Editor’s note: There are some individuals interviewed who are referred to only by first name due to fears around their jobs and personal lives.
The Boston Common flooded with an estimated 125,000 people for the nation-wide “No Kings” protest. Lining the paths of the park were individuals of organizations handing out constitutional rights flyers and bandanas with “no kings” written on them.
Boston’s demonstration was one of over 2,500 across the country Oct. 18.
Dressed in inflatable animal costumes and political t-shirts, people from across the state gathered to hear a roster of speakers and display their political signs. Protesters advocated for issues spanning from the president’s abuse of power to international conflicts being aided by the United States government.
The abuse of power that was being protested meant different things to different people attending the protest.
“I think the current presidential overreach is blatant. Congress has given up, and he’s just doing all sorts of things that shouldn’t be done, and no one ever anyone who wrote the Constitution never thought this kind of thing would happen,” said Lisa, a protester originally from the Chicago area.
Many people displayed posters calling on history for lessons to answer the current conflicts. One protestor dressed as Susan B. Anthony during the women’s suffrage movement, others held signs pointing out the wordage of the constitution and declaration of independence.
Anna, a college student from Cape Cod, defined the protest as, “anything and everything that Trump is currently doing, of course. I mean, it’s the fascism of it.”
Many of the attendees resonated with a variety of issues that were prevalent during the protest.
Chris, a resident of Somerville, Massachusetts, works in Biotech and shared what he was protesting.
“I think just the criminality of the administration, the corruption, the lack of due process, which means that all of us are at risk, the attacks on science. I mean, it goes on and on,” said Chris.
Having attended protests since February 2025, Chris commented on the current administration saying, “The president is no longer bound by the law of the Constitution, and is instead just acting unilaterally.”
Craig White, a Suffolk Law student, brought an informed perspective to the meaning of presidential overreach.
“I think when the president starts trying to cut over from where the executive branch is strongly defined, once it starts trying to control what the legislature does or what it wants, to try controlling what the judicial branch does,” said White.
Looking over at the crowd, people from all ages showed up to make their voices heard. From young children sitting on their parents’ shoulders to retirees with folding chairs, the Common was filled with energy focused on change.
Linda Emma, head of marketing and digital content at Cloud Control Media, fears for the future that the next generation is inheriting.
“I’d like to see a Constitution that we’d respect, for my children and grandchildren, that would be awfully nice,” said Emma.
Also scared for the future was Jamie, who works as a nurse in the South Shore.
“Don’t even get me started on pro-choice versus, you know, no choice. I mean, I knew I could always go to Planned Parenthood to get birth control or whatever,” said Jamie.
With the “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law in July 2025, thousands of Americans will no longer be eligible for Medicaid which will leave them without healthcare.
“It just makes no sense to me that there are no experts in the field running our healthcare system, and soon enough, people aren’t going to have insurance,” said Jamie. “So automatically, the people that can afford insurance are going to be paying higher rates and then our healthcare system will fall apart with people that can’t pay.”
According to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, between 750,000 and two million participants will lose coverage starting in 2026.
Robert Kennedy Jr., who currently serves as the secretary of health, is often brought up in conversations surrounding healthcare.
“RFK Jr., not knowing his ass from his elbow, he knows nothing medical and is just turning healthcare and vaccines and everything upside down, because there’s an audience for it,” said Jamie.
“We’re very lucky to live in this state,” said Jamie. “We have our own rules that have all been signed into law so that’s good, that Maura Healey jumped on it so we can get our vaccines.”
The grass began to disappear and in its place were protestors covering the Common. Floods of people neared the back of the park as speeches and band performances began engaging with the group around noon.
To end the protest, Boston Mayor Michele Wu spoke to unite the crowd. Wu empowered Boston community members to stand up for the issues they believe in during her speech.
“We stand here today to tell the Trump administration, when it comes to our freedoms, when it comes to our families, Boston doesn’t back down,” said Wu.
Saturday’s “No Kings” protest made clear that Wu and the people of Boston are not backing down from what they believe in.
In her closing words, Wu said, “Boston has never been good at surrender or silence.”
