Tens of thousands of protesters waving American flags and chanting “This is what democracy looks like” filled Boston Common Oct. 18 to denounce the Trump administration’s policies on immigration, freedom of speech and climate change. The second installment of the “No Kings” protest called on Americans in 2,700 cities across the nation to peacefully voice their opinions on federal actions and threats to democracy. 

Boston’s protest featured prominent speakers including Mayor Michelle Wu and CEO of The Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts Rahsaan Hall. Good Trouble Brass Band and the BVocal Chorus also performed at the event.

“Be empowered by this day, but don’t let it end on this day,” Hall said in his speech, encouraging attendees to recognize protests as a part of progress rather than a one-time fix for an issue.

Protesters used the event as a way to express their anger with the actions of President Donald Trump and voice issues that they feel are being ignored. 

“I think we need to protect the Earth,” said Dasha Ucko, a volunteer at the group For Liberation and Resistance Everywhere, or FLARE. “Without the Earth, rights don’t matter, if none of us have a planet to live on … Honestly, I hope real change comes because sometimes these protests, they’re very big, and everyone feels happy that they went to them, then nothing comes of them. So I’m happy that there’s all these booths that have actual actions for people to take.”

Two rows of resource and information booths were stationed near the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. The booths offered protest attendees a chance to sign petitions, register to vote or make a donation to a cause they support. The Educational Freedom Project, or EFP, was stationed next to FLARE. 

EFP, founded at Northeastern University with a second branch at Wellesley College, hopes to uphold the promise of higher education and “expand free expression so students can feel comfortable,” said Zi Glucksman, a Northeastern graduate student studying security and resilience and director of policy for EFP.

The EFP table worked to gather signatures for a petition to get Northeastern to reject Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. The compact outlines eight policies universities would have to follow to get preferential treatment from the government for federal funding, including being politically neutral. EFP wants “to see our universities being the best versions of themselves,” Glucksman said. 

“The energy at ‘No Kings’ is intoxicating,” Glucksman said, noting that the positive atmosphere creates space for change. EFP’s petition gathered 234 signatures at the protest.

Beside the booths, there was an area of grass designated for people to grab a completed sign or create one of their own.

North Weymouth resident Meredith Shantz protested with a sign that read “Malice,” with splatters resembling blood inside the letters I, C and E. When asked about her reasons for attending, she listed issues of healthcare and loss of democracy, but said “ICE is the one [she’s] rocking today.”

“[The protest is] visibility, creating numbers that the media may actually pay attention to, a poke in the eye to this administration,” Shantz said. 

Nick Burgess, who has been a Boston resident for 25 years, echoed the same sentiment about the significance of visibility.

“It’s nice to see all the other people here who feel strongly about things and are trying to do what they can,” Burgess said.

Carole Sousa, a retired teacher and lifelong Boston resident, said that she found the protest invigorating and necessary to draw attention to the actions of the government. 

“I came to get reenergized because it can get depressing,” Sousa said. “It’s time to stand up. We all agree, we have to save the democracy.” 

The tone of the event was light, with some protesters dressed in costumes and others displaying their amusing signs. 

Wu noted that at the protest, “generations have rallied and marched and come together to move our country forward.”

Sousa agrees. She attended the protest with a sign referencing United States Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller’s generalization that only old hippies attend protests. 

“Don’t underestimate old hippies, we have a lot of experience,” Sousa said. “We’ve seen many presidents come and go, but we’ve never seen a threat like this, even with Nixon.”

Shantz added that the variation in age was inspiring and reflective of what the U.S. is known for.

“We have such a beautiful representation of America,” Shantz said. “Encouragement is contagious.”