Hundreds protest the ‘king’

By Manor Ink Staff

Monticello, NY – With cries of “No kings!,” nearly 500 Sullivan County residents gathered in the parking lot adjacent to the Read It Again bookstore on North Street in the village on Saturday, June 14, Flag Day, for a protest march organized nationwide as an action decrying the policies of the current administration in Washington, DC.

Billed as the No Kings Day of Defiance in response to President Donald Trump’s February posting on Truth Social, “LONG LIVE THE KING!,” the protest also coincided with the US Army 250th Anniversary Parade in the Capitol, a procession requested by the President.

The crowd in Monticello had another procession in mind. Following a fife-and-drum playing couple in Revolutionary garb, the marchers processed in a very long column to Broadway where they marched up and down sidewalks on both sides of the grand boulevard.

Most participants carried homemade signs with slogans both simple and elaborate. One read “Jail to the Chief!” while another averred “When cruelty becomes normal, compassion looks radical.” Others touched on humor: “I’m not a paid protestor, I hate Trump for free!”

The hour-long event elicited numerous honks of support from drivers and a few critical responses from dissenters. All-in-all, though, the mood was upbeat and the protest, aided through traffic by local police, was peaceful.