Police in Pittsburgh, Across Country Prepare for 'No Kings' Protests

Downtown Pittsburgh will once again serve as a backdrop for one of the nation's largest protest movements this weekend, as rallies under the banner of "No Kings" return across the country to challenge what organizers describe as President Donald Trump's authoritarian drift.

Hundreds of cities across the country Saturday will take part in a second wave of No Kings protests — a coordinated day of demonstrations that organizers are calling a test of endurance for a movement that began this summer with mass protests in all 50 states.

The follow-up comes four months after millions of Americans marched in what became known as the "Day of Defiance," a direct response to President Trump's military parade in Washington.

In Western Pennsylvania, at least eight counties are expected to host rallies, including Allegheny, Westmoreland, Beaver and Mercer.

Downtown Pittsburgh will see at least one major gathering that will begin at 12:30 p.m. outside the City-County Building before marching to Mellon Square.

Indivisible Pittsburgh, responsible for organizing the rally, said Saturday's return is meant to show that momentum hasn't faded.

"We reject strongman politics and corruption and will fight until we get the representation we deserve," the group wrote in a news release Tuesday.

Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, have accused Democrats of prolonging the federal shutdown — which entered its third week Wednesday — for the sake of the protests and dubbed the protests "Hate America" rallies.

"They are playing games with real people's lives," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R- Louisiana, told Fox News last week. "This is serious business, hurting real people."

Movement leaders said the renewed demonstrations are a response to the Trump administration's expansion of immigration enforcement powers, the deployment of federal and military forces in U.S. cities and budget cuts that have reduced funding for housing, education and other social programs.

What to expect in Pittsburgh

Saturday's demonstrations are expected to stretch from small-town courthouse steps to major downtown corridors. In Pittsburgh, organizers say the rallies will bring together labor unions, faith-based organizations and civic groups representing what they describe as a "pro-democracy and pro-worker" coalition.

The "Pittsburgh Says NO KINGS!" event, led by Indivisible Pittsburgh, will begin at 12:30 p.m. outside the City-County Building before marching to Mellon Square, where community groups plan to host information tables, "know your rights" training and local activism booths.

The event will include speeches from U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D- Swissvale, and representatives from the ACLU of Pennsylvania, nonprofit Latino resource center Casa San Jose and other local advocacy groups, as well as music from jazz and cabaret singer, Phat Man Dee.

Organizers anticipate more than 5,000 participants — roughly on par with turnout during the two rallies hosted by the group in June, which drew between 6,000 and 7,000 people to Downtown.

No Kings demonstrations in Western Pa.

On Saturday, gatherings are planned across the region.

Indivisible Pittsburgh's director, Tracy Baton, said the organization has been coordinating closely with city officials and other partners to ensure the event remains safe and accessible.

" Pittsburgh understands peaceful social protest. We have since we protested the Pinkertons. We do today. It is part of our DNA here in Allegheny County," Ms. Baton said.

Across the region, similar events are planned in Beaver, Greensburg, Uniontown, Indiana, Grove City, Mercer and Kittanning, many outside courthouses or on public squares. A full list of times and locations of registered events is available at NoKings.org.

Preparations around the city

City officials said they are preparing for heavier foot traffic in Downtown and coordinating with organizers to ensure the events remain peaceful. Public Safety spokeswoman Emily Bourne said additional police, fire and EMS units will be working overtime throughout the day and will be redeployed as protests move between neighborhoods.

"We didn't have any public safety incidents or issues of concern with the June protests, and we're hopeful that things will remain peaceful between the collaboration of our public safety partners, law enforcement partners, those within the department ourselves, and the continued collaboration coordination with the event organizers," Ms. Bourne said.

As of Wednesday, the city had received permit applications for three separate rallies set to take place at the City-County Building, Allegheny Commons Park on the North Side and on the corner of Forbes and Bigelow in Shadyside, according to Ms. Bourne.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit also said riders in the area should anticipate delays.

A demonstration taking place at 2 p.m. at Point State Park was registered on the No Kings website, but it was unclear whether that event will take place due to the ongoing construction at the site in preparation of the NFL draft as part of Downtown's $600 million revitalization project.

How 'No Kings' started

The national "No Kings" campaign emerged earlier this year from a network of progressive organizations united under the 50501 Movement — short for "50 states, 50 protests, one movement."

What began on social media as a grassroots, decentralized response to the start of the second Trump administration grew into coordinated, widespread demonstrations across the U.S.

For several months, groups such as Indivisible, MoveOn and the Working Families Party, have operated under the umbrella of the movement to host protests. In Pittsburgh, the local Indivisible chapter has been involved in organizing the rallies against Trump's cuts to the Department of Education, attacks on the LGBTQ community and support of Ukraine

One of the movement's first major actions came on June 14, the same day Trump staged a large military parade in Washington featuring tanks, aircraft and troops marching down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Organizers branded the day "No Kings: A Nationwide Day of Defiance," as a direct reference to the founding ideals of the U.S. — a rebuke, organizers said, to "the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration."

That day, more than 2,000 protests were held across all 50 states and several U.S. territories, from small-town courthouse steps to major city centers.

In Pittsburgh, thousands of protesters crowded in front of the City-County Building and at the Freedom Corner in the Hill District. The rallies remained peaceful, and city officials reported no major incidents.

How leaders are responding

Since the first wave of demonstrations, the "No Kings" protests have called for the attention of government leaders.

When asked about the movement during a news conference in June, Trump said, "I don't feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved."

In his Fox News interview, Mr. Johnson said Democrats "won't be able to reopen the government until after that rally because they can't face their rabid base."

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also echoed that message in a separate interview on Fox, saying " Democrats want to wait for a big rally of a 'No Kings' protest."

But Chuck Schumer, D- N.Y., the Senate Democratic leader, rejected the suggestion that the shutdown was tied to the protests.

Ms. Baton, the Indivisible Pittsburgh director, said she hopes people use Saturday as an opportunity to be brave for themselves and for their neighbors.

"People are increasingly afraid," she said. "But people who are afraid can't use their rights and get out there and make demands of the government."

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