{"id":7394,"date":"2025-10-18T20:26:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T20:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/7394\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T20:26:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T20:26:14","slug":"local-event-part-of-national-movement-scranton-times-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/7394\/","title":{"rendered":"local event part of national movement \u2013 Scranton Times-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scranton\u2019s Courthouse Square was filled with protesters Saturday afternoon participating in the city\u2019s second \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally, as part of a national movement of protest against the expansion of Trump\u2019s executive powers and erosion of democratic principles.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Protestors<\/p>\n

Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Protestors<\/p>\n

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).\n<\/p>\n

\"Protestors<\/p>\n

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).\n<\/p>\n

\"Protestors<\/p>\n

Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Protestors<\/p>\n

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).\n<\/p>\n

\"Protestors<\/p>\n

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).\n<\/p>\n

\"Protestors<\/p>\n

Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Protestors<\/p>\n

Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 9<\/p>\n

Protestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Debbie Skripkunis, of Exeter, traveled from Luzerne County for the rally because of concern about how the current administration is negatively affecting her family.<\/p>\n

Skripkunis said her husband, now retired, has heart problems, and her daughter has severe autism.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid they\u2019ll take our health care away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"ProtestorsProtestors gather along North Washington Avenue in Scranton for a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Skripkunis also has two transgender sons, and she worries about them and whether the government will interfere with their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to let the LGBTQ+ community live their lives,\u201d she said, \u201cnot criminalize that community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Skripkunis said she never really pictured herself as a protestor before the current administration came to power.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t let this happen,\u201d she said. \u201cI can\u2019t be silent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Justice system evaporating\u2019<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Gary Grube, attending the event with Evans, is concerned with issues such as due process and civil rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe justice system is evaporating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Evans and Grube, who missed the first \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally held in June, were happy to be out among like-minded people.<\/p>\n

The men wore yellow, along with many others, at the rally.<\/p>\n

\"ProtestorsProtestors 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).<\/p>\n

Organizers asked protestors to wear yellow as an \u201cunmistakable reminder that millions of us stand together in the belief that America belongs to its people, not to kings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only was Mary Stuthmann wearing yellow, but she was also wearing paperclips in her ears.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorwegians wore paperclips as a symbol of unity and resistance against Nazi occupation during World War II,\u201d she said. \u201cThe paperclip represented a subtle show of non-violent unity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Demanding accountability<\/p>\n

Dana Sheritan and Marissa Fallon, \u201cbesties\u201d from Scranton, are thirty-somethings with a variety of concerns about the administration and its policies.<\/p>\n

Sheritan, who has three children with autism, said she\u2019s afraid they\u2019ll lose access to education and resources.<\/p>\n

\"ProtestorsProtestors 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).<\/p>\n

She was especially frustrated by Robert F. Kennedy\u2019s assertion that a pregnant mother taking Tylenol causes autism.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Fallon said she was protesting against corruption and the Department of Justice\u2019s failure to release the files.<\/p>\n

If President Donald Trump is in the files, it\u2019s his duty to be accountable for his actions, she said.<\/p>\n

Counter protestors on scene<\/p>\n

A much smaller contingent of counter-protestors attended the rally, many whom engaged in verbal arguments with passersby.<\/p>\n

Bob Bolus parked his pro-Trump tractor-trailer on Courthouse Square, quick to share his opinion with those passing by.<\/p>\n

Bolus, well known as an outspoken conservative, also brought the vehicle to the city\u2019s first \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally.<\/p>\n

Bolus took issue with calling Trump a king, saying he was simply a strong president.<\/p>\n

Those who didn\u2019t support him and the country should move to another country, he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scranton\u2019s Courthouse Square was filled with protesters Saturday afternoon participating in the city\u2019s second \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally, as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,139,28,178,180,179],"class_list":{"0":"post-7394","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scranton","8":"tag-lackawanna-county","9":"tag-local-news","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-scranton","13":"tag-scranton-headlines","14":"tag-scranton-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}