‘No Kings’ rallies hundreds of protestors in Mattapoisett
Emily Nugent of Mattapoisett holds a poster encouraging attendees to "Protect Democracy" while Avery Nugent holds a "Resist" flag at the Mattapoisett "No Kings" protest. Photos by Grace Ann Natanawan 
Protestors line up along North Street in Mattapoisett.
Paul Duffy and Helen L. of Mattapoisett hold "No Kings" signs warning against fascism in the United States.
Louise Rogers and Kathy Dinneen of Mattapoisett join the demonstration with handmade signs.
Protestors and an inflatable dinosaur demonstrator rally together while chanting.
Jack Dean of Mattapoisett sits at Shipyard Park as guest speakers address the crowd.
Protestors hold up signs as they stand along County Road.
Ben Rogers of Mattapoisett holds up a homemade sign rejecting white supremacy in the United States.
A protestor donning an inflatable frog costume makes their way to the march.
A display stating "SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY" greets protestors as they arrive at Shipyard Park.
Protestors gather to listen to guest speakers in Shipyard Park.
Rosanne Sinderman of Rochester and Stacy Latt Savage of Mattapoisett protest together along County Road.
Emily Nugent of Mattapoisett holds a poster encouraging attendees to "Protect Democracy" while Avery Nugent holds a "Resist" flag at the Mattapoisett "No Kings" protest. Photos by Grace Ann Natanawan
Protestors line up along North Street in Mattapoisett.
Paul Duffy and Helen L. of Mattapoisett hold "No Kings" signs warning against fascism in the United States.
Louise Rogers and Kathy Dinneen of Mattapoisett join the demonstration with handmade signs.
Protestors and an inflatable dinosaur demonstrator rally together while chanting.
Jack Dean of Mattapoisett sits at Shipyard Park as guest speakers address the crowd.
Protestors hold up signs as they stand along County Road.
Ben Rogers of Mattapoisett holds up a homemade sign rejecting white supremacy in the United States.
A protestor donning an inflatable frog costume makes their way to the march.
A display stating "SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY" greets protestors as they arrive at Shipyard Park.
Protestors gather to listen to guest speakers in Shipyard Park.
Rosanne Sinderman of Rochester and Stacy Latt Savage of Mattapoisett protest together along County Road.
MATTAPOISETT — Waving homemade signs and American flags, approximately 400 protestors crowded the sidewalks of Mattapoisett to join one of over 2,000 of “No Kings” demonstrations happening across the nation on Saturday, Oct. 18.
Tri-town residents voiced their grievances regarding the actions of President Donald Trump and current federal issues at the demonstration — including immigration rights, funding cuts to healthcare and the deployment of the National Guard to various major cities in the United States.
The protest was organized by members of the Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee. This is the second “No Kings” demonstration to occur since Trump’s reelection in 2024, following “No Kings Day” in June.
Protestors lined the sidewalks along North Street and County Road in Mattapoisett and chanted in support of democracy. Following the demonstration, participants marched to Shipyard Park where guest speakers shared their stories and a dance party concluded the event.
Cars honked and shouted in support of the protestors as they passed on the street, while some vehicles containing Trump supporters flung insults at the attendees.
Rochester residents Carmen Teixeira and her daughter Savannah Teixeira joined the protest together to advocate for immigrant rights.
“I’ve always been someone to fight for minorities. I’m an immigrant,” said Carmen.
As a public school teacher, Carmen said she can “see the fear in a lot of my students’ eyes” when the class discusses the current state of immigration policies in the United States.
With Trump increasing funding toward the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, Carmen stated that many of her students fear for the future of their relatives who are undocumented immigrants.
“That is really what’s currently inspiring me,” she said.
Savannah stated that she also showed up to the protest to fight for immigration rights.
“Just being the child of two immigrants, the reason I’m here is because of immigration,” she said. “All of this is happening now, right when I’m starting my adulthood and starting my life, and it’s scary.”
Carmen and Savannah saw the protest as an opportunity to take action in their community.
“Something needs to be done because I can’t live the rest of my life like this. We all can’t love the rest of our lives like this,” said Savannah.
Air Force veteran George Hussey of Mattapoisett and Navy veteran Lee Jones of Mattapoisett joined “No Kings” to protest the deployment of the National Guard to cities such as Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Memphis and Portland.
“[Trump] has defamed the military. He uses them as pawns … He’s weaponizing them,” said Lee.
“We’re veterans and we took an oath to the Constitution,” adds Hussey. “They don’t follow the Constitution. We’re not out here hating America. We don’t hate America. We fought for America.”
Cindy Spalding, a Delaware resident with family connections in Mattapoisett, attended the demonstration to protest against current federal budget cuts to healthcare and changes to the Voting Right Act.
“We have to stand up for health care because people are going to die,” she said.
“I just feel so strongly about everything that’s happening in this country right now,” she adds. “[The government is] really rapidly being dismantled and taken apart and taken over by a group of people who are acting like fascists.”
At Shipyard Park, author and member of the Massachusetts Freedom to Read Coalition Michelle Cusolito encouraged attendees to continue to advocate for their causes in the community once the rally ends.
“This rally does not end here. The energy, the joy and the determination to preserve our democracy must carry forward into our communities,” she said.
