Side by side, thousands of Americans came together on the streets of Philadelphia, marching towards a common goal. The chanting of protestors could be heard from Love Park all along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, reciting with passion, “This is what democracy looks like!” Many came with friends, family, children, and loved ones, hand in hand with one another holding signs of protest.
The “No Kings” protest took place yesterday with over 2,000 rallies across every state in the nation. This rally, which coincides with President Donald J. Trump’s birthday parade and the 250th birthday of the United States Army, took place in protest of Trump’s policies and the actions his administration has taken in the previous months in relation to immigration and the use of ICE and other law enforcement against civilians.
A coalition of almost 200 organizations helped to organize the No Kings protest. Many of these organizations had representative speakers who spoke at yesterday’s protest, such as Martin Luther King III, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Congressman Jamie Raskin, and Arthur Steinberg (President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers), etc.
“Philadelphia, you are no stranger to struggle,” begins Martin Luther King III, “you were a sanctuary for runaway slaves, a refuge for the righteous abolitionist, a crossroads for the Underground Railroad, and today you’re once again a sacred ground where justice calls and freedom answers.”
Many demonstrators have designated Philadelphia as the lead city for this national movement for its history as the ‘birthplace of the nation.’ Thousands of people marched from Love Park onto the Benjamin Franklin Parkway amid concerns about immigration enforcement and the deployment of the National Guard.
As the demonstrators circled past Logan Square, they neared the stage where the performers and speakers were organized…