No Kings rally Staten Island 2026: Biggest protest yet draws massive crowd
https://www.silive.com/news/2026/03/no-kings-rally-staten-island-2026-biggest-protest-yet-draws-massive-crowd.html
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Islanders gathered on Saturday for the borough’s third and largest No Kings rally in less than one year.
The event was organized by Staten Island 4 The People, a collection of SI groups including Staten Island Action Coalition, Peace Action Staten Island, Social Justice Unitarian Church SI, Young Dems SI, Staten Island 4 Change, Staten Island Democratic Association SIDA, Metro NY-11 Healthcare For All, and Staten Island Democratic Socialist Association.
People began arriving around noon at the corner of Victory Blvd. and Royal Oak Road in Sunnyside for the 1 p.m. rally and march.
While several people played musical instruments, others wore peace symbols and sang protest songs, in a scene reminiscent of anti-war protests during the Vietnam War era.
American flags and protest signs were available for those who did not bring their own.
There was a significant NYPD presence led by Inspector Eric Waldhelm and Lieutenant Charles Kosa to ensure everyone’s safety and security.
New Brighton resident Bill Johnson, 77, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, was joined by Life in the Forgotten Borough podcasters Andrew Savage and Nanci Richards while he addressed the protestors.
With Savage dressed as King George and Richards portraying President Trump, Johnson gave a passionate speech against the president, drawing a boisterous response from supporters.
When the speakers finished, the crowd began to march along Victory Blvd, heading toward Clove Rd, where they would turn left and continue to Stonehedge, the headquarters of Clove Lakes Park.
When the last people left the starting point, the line of marchers stretched all the way to the WWII Veterans War Memorial Skating Rink.
Elena Arena, representing the Staten Island Action Coalition, said, “The message I want to go out is that people really need to wake up. This is not about Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, or independents. This is about the founding of our country, and our democracy is just slipping away.”
Eileen Bardel, chair of Peace Action of Staten Island, advocates for a government that prioritizes its citizens’ needs over continuous military intervention.
“We want to say to our government officials that you need to include the people. You need to think about people’s needs, not spending money on endless wars. We have an immoral defense budget. All that money that is going towards weapons and bombs and drones, people are dying. Innocent people are dying,” Bardel explained.
She went on to say, “If you want to get elected, then do what’s good for the people. Put the money in the right place. Put the money for health care, infrastructure, jobs, and education, not on endless wars.”
Podcast host Savage expressed his frustration over national policies, economic issues, and what he views as a threat to democratic institutions. He hopes to strengthen the resistance movement on Staten Island.
Savage said, “We are not going to let our democracy die without standing up and speaking out at every turn. This president, having unchecked power, has really done a lot of damage to our country as a whole and to democracy in the long term.”
Standing by a table with a register to vote sign, Democratic congressional candidate Michael DeCillis greeted protestors as they finished the march. He said he hopes to flip his district’s seat and enact generational change.
“I’m looking forward to flipping the seat and affecting some genuine, real generational change here…I’m trying to make sure that we’re literally, quite literally, and figuratively bridging the divide between the two districts because they sometimes have different needs, but most of the needs are very common types of things. Everybody wants to talk about their pocketbook issues, education, and healthcare,” DeCillis said.
In addition to Staten Island, the Advance/SILive.com covered the No Kings demonstrations in Manhattan.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled crowded Midtown streets in Manhattan on Saturday, March 28, 2026, during the “No Kings” day of action after assembling at Columbus Circle and Central Park South and marching down Seventh Avenue and Broadway, through Times Square toward 34th Street as part of a nationwide day of protest. Steve Zaffarano
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Carlin McCarthy from CUNY called us interested in our Visibility Brigade presence on Staten Island. She interviewed our PR star Aileen Ferrara who took her to witness one Friday and she made a fine piece on SIAC. And it was aired on WNYC. You can view it with this Soundcloud link: https://www.joinfridays.com
