Thousands Rally In Mercer County For 'No Kings' Protest

MERCER COUNTY, NJ - Thousands of people across four towns in Mercer County on Saturday for the "No Kings" rally.

People braved the rain to deliver a unified message that “America has no kings.” Protests were held in Princeton, Trenton, Hamilton and Pennington.

In Trenton, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman spoke to a crowd of close to 1,500 people outside the statehouse.

"Trump’s plan is to drown working-class Americans in red tape, kick them off their health insurance, and force them to choose between feeding their families or paying the rent. They are waging a war of attrition on working people. And they want you to blame immigrants, trans people, or anyone who doesn’t look like you, pray like you, or love like you," Watson Coleman said

"Your power is in your solidarity. Because we know, what we’re seeing won’t stop in LA. We know cities like Newark, and Trenton, and Paterson, and New Brunswick are next. You’re exercising your rights by being out right now. These rights exist to protect our democracy from the march of tyranny - rights like due process, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly. We hand over these rights at our own peril."

According to Coalition for Peace Action, about 3,000-5,000 people attended the rally in Princeton.

“What an appropriate place to have a No Kings rally,” CFPA Executive Director Rev. Robert Moore said, noting the event took place directly under a massive statue commemorating the 1777 Battle of Princeton. “George Washington fought to prevent America from being ruled by kings,” Moore said.

The event was sponsored by the Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA), Indivisible Princeton, and the Princeton Community Democratic Organization.

In attendance were local elected officials, including Mayor Mark Freda, Leighton Newlin and Councilwoman Leticia Fraga.

According to Freda, the crowd was "huge and peaceful." In Princeton, the event was sponsored by the CFPA, Indivisible Princeton, and the Princeton Community Democratic Organization.

Similar protests were held in Hamilton, Trenton, and Pennington as well.

More than five million people attended over 2,100 events across the country on Saturday, according to an estimate from the ACLU.

The protests were timed for President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. A military parade also took place in Washington D.C. on June 14, although Trump has said the event was meant to celebrate 250 years of the U.S. Army and Flag Day – not necessarily his birthday.

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