‘No Kings’ movement gains momentum as thousands of Marylanders take to the streets

WJZ

By Kaicey Baylor

Click here for updates on this story

    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Thousands of people attended several protests across Maryland as part of the nationwide ‘No Kings’ movement Saturday.

One of the largest demonstrations took place at Patterson Park in East Baltimore.

“This is our fight,” said Kelsey Johnston, who attended one of Baltimore’s protests. “This is our moment.”

Demonstrators said they’re taking a stance against policies coming from the Trump Administration.

“The politicization of the military,” Johnston said. “That is something that should never be happening.”

“You got money to spend money on a military parade while at the same time you’re saying the government is in debt and cutting from those who need it the most,” Daniel Fien-Helfman, another protester, said.

“It’s just been really hard with the Medicaid cuts, and everyone is struggling financially,” said protestor Stephanie Puszka.

Maryland senator joins ‘No Kings’ protests

A crowd of people packed the park for speeches from Senator Chris Van Hollen and Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen.

“So are we going to stand together united against bullies and again say ‘No Kings’ in the United States of America?” Senator Van Hollen said.

Following several speeches in the middle of Patterson Park, they marched around the area with signs in hand.

“Right now the power is in the people,” Ronoldo Appleton, another protester, said. “The more people that show up, the more impact we can have.”

Bel Air rallies

In Harford County, protestors marched along Main Street in Bel Air. They gathered outside the office of Congressman Andy Harris, calling on him to step up.

“He needs to exercise the power of Congress to restrain what this president is doing,” said DeLane Lewis, the president of Together We Will Harford County. “Stop this rampant grab for power that is happening right now.

“Are you listening, Andy Harris?” said Louanne Calvin, who marched in Bel Air. “We the people are not happy right now.”

Calvin was surprised to see the large crowd of people who joined her on Saturday afternoon.

“I’ve never seen that many people in Harford County, Maryland, out on the streets,” she said. “This is a very, I would say, red district.”

Protestors said they’re advocating and amplifying the voices of vulnerable communities.

“Everyone is equal under the law and should have due process,” Calvin said. “We’re just raising our voice to say, ‘You do not have a mandate.'”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.