Tuerk, Allentown\u2019s first Hispanic mayor, said he plans to attend a No Kings protest on Cedar Crest Boulevard before heading to the Rose Garden.<\/p>\n
Ginny Sciorra, an ILVB organizer, said Tuerk\u2019s bilingual ability was a factor in inviting him. \u201cHe speaks Spanish, which, given the ICE circumstances, is great because he can address Spanish-speaking people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In a phone interview Thursday, Tuerk said his participation is both personal and political. His family is Cuban-American, with relatives who left the island after Fidel Castro\u2019s rise to power. He said the current political climate in the United States echoes the history he grew up hearing about.<\/p>\n
Tuerk said he intends to deliver a message of inclusion rather than partisan advocacy. \u201cThe idea that we shouldn\u2019t have kings is not a Democrat idea,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is an American idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that he hopes to speak directly to Latino voters \u2014 including those who supported President Donald Trump in 2024 \u2014 and make clear they are welcome in the coalition pushing back against what he called a drift toward autocracy.<\/p>\n
Sciorra said the shift away from a march format came down to money. After the No Kings II event in October drew a crowd large enough to flow into the street, she said, Bethlehem police required barricades and additional officers along the march route. Sciorra estimated the cost at roughly $10,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just didn\u2019t have that money,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sciorra said the cost wasn\u2019t the only problem. The street closures removed what she described as the point of a march in the first place: visibility to passing traffic.<\/p>\n
Once streets were closed, passing drivers could no longer see the demonstration. \u201cPart of the purpose of a march is that more people are aware \u2014 people driving by and honking,\u201d she said. \u201cAll that was gone once they closed the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Organizers say the festival format is intended to draw a broader crowd than a march would. Protesters will gather on the sidewalks surrounding the Rose Garden, facing three heavily traveled arteries: Union Boulevard, Broad Street and 8th Avenue, which feeds off Route 378.<\/p>\n
Brooke McDermott, ILVB\u2019s lead organizer, said the location was chosen specifically because it puts demonstrators in front of high volumes of passing traffic \u2014 recreating the energy of a march without the street-closure costs.<\/p>\n
Inside the park, live music \u2014 what McDermott described as concert-quality sound \u2014 will be performed by Bill Medei, the Gospel Choir of the Lehigh Valley and Poor Man\u2019s Gambit. McDermott said every musical act will incorporate call-and-response or chanting elements so the crowd inside the park and protesters on the sidewalks stay connected.<\/p>\n
Poetry slams will take place at the bandshell, colonial reenactors will mingle with attendees throughout the grounds, and an activity area supervised by elementary school teachers will be available for children.<\/p>\n
Organizers are also selling T-shirts and red caps to help fund the group.<\/p>\n
ILVB is an all-volunteer organization that runs on donations. McDermott said the city has been supportive of past events, waiving costs associated with use of the Rose Garden and its bandshell.<\/p>\n
For Saturday\u2019s event, organizers are paying for four police officers to be stationed at the park\u2019s high-traffic corners to manage vehicle flow and keep attendees safe.<\/p>\n
McDermott and Sciorra both credited Police Chief Michelle Kott with building a department focused on community engagement. Sciorra said organizers were told the department operates under a community-based certification program adopted by only a handful of departments in the country.<\/p>\n
No Kings Palooza is co-sponsored by the Lehigh County, Northampton County and Bethlehem City Democratic Committees, For Our Future PA and the Lehigh Valley Young Democrats.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, the Northampton County Democratic Committee will host a separate No Kings III protest from 10 to 11 a.m. along the sidewalk where Emrick Boulevard connects with William Penn Highway in Bethlehem Township.<\/p>\n
Parking is available at the William Penn Highway Park and Ride. Organizers note there is no protest at Emrick Boulevard and Freemansburg Avenue on that day.<\/p>\n
Indivisible, the national organization coordinating the day of action, expects 9 million people to participate in No Kings III events nationwide, according to the ILVB press release.<\/p>\n
Those unable to attend in person can watch the Rose Garden event live on ILVB\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>. Registration and more information are available on the No Kings Palooza event page<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n This is the part where we ask.\n <\/p>\n \n No billionaire owner. No paywall. Just you keeping local news free.\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n $5 keeps us going \n 100% funds local journalism.\n <\/p>\n
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