BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – As protests cried out across the country on Saturday, hundreds gathered at Waterfront Park in Bangor to join in the No Kings movement.
The No Kings Day of Action was a series of protests in all 50 states organized by the social movement organization Indivisible.
June 14th was chosen as the nationwide day of action as it coincides not only with flag day and the Armyâs 250th birthday, but also with President Trumpâs birthday and military parade.
Organizers say that No Kings was in part meant to draw attention away from the parade, defying what some have perceived as a show of power, as they aimed to show the power of communities across the country.
âI feel, and I think we all feel, our country is at a tipping point. And we the people must stand up and speak outâ, said Indivisible Bangor founding member Melissa Berky.
One organizer estimated that 1,000 protesters attended the demonstration in Bangor.
They were met with speeches by community leaders such as Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, and president of Maine Veterans for Peace Adam Toothaker.
Other topics discussed included support for Medicare and Medicaid, advocating for social services such as the post office, and the right to due process for all Americans.
Background: In 2023, Maine voters voted 86% * in favor of prohibiting foreign governments and entities from spending money on our elections and ballot questions. In November 2024, we also voted around 75% to put a $5000 limit on individual contributions to Super PACs. But neither of those referenda decisions have been enforced due to lawsuits challenging their legality. (1) Eventually what will likely be needed is a Constitutional Amendment to undo the Supreme Courtâs awful Citizens United decision of 2010 (2), which allows corporations (and unions, the few that remain) to spend unlimited funds on elections. (Susan Collins opposes such an amendment, another reason to defeat her.) As we explained in Action 129, a Constitutional Convention to get this amendment approved could be dangerously risky in todayâs divided nation. So, we are left with the cumbersome but effective process that has been used for all other Constitutional Amendments. The Maine Ethics Commission (3) would like us to weigh in (4), and American Promise (5) has information and suggestions on how to do it and what you might say. (6)
Action: Click on extra credit item (6) and use the information therein as guidance to add your voice. Our democracy is suffering at the hands of the ultra-rich plutocrats and sociopaths. Letâs apply resolute pressure to get Citizens United overturned.
Urgency:The deadline to submit comments is June 20
Protestors gathered in the Bangor Waterfront Park as park of the “No Kings” demonstrations taking part across the country on Saturday. Credit: Kasey Turman / BDN
Bangor was one of more than 30 communities in Maine to protest against the Trump administration on Saturday as part of the nationwide âNo Kingsâ movement.
The protests coincide with President Donald Trumpâs 79th birthday and a Washington, D.C., military parade to celebrate the Armyâs 250th anniversary that is set to take place Saturday evening. Demonstrations were planned in all 50 states and multiple other countries.
More than 1,000 attended the Bangor rally, according to organizers, while the Portland crowd had thousands of attendees, according to the Portland Press Herald.
In Bangor, protestors held up signs with pictures of Trump wearing a crown, words speaking out against budget cuts and the numbers â8647,â a message meaning Trump should be removed from office.
Speakers ranging from leaders of local organizations to state Rep. Laurie Osher, D-Orono, took the stage just after noon at the Bangor Waterfront Park to kick off the event.
Adam Toothaker, president of Veterans for Peace Maine, spoke out against Saturdayâs military parade and the deployment of Marines to Los Angeles following immigration protests. Toothaker also compared recent missile strikes on Iran to actions leading up to the Iraq Invasion, which took place in 2003 to remove weapons of mass destruction from Iraq despite no such weapons being found.
Toothaker went on to say the power Trump has was built up through past administrations and will continue to build if citizens donât take a stand.
â[Politicians] just keep building and building and pulling that power closer and closer until we will end up eventually with a king if we do not stop it,â Toothaker said.
Multiple speakers after Toothaker said they wanted funding cuts to stop and for America to stop supporting Israel in the Israel-Hamas war.
Multiple demonstrators on Saturday in Bangor had signs depicting President Donald Trump as a king. Credit: Kasey Turman / BDN Credit: Kasey Turman / BDN
Demonstrators said they came to the protest because of how Trump has âdismantledâ Americaâs democracy and shown âindecency and a lack of compassionâ for many Americans.
Fewer than five counter protestors stood behind the stage while the event went on.
While some protestors carried signs against Trump or other politicians, Peter Sachs, a 24-year-old Bangor resident, simply carried an American flag. He brought the flag to show that America can still be what it once was as long as people promote rights and freedom for everyone, he said.
âValues of freedom, not what the Republicans peddle, but true freedom is an American value associated with the flag, associated with my country,â Sachs said. âItâs patriotism that brings me out here to make a better country for myself and for those who come after me.â
Sachs said he hopes the event is the start of a change in the country.
Bunny Falkie and Bethany Kuczmarski, both Bangor residents in their 20s, said they came to the protest to show support for the âinjusticesâ going on across the country. The end goal of the event should be to elect more representative politicians in the future who listen to the people, both Falkie and Kuczmarski said.
Kuczmarski said it was âunfortunateâ that the event had to happen, but is âcautiously optimisticâ for a future where events like this donât have to be held.
âI would like to have faith in the American people for picking the right person to go into office next,â Kuczmarski said. âI think we really failed this last election, but thereâs potential.â
Protesters marched downtown following the speeches.
Update: This story has been updated with a different crowd estimation provided by organizers.
Organizers in dozens of Maine communities held ‘No Kings’ protests Saturday. The rallies were planned to coincide with Saturday’s military parade in Washington, D.C. in honor of the Army’s 250th birthday, which was also Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.
The protests also come on the heels of the Trump administration deploying the National Guard and Marines to quell protests of ICE deportations in Los Angeles.
Jerry Campbell and his sister Leah Campbell said they came out to the Portland protest to show solidarity with immigrants. Their parents emigrated to the U.S. from Canada and were green card holders. Leah Campbell served in the Peace Corps, and Jerry Campbell served in the Navy. He said as a veteran, heâs disturbed to see the military deployed this way.
âThe way they’re using the military now as a Gestapo state â it shouldn’t be that way. We have plenty of police for policing,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree speaks to a crowd of ‘No Kings’ protestors at a rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maineâs 1st District spoke at the Portland protest, after stopping at several protests throughout southern Maine that morning. In her remarks, Pingree called President Trump a “lawless man” and the thousands of assembled protesters a “crowd of patriots.”
âIn 1776, we had a Declaration of Independence,â she said. âAnd some of the reasons we did that is because King George, the king and dictator, was cutting off trade with all parts of the world, was taxing us without consent, was depriving people of a jury trial and transplanting people beyond the seas to be tried for pretend offenses. Does that sound like El Salvador? Guantanamo?â
Pingree implored the crowd to make their voices heard by voting in the midterm elections next year.
‘No Kings’ protestors rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
The Portland protest, which drew thousands, was peaceful, even celebratory at times. Thousands of people flooded the streets around Lincoln Park in downtown Portland, causing police to briefly close off portions of Congress, Pearl, and Federal streets. Attendees chanted, waved signs and sang songs, including âAmerica the Beautiful.â
But two Portland protesters were arrested after a scuffle between a small group of protesters and police on the corner of Congress Street and Franklin Avenue.
“All were encouraged to leave the area or they would be arrested for obstructing a public way,” Portland police said in a statement, adding that one woman was arrested for throwing a water bottle at officers and a man was arrested for blowing his airhorn in an officerâs ear.
Portland police pushed back protesters after crowds began to disperse from Lincoln Park in Portland. A Press Herald photographer who was taking photos in the street was shoved by an officer.
Protests elsewhere in the state appeared to be peaceful. In Augusta, about 3,000 people gathered at the State House and later marched across the Memorial Bridge.
Molly White, an organizer with Maine Resist, said many were drawn to the protest after seeing the Trump administration’s actions hit close to home.
âI think people think that in Maine it’s not going to happen to their neighbors, and now they’re seeing it happen to their neighbors,â said White, âand it’s disappointing that it takes a teenager getting taken out of school or a father of you know, a pregnant woman who has no other means to support herself ⌠it’s sad that it took that, but I think people are finally waking up that these are our community members.”
Rallygoers outside the State House in Augusta on Saturday, June 14, 2025.
Jen Wolfe, a combat veteran, said that protesting is her way of continuing to fight for her country. She said those who serve should be fighting against the administration as well.
âIf you are a veteran, you took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, period, end of subject, and that oath never dies,â Wolfe said.
A small group of counterprotesters peacefully demonstrated, with someheckling the crowd. Protest peacekeepers and Augusta police monitored the interactions, and no violence broke out.
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‘No Kings’ protestors walk to a rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
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‘No Kings’ protestors rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
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‘No Kings’ protestors rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
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‘No Kings’ protestors rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
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‘No Kings’ protestors rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
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‘No Kings’ protestors rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
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‘No Kings’ protestors rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
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‘No Kings’ protestors rally in Lincoln Park in Portland on June 14, 2025.
Esta Pratt-Kielley / Maine Public
Protests also took place across the state, from Presque Isle to York. Turnout ranged from a few dozen to hundreds.
And in Freeport and Bangor, the Maine Republican Party held two events in support of the presidentâs birthday, the military anniversary, and Flag Day. Former Republican Gov. Paul LePage was slated to speak at the Bangor event in the evening.
In Portland, Megan Donahue walked through the crowd wearing an eight foot inflatable unicorn costume. With her was friend Lib Jameson, dressed as the unicornâs security guard. The pair said they wanted to inject some fun and light into a time when many are feeling despair.
Megan Donahue wears an eight foot inflatable unicorn costume in Portland on Saturday, June 14, 2025. With her was friend Lib Jameson, dressed as the unicornâs security guard. The pair said they wanted to inject some fun and light into a time when many are feeling despair.
ââNo Kingsâ means that we need to be treated fairly honestly, openly and without prejudice. For all people,â said Jameson.
âWe have to uphold democracy,â Donahue added.
Donahue said it was only her second protest â she can get uneasy in crowds. But, she said, wearing the costume helps her turn up for her community.
âI am really scared about what’s happening in our government. I also believe that kids should have a reason to smile, and people have been smiling, so I appreciate that people have been laughing and smiling [at the costume]. For me, the unicorn is a symbol of happiness. It brightens any dark day,â she said.
LD 1666 will expand Ranked Choice Voting to state legislative and gubernatorial general elections before the November 2026 election. It has been reported out of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee and next heads to the chamber floors. Urge all Maine legislators to support LD 1666, including the Republicans (especially the reprehensible obstructionists!). Hancock Co. doesnât have any Reps on the VLA committee, but now that itâs before the whole legislature, itâs time to weigh in! See the table on the next page. Remember, even if they donât represent you right now, many of them have ambitions for higher office. Also, how they vote affects you! So they should listen to you!
The First Amendment protects your right to assemble and express your views through protest. However, police and other government officials are allowed to place certain narrow restrictions on the exercise of speech rights. Make sure youâre prepared by brushing up on your rights before heading out into the streets.
Everyone has basic rights under the U.S. Constitution and civil rights laws. Learn more here about what your rights are, how to exercise them, and what to do when your rights are violated.
In America, we donât put up with would-be kings. NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies. Weâve watched as theyâve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political views, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts. Theyâve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies.
đ¨On Saturday, June 14, weâre taking to the streets nationwide. Weâre not gathering to feed his ego. Weâre building a movement that leaves him behind.đ¨
The flag doesnât belong to Donald Trump. It belongs to us. Weâre not watching history happen. Weâre making it.
On June 14th, weâre showing up everywhere he isnâtâto say no thrones, no crowns, no kings. Check out nokings.org for more information.
A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.
Nearly 400 people gathered at the Bangor Public Library for an âempty chairâ town hall organized by Indivisible: Bangor and partner groups, calling attention to Rep. Jared Goldenâs absence and urging him to oppose the Trump administration’s policies. Speakers, including State Rep. Sean Faircloth and organizer Megan Smith, criticized tax breaks for billionaires and advocated for more progressive tax legislation in Maine, such as surcharges on millionaires and luxury home sales. The event reflected growing grassroots momentum, with chants of âtax the richâ and calls for political accountability, symbolizing a resurgence of civic engagement in response to a challenging political climate.
On a rainy Saturday, Indivisible Bangor organized a peaceful protest outside the Bangor Federal Building, urging Maineâs Congressional delegation to take stronger action against the Trump Administration. Community leadersâincluding Bangor City Council Chair Cara Pelletier, State Rep. Sean Faircloth, and Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance Secretary Adrian Sockalexisâspoke on issues such as protecting constitutional rights, opposing intimidation, and promoting due process. Reverend Dr. Malcolm Himschoot emphasized the connection between faith and social justice, advocating for diversity, equity, and human rights. After the speeches, protesters marched through the area and reconvened at the federal building to continue their demonstration.
