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Organizers of the No Kings rally held last October. The grassroots groups are preparing for their third No Kings rallies on Saturday.

Berkshires Gear Up for No Kings 3

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Thousands of Berkshire County residents are expected to join millions of other Americans on Saturday in the third "No Kings" day of protest. 

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be standouts, speakers, music, and more in eight Berkshire communities and in nearby Bennington, Vt. The nonviolent No Kings movement mobilized last year in opposition to the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration, with more than 7 million people participating throughout thousands of No Kings events on Oct. 18, 2025. 

Activists say the mass mobilization is a key to blocking authoritarianism and upholding the U.S. Constitution.   

"Many of us fear for our democracy," said Standup Berkshires organizer Robin OHerin. "We are gathering in protest because action is the antidote to fear. In this country we elect presidents, and we do not allow them to crown themselves king."

After the last No Kings Day, the president responded on his Truth Social account with an AI-generated video of him in a crown, spewing diarrhea on protesters from a jet, and the White House's official Twitter (X) account posted AI images of Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in crowns. 

"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 and to act lawfully at these events," the landing page for the No Kings North Adams event reads. 

In North Adams, the event will begin at 12:30 p.m. with guest speakers and music in the City Hall parking lot. Seating and parking are limited, with a few accessible spots at City Hall. The standout portion will begin at 1:15 p.m. on the sidewalk, and those who anticipate needing a seat are encouraged to bring one. 


Speakers will include community entrepreneur and youth advocate Jess Sweeney, Berkshire religious leaders arranged by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts student/poet Matt Lewellyn, singer-songwriter Ciarra Fragale, and Berkshire immigrant justice advocate Fernando León. 

The Songs of Peace & Protest community singing group will also perform. 

Greylock Together will be collecting non-food household and hygiene products for community mutual aid to address systemic inequities. Resistance Frog buttons and earrings will be available for $3 and $5, cash only. 

In October, more than 1,000 people were estimated at the rally at North Adams City Hall, where they held signs along the Hadley Overpass and around the intersection at Main Street. 

The Pittsfield event will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Participants will gather across from the Common, march to North Street, and return to the Common to rally and enjoy the Becket/Washington Rapid Resistance Choir. Participants are encouraged to wear yellow — a global symbol of peaceful resistance. (Berkshire Bateria and the Pittsfield Gospel Choir had to cancel.)

Speakers will Include John Bonifaz, a constitutional attorney and founder and president of national non-profit Free Speech for People; the Rev. Margo Page, president of Berkshire Interfaith Organizing; Rose Fiscella, a history student at MCLA and the leader of the grassroots group Frogs for Freedom; and Tara Jacobs, the Governor's Councilor for District 8. 


As part of a weeklong recognition of Trans Day of Visibility, Wander will host a combined crafting and karaoke night and No Kings sign-making workshop in partnership with Berkshire Sanity Posse on Thursday, March 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. 

The No Kings Boston rally at the Boston Common is set for 1 to 4 p.m., and is organized by a coalition of Indivisible Mass Coalition, ACLU of Massachusetts, and Mass 50501.

Indivisible MA noted that "Dozens of other local Indivisible groups and allies — from Pittsfield, Northampton, Lancaster, and Worcester to Framingham, Methuen, Lexington, and towns in southeastern Mass and the Cape" have also scheduled No Kings events. 

Other events: 

  • Adams Town Common, 11 to 12:30 
  • Dalton CRA sidewalk, 12:30 to 1:30
  • Great Barrington Town Hall, noon to 1:30 p.m.
  • Stockbridge Town Offices, 11 to 12:30 
  • West Stockbridge Congregational Church, noon to 1:30
  • Bennington, Vt., Skate Park, noon to 3:30.

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Lanesborough Planners Bring STR, ADU, Signage Bylaws for Town Vote

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Planning Board held a public hearing on the much anticipated bylaws for short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units, and signage to be presented at the annual town meeting.

For the past few months, planners have diligently been working on wordage of the new bylaws after Second Drop Farm's short-term rental was given a cease and desist because the building inspector said town bylaws don't support them.

The draft bylaw can be found on the website.

The board voted on each of the four articles and heard public comment before moving to entertain any amendments brought forward.

A lot of discussion in the STR section was around parking. Currently the drafted bylaw for parking states short-term rentals require two parking spaces, and with three or more bedrooms, require three spaces but never more than five.

There were questions about the reasons for limiting parking and how they will regulate parking renters choose to park on the lawn or the street. Planners said it is not their call, that is up to the property owner and if it is a public street that would be up to the authorities.

Some attendees called for tighter regulation to make sure neighborhoods are protected from overflow.

Lynn Terry said she lives next to one of the rented houses on Narragansett Avenue and does not feel safe with all of the cars that are parked there. She said there can be up to 10 at a time on the narrow road, and that some people have asked to use her driveway to park. She thinks limiting to five cars based on the house, is very important.

The wordage was amended to say a parking space for each bedroom of the house.

Rich Cohen brought up how his own STR at the Old Stone School helps bring in money and helps to preserve the historic landmark. He told the board he liked what they did and wants to see it pass at town meeting, knowing it might be revised later on.

He said the bylaws now should not be a "one size fits all" but may need to be adjusted to help protect neighborhoods and also preserve places like his.

After asking the audience of fewer than 20 people, the board decided to amend the amount of time an short-term rental can be reserved to 180 days total a year in a residential zone, and 365 days a year in every other zone. This was in the hopes the bylaw will be passed and help to deter companies from buying up properties to run STRs as well as protecting the neighborhood character and stability.

They also capped the stay limit of a guest to 31 days.

Cohen also asked them to add "if applicable" to the Certificate of Inspection rule as the state's rules might change and it can help stop confusion if they have incorrect requirement that the state doesn't need.

The ADU portion did not have much public comment but there were some minor amendments because of notes from KP Law, the town counsel.

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