Towson ‘No Kings’ protest draws massive crowd

By Sarah Sternhagen, Editor-in-Chief and Connor Raeke, Contributing Writer

Protestors gathered Saturday afternoon at Riderwood Hills Park for a “No Kings” protest, organized by Towson University students and Indivisible Baltimore. People of all ages gathered to protest President Donald Trump’s second administration.

The Towson protest was one of thousands held nationwide Saturday in a show against a slew of the Trump administration’s actions since January. The protest kicked off at 1 p.m. and packed the park full of attendees who held signs and waved American and LGBTQ+ flags. Several people wore inflatable costumes and others brought their dogs. 

Amy Lee, media liaison for Indivisible Baltimore, said they estimated 2,000 people would attend the protest. Local activist organizations including the Greater Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America and Jewish Voice for Peace tabled at the park. People cheered, rang cow bells and listened to speeches from guest speakers.

Several Towson University students spoke, including members from the university’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, known as YDSA.

“Our rights are under attack,” Co-Chair Davis Payton said to the crowd. “Some of our rights have already been repealed, and our current political climate represents the best chance to get rid of the rest.”

Payton and his fellow  YDSA Co-Chair Noah Glorioso both said the “No Kings” protests are broad anti-Trump demonstrations. Some of their issues with the administration come from its handling of the Israel and Palestine conflict, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, detaining people without due process.

Students initially wanted to hold the protest on Towson’s campus, but decided to find another place to hold the protest after being told they’d have to submit the names of the speakers at the rally to the university. They were also worried about the number of attendees overfilling the designated space they’d be demonstrating in. Indivisible Baltimore reached out to the students mid-September according to Payton and helped secure the permits for Riderwood Hills Park. 

Towson junior Evelyn Kronfeld, who spoke during the event, said she was unhappy with how the protest had to be moved. 

“We were supposed to have this demonstration on campus, but we couldn’t due to a repressive atmosphere, and there needs to be much more freedom for students protesting,” Kronfeld said. 

Jackson Evans, a senior at Towson University and event speaker was there protesting against Trump’s attacks on the media, and ICE conducting raids without warrants. 

“I think what we need most in our society is more of a strong sense of democracy,” Evans said. “It’s not just this way of organizing government. It’s a way of organizing society.”

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen stopped by the rally and denounced the Trump administration’s actions towards the rule of law.

“They’ve been attacking our Constitution, attacking our democracy, and attacking the Bill of Rights,” Van Hollen said during his speech to the crowd.

Other Towson students were in the crowd during the speeches. Jasmine Fallon attended the protest with her boyfriend, and both wore matching inflatable shark costumes. 

“Law is really important, and this administration has done nothing but just treat the law like a joke,” Fallon said.

A bit after 3 p.m., protesters marched from the park down Kenilworth Drive and onto Charles Street, which had been blocked off for the march. Protestors took up the whole street as they walked toward the I-695 entrance ramps.

Towson Professor Katherine Sterner and her family attended the march part of the protest. She has issues with the Trump administration’s use of ICE and the deployment of the National Guard within the U.S.

“I really hate to see what ICE is doing in cities, and I really hate to see federal troops in cities,” Sterner said. “My husband, who’s with me, was in the National Guard, and I can’t imagine him having to be deployed to American cities.”

After stopping just before the Charles Street ramp to I-695, protesters turned around and walked back to the park, which marked the end of the three-hour rally.

Towson Professor Joyram Chakraborty attended the protest with his family. He said he came for democracy.

“Don’t stand on the sidelines and expect somebody else to speak up,” Chakraborty said. “If it really matters to you, speak up.”