BOSTON, Mass. — The No Kings movement skipped the giant Boston Common rally this time and spread out across city neighborhoods on Saturday, as Massachusetts opened its early voting period.
Instead of one crowd, organizers staged dozens of smaller community gatherings meant to steer people toward the polls. The lineup featured organized walks and carpools to polling sites, voter registration tables, sessions on voter rights, sticker-making and art for kids, block parties and protest concerts.
In Allston-Brighton, Boston Indivisible held a morning visibility event from 10 a.m. to noon. Mass 50501 set up an exhibit it called The Authoritarian House of Horrors near the visitor center on Boston Common, and True North Action Alliance Boston ran an afternoon soapbox event at Marlborough and Berkeley streets in the Back Bay. Those three groups make up the volunteer-run No Kings Boston Coalition.
The leader of Mass 50501 pointed to the March rally on the Common, which organizers estimated drew about 180,000 people, and said this round was about voting close to home, with residents encouraged to bring relatives and friends along. Organizers said each event offered a way to sign up for efforts to boost turnout and protect the vote.
The Boston events were part of hundreds held nationwide Saturday. Organizers described them as nonpartisan, though the network grew out of nearly two years of marches by people opposed to President Donald Trump. The general election is Nov. 3. The national group says its events are nonviolent, asks participants to calm any confrontations with people who disagree, and tells them not to bring weapons.
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