‘No Kings’ mass protest: Newark, Jersey City, other U.S cities rally today, June 14, against Trump

By Isiah Christie

America is fed up with lies. And that’s exactly what a lot of citizens believe their President and his administration have been feeding them.

Donald Trump is set to hold a military parade in Washington, D.C. at 6:30 P.M. today, Saturday, June 14th, and the people are fighting back with a parade of their own. Set to defile Trump’s birthday, organizers of the “No Kings” mass protest, to be held also today, will deny what they consider an egocentric celebration from the president and attempt to highlight the cruelty and falsehood they believe his administration represents.

The group in charge, known as the 50501 Movement (50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement), has organized protests against Trump since spring of this year. Based everywhere aside from Washington, D.C., the organization and their “No Kings” event want to highlight the voices of those outside of the capital. They believe that the power of citizenship is tied to embracing all of the country’s many states, as opposed to fixating on its patriotic capital that will be run with pro-Trump propaganda that day. “We did not want to give him the excuse to crack down on counter-protesters in DC”, event collaborator Ezra Levin specified.

“No Kings” is a nationwide event, and has brought together thousands of cities to participate in over 2,000 individual iterations of the protest. Millions of participants are expected to inhabit the events in an act of peaceful defiance, while also displaying acts of patriotism they believe are true to America’s values. All fifty states contain at least six cities in participation, and multiple bordering countries – including Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Colombia – will be rallying in global unification as well.

Organizers include peaceful protest and “expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with [their] values”. The 50501 Movement’s goal is to destroy the corruption they believe Trump’s administration and followers have embedded in America, from ICE deportations to misuse of the National Guard.

“They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings,” the event’s official website emphasizes.

Participant cities in the New York metropolitan area include:

• Newark
• South Orange
• Montclair
• Rutherford
• Glen Ridge
• Caldwell
• Jersey City
• Weehawken
• Manhattan
• Harlem
• Brooklyn
• Queens
• Long Island
• Staten Island
• Rahway
• Perth Amboy
• Springfield
• New Brunswick

Tickets are not required for attendance. More information on the event and protests can be found on the group’s website.