In Quakertown, the No Kings 3 rally is personal.
From north to south and coast to coast, American citizens will gather on Saturday to rally support for No Kings 3, a nationwide call to action to protest Trump Administration authoritarian policies.
The Upper Bucks United Indivisible protest planned for the heart of downtown Quakertown will showcase support for the Quakertown 5, a group of Quakertown Community High School students whose protest walk-out against ICE tactics and practices on February 20 turned violent when Police Chief Scott McElree, wearing plain clothes at the time, grabbed a teenage girl, tackled her to the ground, and put her in a chokehold.
The young girl who was assaulted and four of her classmates were then arrested in the melee. The protest’s violent ending and arrests shook the community to its core.
“It’s really the community and showing the kids we are still fighting for them, to honor them, and we’re not going to stop,” said Jeffrey Bernstein, an Upper Bucks United volunteer and organizer.
According to a press release from Upper Bucks United, a grassroots advocacy group serving Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown school district communities, rally organizers support these key demands:
· Firing Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree, who is also the long-time borough manager.
· Calls to drop charges brought by Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan against all the Quakertown students accused with assaulting McElree during the protest escalation.
· An investigation and potential charges against McElree related to the alleged assault of a minor, during a time when “policing the police” is increasingly more difficult.
· A rejection of Trump Administration authoritarian practices in alignment with “No Kings” a country-wide non-violent protest organization.
McElree was not in uniform when he intervened in the protest and did not announce his position before joining the fray, witnesses told multiple news outlets.
According to 6ABC Action News, all five students appeared in court on March 20. Two felony charges were dropped and students were released from house arrest. Four of the teens will head back to court as their cases are continued, the Action News report said.
“This is self defense, because unidentified individuals without markings, without badges, without reflective vests … it’s difficult for anyone to know who that was,” Tim Pendergast, an attorney representing one of the Quakertown students told Action News.
“I feel these children are being persecuted. They’re being taught ‘keep your mouth shut, you don’t have a right to speak,’” said Ed Angelo, another attorney for one of the students.
McElree remains on paid leave while the district attorney’s office conducts an independent investigation into the events and McElree’s role in them.
Don Souders, an attorney for one of the students, said a meeting between McElree and the students called a “restorative justice process” was in the planning stages.
Those speaking at Saturday’s rally are expected to address issues including police accountability, protestor rights and larger concerns impacting communities – from immigrant populations to student activists and their ability to protest and safely voice their concerns in public.
No Kings 3 rally organizers aim to tie local events in Quakertown to the broader “national conversations about democracy, justice and human rights,” according to Upper Bucks United.
“This is the largest event, nation-wide, and we’re seeing the movement grow bigger, and bigger and bigger. There are more people who rebuke what is going on right now than those who agree. The more we can be part of a community to lean into, and show up, the more we can change policy. We hope this inspires people to get active in their community’s politics, and do their civic duty. If you don’t like what is going on – show up,” Bernstein said.
No Kings events will be held across the country on Saturday. For a rally near you visit here.
If you go:
What: No Kings 3 (NK3) to support the Quakertown 5
When: Saturday, March 28 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Triangle Park, W. Broad Street in Quakertown.
