Hundreds attend ‘No Kings’ protests in Northwest Corner

The Northwest Corner was well represented among the 7 million nationwide who took to the streets Saturday, Oct. 18, for “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration. Rallies were held in Salisbury, North Canaan, Cornwall and Kent with hundreds carrying signs, chanting messages and bonding with one another toward a common cause.

In Salisbury, the lawn of the White Hart Inn was filled to the brim as people from many towns gathered to voice their concerns and listen to a group of speakers. Here, as in the other local rallies, the energy level was high with participants loudly cheering for the messages being given.

Sophia DeBoer, one of the organizers, began by quoting Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who said rallies express the love of America. “We will not let Trump and his administration turn this into an authoritarian society,” she said.

Andrea Downs of Falls Village, who with her family has hosted 31 students from 19 countries through the AFS program at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, said such initiatives serve to break down barriers of prejudice and bring peace and understanding to communities. Housatonic has been in the forefront of hosting students and sending others abroad. For many years it held the record as the school with the longest, continuous hosting in the country, she said.

Signs lined the edge of Main Street in North Canaan.Tom Zetterstrom

“Sadly, the numbers of students and families participating in exchanges has dropped dramatically over the last few years,” said Downs. “Connecticut and western Massachusetts had traditionally hosted between 21 and 23 students each year. This year their number was zero.” She said it is almost impossible to get families to commit to hosting when they have to worry that their students will be targeted by ICE, or stopped at airports.

Downs said, “These are not the principles the United States has stood for in the past. We celebrated diversity and considered the rights of all individuals. We need to find a way to promote programming that emphasizes people-to-people connections. These are the types of values that make us stronger as a nation and a world. By making these sorts of connections we grow, mature and evolve.”

Twelve-year-old Jackson Maygar spoke about how this government is affecting youth. “Students need to be educated and not just believe what they see on TikTok,” he said. The Salisbury Central School student said many of his classmates are experiencing homophobia. “When you have bullying in office, what can you expect from kids?”

He received loud applause when he said there should be due process “and that’s the end of the conversation.” He then gave some positivity, saying, “It’s not hopeless. Come to rallies. Listen to the news. Follow John Lewis’s message of good trouble.”

State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) said the importance of showing up for rallies such as this one cannot be underestimated. She lamented what is happening, saying what disturbs her most as a former federal prosecutor is the behavior of masked ICE members.

State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) speaks at the “No Kings” rally in Salisbury.Ruth Epstein

History teacher Larry Rand focused on the constitutional breaches of the administration. He called the rally “one of the most important protests in American history.” He said Trump is pushing every edge of executive power and listed all the actions he’s taken to violate the constitution, such as setting tariffs, which is up to Congress, and using the Department of Justice for revenge of his political opponents.

“Trump is a champion of lying,” Rand said. “He makes Pinocchio look like a Boy Scout. So what can we do? We need more movements like this. We need to run a candidate with charisma who listens to constituents. And we must get out and vote no matter how hard Donald Trump makes it.”

Some residents performed music, including the Berkshire Resilience Brass Band; a trio of Alice Yoakum, Jo Loi and Sharon Charde who made up their own lyrics to a few ditties and Louise Lindenmeyr, who led a group in a rendition of “Hit the Road, Trump.”

There was a large presence at the “No Kings” rally in Cornwall Bridge on Saturday.Ruth Epstein

In Cornwall, the triangle at the intersection of routes 7 and 4 was filled.

One of the organizers, Dick Sears, said, “I’m very happy with the energy and unity we’re seeing here. People want their democracy back.” Both sides of Kent’s Main Street were lined with protesters during its rally, waving and showing thanks to the legions of passersby who honked their horns.