’s obvious that there’s a blatant misuse of the constitution. Everything from the right to free speech to the way they’re treating immigrants. It upsets me to the point where I can’t watch TV anymore,” she said.
Jason Hatzigiannis expressed that he was there to support everyone among the transgender and LGBTQ community, adding, “I want to do my part.”
His mother, Amy Gibson, doubled down on that sentiment in support of her son.
“I’m here to support my son, all of my neighbors, everybody… I believe that liberty and justice is for all, not just for some,” Gibson said.
Another attendee, Claire Helfman, explained that in her 83 years of life, she has never “seen what is (currently) going on in this country, and I can’t stand it.”
“The man (Trump) is evil to his core. He doesn’t care one thing about anyone, and if he did, the money that he is spending for the National Guard to come in… How many people could he feed and clothe (with that money)?” Helfman said. “I’m Ukrainian and Jewish, so I feel that I have a lot of things to worry about.”
North Shore Indivisible volunteer Kate Borten, who has helped organize similar rallies and protests in the past, also said that she’s “never seen what’s happening before in my lifetime.”
“I’ve never been frightened for this country and the younger generations. I’m already retired, so while I don’t feel that I have that much to lose, I think about my kids and my grandchildren,” Borten said. “I just think that the Trump Administration is destroying the country and its reputation around the world.”
