With signs in hand and voting on their minds, hundreds of residents gathered across Atlantic and Cape May counties Saturday, Oct. 17, for No Kings protests ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Demonstrations were held in Ocean City, Atlantic City, Galloway and Cape May Court House, as participants expressed concerns about the country’s direction and encouraged their community members to vote early. The rallies were organized by local chapters of Indivisible, a national grassroots movement focused on civic engagement and political advocacy.
Louis Stricoff, co-leader of Indivisible OCNJ, said nearly 300 people lined up along Ocean City’s 9th Street Causeway despite cold, windy weather and lingering drizzle.
The group has organized approximately 10 demonstrations in Ocean City since forming in 2025. Stricoff estimated that about 6,000 people have attended its events collectively.
“The reason why we go out there and do this is so people realize that there are other people like them who are just fed up with the way things are, and they want a change,” he said.
Atlantic City gathering brings organizations together
In Atlantic City, demonstrators marched along the Boardwalk from Missouri Avenue to Albany Avenue before gathering at O’Donnell Park for five speakers and information tables hosted by local organizations.
Alice Carcilli, a group leader with Empathy United, the Atlantic City chapter of Indivisible, estimated that 150 people attended. Although previous demonstrations drew between 500 and 1,000 people, Saturday’s event attracted new participants, including younger attendees.
The gathering brought together organizations addressing issues including opioid settlement funding, immigration detention, education, students’ rights and local government accountability.
Carcilli said the event provided opportunities for people to find organizations and become more involved in their communities.
“We generally try to coalition build, but we did have more representation from different groups with different concerns and issues,” she said.
The speakers included Tina Dare, secretary-treasurer of the New Jersey Education Association, and Cape May Mayor Zach Mullock, a congressional candidate.
Carcilli said the event’s voting message extended beyond Election Day, giving people time to help friends and neighbors make voting plans and arrange rides to the polls.
“When this election is over, even if it turns out the way you might want it to, it’s important to keep showing up and staying engaged,” she said.
Attendees cite concerns about administration
Nicole Bucci attended the Ocean City protest with her daughter. Having participated in the previous two No Kings demonstrations, Bucci said she was motivated by concerns about presidential power and accountability.
“I feel like we were encouraging people to get out and vote because, in my opinion, the president has way too much power right now,” Bucci said.
She cited the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, environmental policy, immigration enforcement, women’s rights and the cost of living among her concerns.
Bucci described the atmosphere as friendly and largely peaceful, with attendees sharing a sense of purpose despite differences on individual issues.
“We might not have the same ideas about certain issues, but we all agree that this is not how we want our country to be,” she said.
Bucci also said attending protests with her daughter is a way to teach her four children about civic participation and their rights.
“You have the right to freedom of speech, and you have the right to go out and protest your government,” she said. “You don’t have to sit back and watch it happen to us.”
Bucci said she hopes elected officials recognize attendees’ dissatisfaction and respond to their concerns.
“I hope that they know that we’re not happy with how everything is going, and that there needs to be a change,” she said.
Julia graduated from Rider University in 2024 with a BA in multiplatform journalism and minor in social media strategies. In addition to reporting on local news for Shore Local, she is a social media strategist for small businesses. Connect with her: shorelocaljulia@gmail.com or @juliatrain on Instagram.
