Thousands of people rallied across the СŷƵ on Saturday as part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations coinciding with President Donald Trump’s military parade in Washington.
Organizers estimated 1,600 people lined Cedar Crest Boulevard in Salisbury Township for a demonstration that started at noon. Meanwhile, an estimated crowd of at least 5,000 people attended a similar event several hours later at the Bethlehem Rose Garden, according to organizer Brooke McDermott.
Fadia Halma, a volunteer who helped coordinate the Salisbury Township event, walked along the road encouraging those who attended in the pouring rain. The line of people stretched at least two blocks along both sides of the suburban road.
Halma held an umbrella and rosaries in one hand, and in the other she held a sign that noted people’s First Amendment right to assemble and petition their government.
“We’re here protecting our neighbors who are good, hardworking Americans,” said Halma, amid the heavy rain, vehicle noise and occasional honks from motorists. “We’re afraid of what this government is doing to dismantle our rights, our freedoms and our Constitution.”
Rallying outside the headquarters of U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, whose 7th District includes the СŷƵ, Halma said a coalition of groups that had been holding regular Monday protests there would begin also meeting Saturdays to express their views.
“We are organized, talking to other states and working with a large network of grassroots activists who are concerned about what’s going on,” she said. “We’ll keep coming out if we have to.”
Saturday’s No Kings protests took place to demonstrate against Trump’s policies, as well as the military parade held in honor of the Army’s 250th anniversary. Saturday also was Flag Day and the president’s 79th birthday.
In the СŷƵ region, at least six events were scheduled. Others included outside Mackenzie’s Northampton County offices in Bethlehem Township; in Scott Park in Easton; in Triangle Park in Quakertown; and in Dansbury Park in East Stroudsburg.
In a statement, Mackenzie said a fight broke out at the Bethlehem Township site. A resident said township responded to a scuffle that involved a counterprotester. Police did not immediately respond to a request to verify the incident and provide details.
“We fully respect everyone’s freedom of speech and right to protest,” Mackenzie said. “Political protests like the ones that we see on a weekly basis at our office and today are no longer just that.”
Besides Saturday’s fight, Mackenzie said demonstrations have led to staff and tenants in the buildings that house his offices being harassed. He said traffic near hospitals has been impeded, constituents seeking assistance have trouble accessing Mackenzie’s offices, and other tenants have visitors who can’t make appointments.
“All of this is going beyond free speech and protest — it is disrespectful and disruptive to the fellow members of our community,” Mackenzie said.
At the protest in west Bethlehem, the mood was defiant but also upbeat. Music blared from speakers, including Peter, Paul and Mary’s “If I Had a Hammer,” as did a speech from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Many of those in attendance carried signs and banners with anti-Trump and anti-Republican Party messages.
McDermott, who is with the group Indivisible СŷƵ Bethlehem, and Mayor J. William Reynolds each spoke about a difficult week in Bethlehem after agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday arrested 17 employees of a construction company working on the remediation of the Five 10 Flats in south Bethlehem. Before the speeches, Colonial reenactor Debra Condon helped fire up the crowd with a chant: “No kings, not now. No kings, not ever.”
Reynolds’s speech kept to the no-kings theme, but he also urged everyone to remember that everybody deserves to be respectfully treated.
He said the fight against the Trump administration needs to be in the courts, “but we also need to fight for the hearts and minds of Americans. And you can’t force people to believe. We have to show them the promise of America that is possible when we believe in compassion, dignity and most of all love.”
Following the Rose Garden rally, people exited the park and marched along the sidewalks on West Broad Street toward Main Street.
The march was noisy but peaceful, with participants yelling various chants and motorists honking their horns. Police were stationed at Eighth and Broad to monitor traffic and allow participants to cross West Broad Street. Most of the crowd remained later Saturday at Main and Broad streets, McDermott said.
The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, according to the Associated Press. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
Protesters have called for Trump to be “dethroned” as they compare his actions to that of a king and not a democratically elected president.
Among the crowd on South Cedar Crest Boulevard was Mark Libonati of Whitehall Township, who came with his son, James. Both wore union hardhats and said they belong to Ironworkers Local 404.
Holding a sign that said, “Unions built America, not billionaires,” James Libonati said he encounters fellow union workers who support Trump, and he tries to keep an open dialogue with the supporters.
“I feel like a lot of us want the same things,” the Allentown resident said. “I feel [Trump supporters] have a deluded way of going about that,” including looking for scapegoats such as immigrants or liberals, instead of finding solutions to the country’s problems.
Mark Libonati agreed Americans need to find some sense of compromise and common ground.
“There has to be,” he said, though he also said he can’t understand how people can be “fawning over” Trump.
“The people who seem to be on the opposite side don’t see it for what it is,” he said regarding the division that he believes Trump has brought.
Trump just wants to be king, said Dave Mancke of South Whitehall Township, holding a homemade sign that said “King-dumb” and the word “Insanity” underneath.
“We definitely have to take a stance against what’s happening, absolutely,” said Mancke, who came with his neighbor Bob Shade, both retirees.
“The Republican congressmen have no backbones,” Shade said. “They need to start standing up to this guy.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone at asalamone@mcall.com.
