No Kings Boston
Edward Boches | MA, United States
Photographer: Edward Boches
Exhibit Title: No Kings Boston
Location: MA, United States
Part of a nationwide No Kings protest, the Boston gathering filled the Boston Common—the oldest public park in America—with thousands of people rallying against Donald Trump's attempts to turn America into a dictatorship. Families, students, and older residents mingled in a peaceful, determined crowd under clear autumn skies.
Mayor Michelle Wu and other civic leaders spoke from the bandstand between sets by local musicians. Signs and banners rose above the crowd, their messages echoing across the lawn as police and volunteers kept a steady, calm order. Photographers and reporters crowded the press platform, documenting what felt as much like a civic ritual as a protest.
These photographs trace the full scene—faces, gestures, music, and motion—set against the long tradition of public expression on Boston Common. In this place where Bostonians have gathered for nearly four centuries, No Kings affirmed a simple truth: power in America belongs to the people.
No Kings: Boston Common, October 18, 2025
On Saturday, Boston joined cities across the country in the nationwide No Kings demonstrations—mass gatherings organized to protest the return of Donald Trump to power and to reaffirm democratic principles. Boston Common, the oldest public park in America, served as the city’s focal point. By mid-day, the green had filled with thousands of people: families, students, retirees, and activists standing shoulder to shoulder beneath a bright autumn sky.
The crowd was peaceful, its energy steady and determined. Parents lifted children to see over the signs; older marchers rested on benches between speeches; college students clustered near the bandstand, snapping photos and sharing updates. Multiple bands played throughout the afternoon, their music punctuating speeches from civic leaders, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and representatives from local advocacy groups.
Police lined the perimeter, their presence visible but restrained. Volunteers handed out water, and medics moved easily through the crowd. Reporters and photographers filled the press riser, capturing the scale and character of the day.
The photographs that follow record that full range—the slogans and handmade banners, the faces in the crowd, the music, the city officials, the quiet moments between chants. Set against the long history of Boston Common as a site of protest and assembly, No Kings became one more chapter in the park’s democratic tradition: citizens using public space to say, once again, that power in this country does not belong to kings.
Instagram: @edwardboches
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