For the third event in the “No Kings” series of demonstrations condemning President Donald J. Trump’s administration, at least 2,500 gathered in Newton Centre as millions protested across the country amid heightened tensions over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, a government shutdown, and the war with Iran.
The turnout surpassed that of October’s “No Kings” protest, with a visibly larger crowd filling Newton Centre Green and street corners on Centre Street. Fig City News has estimated the gathering to be at least 2,500 based on analysis of the density and extent of the crowd shown in various photos.
Attendee Alta Hodges said she grew up in the 1960s in a family deeply involved in human rights activism, from the civil rights movement to protests against the Vietnam War.
“It’s in my blood,” she said. “I thought we had accomplished something, and I never thought we’d see something like what we’ve got now.”
Her sign read “We support democracy!” and “Love thy neighbor.” She said she forgot to bring her other sign at home that reads “Make America Kind Again.”
The protest comes amid escalating national tensions over immigration enforcement, following two fatal ICE-related shootings of American citizens in Minnesota.
Len Glass wore a sign reading “We are Minnesota” around his neck as he walked through the protest alongside his wife, who carried a sign of her own. Glass said he felt a debt to the people of Minnesota for putting themselves in harm’s way to protest ICE and protect their neighbors in harsh weather.
“They [ICE] have behaved recklessly and irresponsibly, and he [Trump] has been their protector,” he said.
Rev. Dr. Debra Haffner from First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton spoke to the crowd.
“I pray for you to stay strong, to stay connected, and to keep showing up,” Haffner said.
Ward 4 City Councilor Cyrus Dahmubed, introduced with reference to his roots in East Boston and Italy, spoke to the crowd, emphasizing the importance of gatherings like these.
“We keep each other safe by coming together as a community, by keeping love and care in our hearts, and by lifting up those who need it the most and doing all that we can, especially when it is the hardest and the scariest,” he said.
He outlined steps the City Council has taken to respond, including advocating for a centralized resource hub for residents targeted by federal immigration enforcement or concerned about their safety.
Dahmubed said the city is relying on the Welcoming City Ordinance, the Mayor’s executive order, and coordination with neighboring communities. He also announced that the City Council will hold a public hearing on April 15 to address concerns about ICE.
“No king can tell us how to live, or who to love, or where to pray, or how to look,” he said. “No king can bully us into believing that any of our neighbors is less than [others] because of where they were born.”
Dahmubed said he was raised in a household that embraced multiple religious traditions. He recalled singing the prayer of St. Francis in his mother’s church, which calls on followers to bring love, faith, hope, light, and joy into the world.
He noted that the line, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace” is sometimes translated as “channel of peace.”
“But to be a channel is passive. It is to let peace flow through you,” he said.
He added that one literal way of being an instrument of peace is through music.
“You may choose to be the kind of instrument that makes music, weaving harmony upon harmony into tapestries of understanding,” he said.
Karen Sudbey led a quintet that played patriotic songs throughout the protest. Sudbey, a member of Newton Indivisible, said she has attended weekly standouts and played her trumpet at some of them. At the “No Kings” protest last October, she volunteered to organize a group to perform. For this event, she said she knew it would be bigger, so she invited a few more people to join.
The instruments included trumpets, trombones, French horns, saxophones, a tuba, and some percussion.
She said they mostly tried to play patriotic songs but also wanted some upbeat songs included that were singable for protesters.
She enjoyed the high turnout and how much the attendees got involved with the music.
“They were clapping and singing along and cheering us on,” she said. “The energy was really high.”
Maroni Minter, political director at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition, also spoke at the event. A native of Gabon, Minter said he came to the United States believing in the promise of democracy.
He noted that more than 1,200 people gathered at the State House on March 18 for Immigrants Day, the largest turnout since he joined MIRA.
This past week, he said, the Massachusetts House passed the Protect Act by a 134–21 vote.
“It’s better late than never,” he said,“because this bill includes protection that immigrants, communities, and all of you have been fighting for years.”
The bill now heads to the Senate. If passed, the bill would ban new 287(g) agreements that allow local police to partner with federal immigration authorities, and it would limit when officers can ask about immigration status. Minter said such protections are critical, noting that some victims of domestic abuse are reluctant to report crimes out of fear they could be questioned about their immigration status and face deportation.
Rev. Dr. Eric Jackson, pastor of the Elliot Church of Newton, also addressed the crowd, comparing the current political moment to congestion during a cold – a metaphor that felt fitting given the weather.
“Our nation is congested and filled with mucus,” he said.
He said that “congestion” reflects what he described as cruelty, greed, hatred, federal agents in cities, the marginalization of transgender people, and ongoing conflicts abroad, including the war in Iran.
“All of these actions that we are seeing go against everything that my faith teaches me,” he said. “History shows us what happens when ordinary people decide they will not leave the blockage in place. They move it, and when they move it, something better takes place.”
Summer On, a Newton North High School student, said she does not want to balance school with the weight of national politics.
“I don’t want my classmates worrying about passing our SATs while also worrying about how ICE can infiltrate our communities and schools at any moment,” she said. “My community is being taken away solely with the voice of hate.”
Looking out at the crowd, she said she saw others her age and spoke to them.
“I know it seems like nobody is listening, but you being here today, shows that you have something important to say,” she said.
She urged parents to give young people space to speak.
“They don’t need discipline. They need freedom,” she said.
She said the decisions being made in Washington will shape her generation’s future.
“We have to pay attention to what is currently going on right now, because people running this world might burn it down before we even get a chance to lead it ourselves,” she said.
