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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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Multiple Departments Respond to Lanesborough Structure Fire

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Multiple fire departments responded to a structure fire off Narragansett Avenue on Wednesday afternoon. 

The Fire Department received a call from the owner of 6 Bangor St. reporting a smoke and flames at around 1:44 p.m.

Firefighters arriving on scene reported heavy smoke emanating from the the 1940s single-family ranch home in the thickly settle neighborhood.

The blaze was brought under control in less than an hour and there were no civilian or firefighter injuries. 

"The homeowner was outside doing some work, evidently, opened the door when she came back in the house, and there were flames and smoke, so she backed out and called us, and that's all we know right now," Deputy Fire Chief Glen Storie said around 2:35 p.m. 

The fire was out at that time, and first responders observed "quite a bit of damage" to the home. The cause is still under investigation. 

Lanesborough, Cheshire, and Pittsfield departments responded to the scene, and Hancock covered the station during the call. 

"The first crew in knocked the fire right down with the first engine," Storie said. 

Smoke could be seen coming from the back of the home. Part of Narragansett Avenue and Bangor Avenue were blocked off while firefighters battled the blaze. 

 

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