Princeton Sees Year of Protests, Divisiveness, Compromise

Excerpt (below) from the December 31, 2025 Town Topics front-page article.

In late March, around 500 demonstrators gathered outside the Tesla dealership adjacent to Mercer Mall (now Mercer One) for Tesla Takedown III, a rally against the actions of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ushered in by the Trump administration.

Princeton’s “Hands Off!” rally on April 5 brought more than 1,000 demonstrators to Hinds Plaza, spilling out onto Witherspoon Street, which was closed for the occasion. Protesting a range of policies of Trump, Musk, and the federal government, the rally organized by Indivisible Princeton, Indivisible Cranbury, and several co-sponsors was part of a national movement.

Building on the big response to the “Hands Off!” event, the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) participated in a May Day National Day of Action just a few weeks later, again on Hinds Plaza.

The national No Kings Day of Action across the nation was observed with a rally in Princeton on June 14, the same day as the annual Pride Parade. This time, the packed rally took place at Monument Park, which features a large image of George Washington. And according to the Rev. Robert Moore, director of the CFPA, the setting couldn’t have been more appropriate.

“George Washington fought the Battle of Princeton to prevent America from being ruled by kings,” he said. ‘No, we’re going to be a democracy. We’re not going to be a monarchy. He fought for a democratic government in this country.”

A second No Kings Day rally drew thousands of protesters to Monument Park again on October 18.

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