Franklin County protest organizers join ‘No Kings’ movement

A protester holds a crossed out Trump and Musk sign during the “No Kings” march by Independence Hall in April in Philadelphia. Tyger Williams/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS
Published: 06-11-2025 11:42 AM |
As the “No Kings” movement prepares to take to the streets in all 50 states this weekend, activist groups in Franklin County have organized their own events.
On Saturday, June 14, Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution and Indivisible North Quabbin have organized rallies in Greenfield and Orange alongside more than 1,400 similar standouts and protests across the United States, including in every major city.
The Greenfield protest will begin at Energy Park, 50 Miles St., at 11:30 a.m. before marching to the Greenfield Common. It is expected to wrap up at around 1:30 p.m., according to David Greenberg, a Coordinating Committee member for Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution.
Event organizers say the “No Kings” movement is an opportunity for people to gather and push back against what they say is a rising tide of authoritarianism and corruption under President Donald Trump. The event also falls on the same day Trump is planning a massive military parade in the nation’s capital to commemorate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army. June 14 is also Flag Day, as well as Trump’s 79th birthday.
“This is important. Trump is having his little military parade for his birthday in D.C. and this is to counter that. … He’s hardly a king,” Greenberg said. “I think Trump is trying to scare people and isolate people and make people think there is nothing we can do. These kinds of events show determination on the part of all of us to save our democracy and work for the 99%.”
Greenberg said the protest will be family-friendly, as there will be music, games and brief remarks. Alongside those offerings, he said they will have plenty of clown noses and cardboard tanks, mocking the presidential administration.
With so many aspects of American life touched by changes on the federal level, such as ongoing threats to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicare benefits in Congress, Greenberg said there is a growing cohesiveness among the people attending protests in the Pioneer Valley.
“I think that’s a very important piece of this, the sense of community,” Greenberg said. “It’s scary, no doubt, but it’s not totally unexpected; we read Project 2025, we know what he’s about. … We are going to have to be there with our resolve and our strength in numbers to counter whatever he’s up to.”
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In Orange, Indivisible North Quabbin has scheduled its own “No Kings” rally, which will kick off at 11 a.m. at Memorial Park at the corner of South Main and Water streets. From there, attendees are expected to walk to the Post Office to protest the impacts of federal cuts before returning to Memorial Park at noon.
Speakers will include veteran Jeff Neipp, who will talk about cuts to veterans programs, and Laura Davis, a member of Mothers Out Front, a Boston-based nonprofit advocating for climate justice.
Connie Pike, a member of Indivisible North Quabbin, said the Trump administration’s actions are worse than she could have imagined.
“I don’t think any of us could have imagined this,” Pike said. “I think we all took democracy for granted.”
While Pike said many people are feeling despair in this current political moment, she struck a tone of hope because people are building a community by continuing to attend Indivisible North Quabbin events and others like it.
“You’ve got an amazing combination of people. … The fact that so many people from different circumstances and different classes are coming to gather gives me a lot of hope,” Pike said. “Show up. That’s what we have to do in life, isn’t it? Even when we don’t want to, we have to show up. We have to show up and I don’t think there’s a group too small.”
For more information about the “No Kings” movement, visit nokings.org. To RSVP to either event, which is not required, visit bit.ly/44aqDcP for the Greenfield protest and bit.ly/4kDpRuS for the Orange standout. Other standouts in the Pioneer Valley include Ashfield, Haydenville, Belchertown, Amherst and Northampton.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.