By Matthew Hersh
Gov. Mikie Sherrill joined lawmakers, advocates, and demonstrators on Saturday morning in Monument Park to take part in a national No Kings day of protest against what organizers and rallyers describe as an affront on core democratic values.
“I have pledged to fight for the people of New Jersey, and I know that’s why you’re all here. We’re going to fight tooth and nail against the president of the United States for working people across the country,” Sherrill said under cold, clear blue skies in front of a raucous crowd at the event organized by Indivisible Princeton and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ).
The rally was part of a national day of action that saw an estimated 8 million participants nationwide. Princeton Police placed crowd estimates at 2,500 on Saturday, as attendees gathered around the Princeton Battle Monument and lined Stockton Street with signs signaling opposition to the Trump administration.
“When he comes and tries to take jobs away and end the Gateway Tunnel project, put people’s healthcare and paychecks at risk, we took him to court, and we won; not once, not twice, but three times and counting,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill also vowed to continue blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to disclose private voter data, including birthdays, addresses, and driver’s license information. The Trump administration first requested, and was denied, voter data last July.
“I said no way, so he took me to court and we’re going to win again,” said Sherrill. “This is ridiculous and what happens when you put someone in charge who is more interested in making a billion dollars for himself and his family than running the United States of America. But here in New Jersey, we have pledged to fight.”
Sherrill pointed to recent policy changes intended to push back on federal government actions, including a ban on masks worn by ICE agents and preventing staging or conducting immigration enforcement action on state property. Several local jurisdictions and counties around the state have followed suit.
In addition to lawsuits challenging the legality of executive orders on
immigration, Sherrill noted successful attempts to greenlight funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project, and environmental policy changes.
State Sen. Andrew Zwicker, whose district includes Princeton, motioned toward the Battle Monument, and the area’s history intrinsically tied to the American Revolution. “This is an idea born not far from where we are standing, where farmers and blacksmiths and shopkeepers decided they were not subjects. They were citizens. And no king, no matter how powerful, no matter how certain of his own greatness. would ever tell them otherwise,” he said.
“Two hundred and fifty years later. I would like to think the founders would be proud. I would also like to think they would be absolutely baffled that we still have to do this,” Zwicker added, as loud cheers rose from the crowd.
“You came here today carrying the weight of everything wrong right now. War. Families ripped apart. A Congress that has gone silent while the Constitution gets shredded. ICE agents breaking the very laws they claim to enforce. And a relentlessness to it — every morning something new, something worse, something that would have been unthinkable two years ago. But the signs you are carrying — you are not carrying them alone,” said Zwicker, adding that “these are not partisan values, these are Jersey values, and as long as we keep showing up they won’t go anywhere because when we fight, we win.”
Another featured speaker, Damon King, an attorney at New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, talked about the importance of building diverse coalitions, despite varying policy goals.
“We have immigrant communities all over this state and country living in fear; the diversity that is our lifeblood in this state is under attack, and even our right to vote is under attack,” said King. “These are challenging times for us for sure, but these times are not new. For generations, people in this country have fought for a more perfect union; a more inclusive, welcoming, more perfect union.”
Other speakers included Jennifer Howard, president of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, and Ezra Rosenberg, ACLU-NJ director of appellate advocacy.