Members at the March 28 No Kings Protest Rally walked along the waterfront area in Hoboken (Jordan Coll / SOC Images)
More than 8 million people flooded the streets across the United States and fifteen countries on March 28, joining over 3,300 simultaneous “No Kings” rallies in one of the largest coordinated protest days since the movement launched last June.
Among those 8 million were a mix of residents from Jersey City and Hoboken who walked along the waterfront and rebuked—what participants described to Slice of Culture as—“authoritarianism” and “executive overreach” by the Trump administration.
“The Trump administration is taking steps to curtail freedom of speech and yet they invite him and others who threaten freedom of the press and speech to the correspondents dinner,” said Shay Verma, a longtime Jersey City resident, who attended the rally.
“This protest breaks through the bubble.”
Last year, several No Kings protests took place on Oct. 18 in both Newark and Jersey City city halls where government dissent drew out people in a shared concern: the guardrails of democratic governance are under strain.
In the frigid weather, demonstrators beckoned a new call to action, and demanded from city officials, state legislators and community leaders to counter what members framed as countering fascist ideals at the Hill.
“How do you explain the actions of a mad man who is President?” said Jersey City Mayor James Solomon, speaking to members of the public. “We have had a lot of dumb wars in our nation’s history, but I think this may be the dumbest, referring to the ongoing Iranian war prompted by a U.S. military attack known as Operation Epic Fury.
What has become a rally cry nationwide on the actions taken on by the Trump administration, trickled down into a sea of protestors, bringing on concerns pertaining to immigration policy, the Israeli Gaza War and the future of democracy.
“This rally defined that we’re not here to be ruled—we’re here to be heard. No kings, just leaders who build with us. As a young person, it’s so comforting to know that the public is willing to put aside all conflicts to come together to fight for our democracy,” said Janhitha Veeramachaneni, Chair of the Jersey City High School and College Dems to Slice of Culture.
“Because if we don’t, our democracy will not exist. It’s up to us today to influence the government that we want tomorrow.”
The first “No Kings” protest landed on Trump’s 79th birthday—June 14—which is also the same day the president staged a military parade in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s founding. In Hudson County, cities joined the movement’s June and October protests last year. This included Guttenberg, Hoboken, Jersey City, Secaucus and Weehawken.
“The midterms are coming! The midterms are coming!” echoed Liz Noye, an activist with Hoboken Resist, a coalition of social activists. “Let this be the beginning of no kings in America.”
Midterm elections will happen on Nov. 3, 2026, which allows voters to choose who controls Congress and also gauge the performance of the president.
Members of the state assembly also emphasized the nature of the current federal administration, calling it a “rogue administration,” added Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla, who attended the No Kings rally.
“It is part of our job as Americans to resist,”said the former mayor of Hoboken. His first executive order declared the city a Fair and Welcoming City to protect undocumented immigrants. “Our cities are sanctuary cities! … It doesn’t matter your race, religion … immigration status. You have equal rights under the law! That is what America is about!”
“Emotions are being torn because of the things we are seeing!” said Toni Ervin, the aunt of Andrew Jerome Washington, a 52-year-old Jersey City resident whose life ended when Jersey City police responded to his mental health episode by shooting him with both a gun and a taser.
“I wake up scared to watch the news because I don’t know what will happen next, We say No!” shouted Ervin, “This is not a nation of kings, this is a nation of We the People.” In commemorating the life of Andrew Washington the Jersey City Council approved in a unanimous vote to mark Aug. 27 as Mental Health Awareness Day.
Another round of chants circulated through an animated public, saying “Dump Trump! Dump Trump! Dump Trump!” while others held signage with a butterfly on it stating, “The only monarch we want.”
Ralliers made their way along the waterfront, belting out chants saying “The people united, will never be defeated,” another round heard by Slice of Culture.
Primary elections are happening June 2 in New Jersey, which is another essential day for voters to exercise their rights. To learn more about how to prepare for the midterm elections, you can read here: https://dosomething.org/article/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-midterm-elections.
