Scranton’s courthouse square was filled with protesters Saturday afternoon participating in the city’s second “No Kings” rally, as part of a national movement of protest against the expansion of Trump’s executive powers and erosion of democratic principles.
The protestors, some dressed in colorful costumes and most carrying signs, expressed concerns over a variety of issues, including reduction in health care, overzealous immigration enforcement, the deployment of federal troops in some cities, and reduction in services for those with disabilities.
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Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather at Courthouse Square in Scranton on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. Hundreds rallied in front the the courthouse to protest Trump administration policies. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO).
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Protestors gather at Courthouse Square in Scranton on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. Hundreds rallied in front the the courthouse to protest Trump administration policies. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO).
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Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather at Courthouse Square in Scranton on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. Hundreds rallied in front the the courthouse to protest Trump administration policies. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO).
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Protestors gather at Courthouse Square in Scranton on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. Hundreds rallied in front the the courthouse to protest Trump administration policies. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO).
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Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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A Trump supporter walks along North Washington Avenue carrying an American flag as protestors gathered in front of the courthouse for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Debbie Skripkunis, of Exeter, traveled from Luzerne County for the rally because of concern about how the current administration is negatively affecting her family.
Skripkunis said her husband has heart problems, and her daughter has severe autism.
“I’m afraid they’ll take our health care away,” she said.
Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Skripkunis also has two transgender sons, and she worries about them and whether the government will interfere with their lives.
“We need to let the LGBTQ+ community live their lives,” she said, “not criminalize that community.”
Skripkunis said she never really pictured herself as a protestor before the current administration came to power.
“I can’t let this happen,” she said. “I can’t be silent.”
‘Justice system evaporating’
Howard Evans, director of Serving Seniors Inc. and president of Scranton Federation of Teacher Retirees, is concerned about how Trump administration policies will affect issues such as Medicare, nursing home assistance, and other services.
Gary Grube, attending the event with Evans, is concerned with issues such as due process and civil rights.
“The justice system is evaporating,” he said.
Evans and Grube, who missed the first “No Kings” rally held in June, were happy to be out among like-minded people.
The men wore yellow, along with many others, at the rally.
Protestors gather at Courthouse Square in Scranton on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. Hundreds rallied in front the the courthouse to protest Trump administration policies. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO).
Organizers asked protestors to wear yellow as an “unmistakable reminder that millions of us stand together in the belief that America belongs to its people, not to kings.”
Not only was Mary Stuthmann wearing yellow, but she was also wearing paperclips in her ears.
“Norwegians wore paperclips as a symbol of unity and resistance against Nazi occupation during World War II,” she said. “The paperclip represented a subtle show of non-violent unity.”
Demanding accountability
Dana Sheritan and Marissa Fallon, “besties” from Scranton, are thirty-somethings with a variety of concerns about the administration and its policies.
Sheritan, who has three children with autism, said she’s afraid they’ll lose access to education and resources.
Protestors gather at Courthouse Square in Scranton on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. Hundreds rallied in front the the courthouse to protest Trump administration policies. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO).
She was especially frustrated by Robert F. Kennedy’s assertion that a pregnant mother taking Tylenol causes autism.
She believes that Kennedy, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, puts out inaccurate information, detrimental to those who need assistance the most.
Fallon said she was protesting against corruption and the Department of Justice’s failure to release the Epstein files.
If President Donald Trump is in the files, it’s his duty to be accountable for his actions, she said.
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Protestors gather in front of Lackawanna County Courthouse for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather in front of Lackawanna County Courthouse for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather in front of Lackawanna County Courthouse for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather in front of Lackawanna County Courthouse for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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State Rep. Kyle Donahue, State Rep. D-113, Scranton, addresses protestors at a No Kings rally in front of the Lackawanna County Courthouse on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan addresses protestors at a No Kings rally in front of the Lackawanna County Courthouse in Scranton on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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A dog wears a “Sit, Stay, Resist” jacket at a No Kings rally in front of Lackawanna County Courthouse on Saturday, Oct. 18 in downtown Scranton. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather in front of the Lackawanna County Courthouse on Saturday, Oct.,18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather in front of the Lackawanna County Courthouse on Saturday, Oct.,18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather in front of the Lackawanna County Courthouse on Saturday, Oct.,18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather in front of the Lackawanna County Courthouse on Saturday, Oct.,18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather in front of the Lackawanna County Courthouse on Saturday, Oct.,18, 2025, for a No Kings rally. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Protestors gather in front of Lackawanna County Courthouse for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Counter protestors on scene
A much smaller contingent of counter-protestors attended the rally, many whom engaged in verbal arguments with passersby.
Bob Bolus parked his pro-Trump tractor-trailer on Courthouse Square, quick to share his opinion with those passing by.
Bolus, well known as an outspoken conservative, also brought the vehicle to the city’s first “No Kings” rally.
Bolus took issue with calling Trump a king, saying he was simply a strong president.
Those who didn’t support him and the country should move to another country, he said.
Saturday’s protest was part of a large number of No Kings protests help around the country from major metropolitan cities to small towns.