What to know about Philly’s ‘No Kings’ protest on Saturday
Thousands are expected to gather in Center City this Saturday for a massive protest against President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies.
The afternoon event is one of hundreds set to take place in towns and cities across North America and Europe that day. It comes four months after the first round of “No Kings” rallies, amid a government shutdown, an ongoing mass deportation operation and an effort to deploy the National Guard to major U.S. cities.
“The goal is community — in being together to show the power we have in our numbers to show that we are not going to stand for what is happening to our government, to this regime, in Washington and what they are doing to our country,” said Vicki Miller, group leader with Indivisible Philadelphia, which is organizing the event.
The protest will take place between noon and 3 p.m. Saturday.
It will start at City Hall and end at Independence Mall, following a march down Market Street.
Organizers say City Hall will largely be used to mobilize people before the march, which is expected to take about an hour to complete.
Once protesters arrive at Independence Mall, a program will feature more than a dozen speakers, including elected officials, union leaders and grassroots organizers.
The program is expected to start around 1 p.m.
What is No Kings?
The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, a national movement made up of Americans who oppose what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
This will be the second protest under the No Kings movement, as they held a national protest in the city earlier this year.
The “No Kings” march in June started around 10 a.m. at Love Park on 16th Street between JFK Boulevard and Cherry Street, on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 16th and 17th streets, and on Arch Street between 15th and 16th streets. By 12:30 p.m., the march made its way down the Parkway to the rally location at Eakins Oval and the Philadelphia Museum of Art East Apron. The rally took place at 1 p.m. and lasted up until 3 p.m.
Will there be road closures?
Market Street, between 5th and 6th streets, will be closed for the duration of the protest.
The rest of Market Street will close temporarily as marchers make their way from City Hall to Independence Mall.
“It’s sort of an iterative thing,” said Miller. “They won’t close 10th and Market, let’s say, until we start to get there.”
Once the crowd has cleared an intersection, it will reopen to car traffic.
Additionally, side streets feeding into Market Street will be barricaded so no car traffic can get through as marchers move toward Independence Mall.
For now, it’s unclear how the protest will impact SEPTA. A spokesperson said those details are not available yet.
