LETTER: No Kings – Why you should participate
March 23, 2026To the Community:
Waterbury’s No Kings Sign Rally is this Saturday, March 28, from 10 to 11 a.m. on the corner of Main Street and Stowe Street. Everyone is invited to participate!
If you are interested in continuing your morning rally, park at Brookside Primary School so that you can join the car convoy (including members from the Stowe, Camel’s Hump and Mad River rallies) to Montpelier for the larger rally at noon.
Sign up at NoKings.org or just join us on Saturday.
There will be a training at Crossett Brook Middle School on Know Your Rights and De-escalation with the ACLU of Vermont on Tuesday, March 24, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Register online here.
Please remember that these rallies are intended to be opportunities to exercise your freedom of speech in a non-violent, community-based forum. Bring your signs, your whistles and your costumes. There are many reasons you may choose to participate. Here are a few examples:
Has the increase in the cost of gas, diesel and heating oil made you reconsider the cost of a new war in the Middle East and the rapid increase in our national debt?
What type of democracy would you like to live in? A democracy that values the freedom of speech, media and religion? A democracy that believes in our Constitution and three equal branches of government? A democracy that is for the people, by the people? Or a democracy like that found in Russia, Hungary, Turkey, Argentina, etc., where all decisions are made by a single strong man, where dissent is punishable by imprisonment or death, and where the only media is state media? Or, possibly a government like in Iran and Afghanistan where state religion supersedes all policy?
Do you wonder why the administration seems to be covering up for the powerful men and women implicated in the Epstein files? Isn’t it time to stop having a two-tier system of justice as President Trump campaigned on?
Do you value the importance of free and fair elections? And, why are they only fair and free if Republicans win?
Should women maintain their right to vote? To go to college? Have a career? Own property? Have their own credit card and bank accounts? The right to divorce, especially in an abusive relationship? The right to bodily autonomy? These are all under attack in Project 2025. What type of future do you want for your daughters?
Some will say that participation in No Kings rallies will not make a difference. Each individual rally may not make a difference, but through sustained and combined effort, rallies signal to lawmakers that public opinion is shifting and that if they want to continue to represent their constituents, they will need to listen to them.
Even if you support mass deportation of immigrants, are you comfortable with warehousing immigrants and their children here in the U.S., similar to CECOT prison in El Salvador, while awaiting deportation orders? I totally agree that our immigration system is broken. Is this the best way to fix a broken system?
Participation helps you feel connected to your community and neighbors. You are not alone! Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.
As always, your neighbor and friend,
Carol Baitz
Waterbury