If democracy is a muscle, Kingston flexed hard on Saturday.
Thousands of people gathered in Kingston on Saturday for the largest political rally the city has seen in at least two decades, joining a national wave of No Kings demonstrations held in more than 2,500 locations across the country. Turnout in Kingston was at close to five thousand people, filling Academy Green Park and surrounding uptown streets with signs, drums, and chants in defense of constitutional democracy.
Despite the seriousness of its purpose, the mood in Kingston was buoyant and at times celebratory. What might have been a somber protest instead felt like a civic affirmation. The crowd was a cross-section of the Hudson Valley—families with children, union members, local business owners, students, clergy, retirees, and longtime activists. People brought dogs in bandanas and babies in strollers. Marching bands and drum circles surfaced spontaneously in the streets. The event was tightly organized, but the energy felt organic.
Still, the tone of the speeches delivered at Academy Green was defiant. Speakers warned of the accelerating erosion of democratic norms under President Trump: federal troops deployed into US cities without consent of local governments, warrantless ICE raids including in the Hudson Valley, public threats against judges and journalists, and new claims of executive power that bypass both Congress and the courts. What began as a protest movement in response to last year’s proposed military parade has grown into a statewide and national network committed to resisting what participants describe as rule by decree.
Several public officials joined the Kingston rally, marking a rare moment of broad political alignment in defense of democratic institutions. Kingston Mayor Steve Noble Ulster addressed the crowd with a fiery speech. Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha and State Senator Michelle Hinchey and County Executive Jen Metzger also attended and marched. Their presence signaled that for many in public life, political calculation has been overtaken by constitutional concern.
What distinguished Saturday’s rally from others in recent years was its emotional intensity. Dozens of participants described feeling moved, even overwhelmed, by the scale and spirit of the gathering. After years of watching national politics from behind screens, absorbing a steady stream of constitutional crises, and feeling isolated in their fear and frustration, many people said that simply being together again in public with others who shared their alarm was unexpectedly powerful. The sense of relief was palpable. People spoke not only of protest but of reconnection, solidarity, and civic belonging.
The No Kings movement takes its name from the founding principle that the United States rejects monarchy in all its forms, including the concentration of unchecked power in any single branch of government. The message is intentionally focused on constitutional rights rather than partisan identity. For many attendees, defending democracy felt less like politics than obligation.
What happens next remains uncertain. Organizers say future actions are already being planned, with a continued emphasis on nonviolent assembly, voter mobilization, and public education on constitutional rights. But for one autumn afternoon in Kingston, a divided and anxious country found a rare moment of clarity: people still have the power to gather, raise their voices, and insist that the republic remain a republic.
Thanks for being there, Brian!!!