Monticello “No Kings” Rally Aims to Channel Economic Frustration Into Unity

The third No Kings rally planned in Sullivan County this weekend aims to channel frustration over rising costs into a broader call for community unity.

“We want to show the people in our community that there is a resistance to what’s going on in our country right now and that we believe in a different kind of country,” said Anne Hart of We Are One Sullivan, an organizer of the event.

Hart pointed to mounting expenses for gas, electricity and food as key concerns driving the gathering, particularly in a rural county where residents rely on cars to get to work.

“Everything is more expensive,” Hart said. “How can people go to work in a rural community like this when it’s going to take a tank of gas practically to get from one side to the other?”

She said national developments, including global conflict affecting fuel prices, are being felt locally “in pretty much every aspect” of daily life.

While the event is part of a broader “No Kings” movement held in communities across the country, Hart said the focus in Sullivan County is local — and intentionally less partisan.

“This is really about our communities, our friends, our family,” she said. “It’s about how we can all live together.”

Organizers say they are seeing signs of that message resonating. Weekly demonstrations outside the Sullivan County Courthouse in Monticello have drawn mostly positive reactions from passing drivers, Hart said.

A coalition of local groups — including the NAACP Chapter 2187B, the SALT Committee for Equity and Justice, and the Catskills Pride and Trans Support Initiative — is backing the event.

“These are all groups who care about everybody in our community,” Hart said. “This is really about all of us.”

Though the rally comes during an election year, Hart said it is not a campaign event. Elected officials have been invited to attend but will not be allowed to campaign.

“It’s not a political campaign event,” she said. “We want them to see what we’re about.”

Instead, organizers say the goal is to amplify community concerns and encourage broader civic participation.

“It’s not supposed to cost money to participate in government,” Hart said.

At its core, she said, the event reflects a simple idea.

“America is a country where people take care of each other,” Hart said. “That should be our goal.”

Image: A protester marches during the No Kings rally in Monticello on June 14, 2025 (Manor Ink)