Seventy-three-year-old Lee Vest couldn’t ignore the chance to revolt against what she called the downfall of our country.

“I’ve never seen such a thing in all my life,” Vest said. “We need an administration that will fight for the people, not put it down.”

Vest was among thousands who gathered near the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg as part of a nationwide series of protests Saturday dubbed the No Kings movement. The goal was to object to President Donald Trump’s policies, including deployment of military guards in U.S. cities.

The protest in Pittsburgh which started in front of the City-County Building Downtown, included speeches and then a march to Mellon Square where various allied groups had displays set up.

Pittsburgh police blocked off multiple roads from about noon to 3:30 p.m. By 3:30, the Pittsburgh rally was over and Mellon Square was empty.

Public Safety spokeswoman Emily Bourne said there were a few medical incidents but no altercations or arrests.

Marc Wagner, an HIV researcher from Swissvale, dressed as a king and held a No Kings sign.

“I just thought it would be good to dress up as a king to draw attention to the message,” said Wagner, 63. He was concerned about the federal cuts to health research projects.

“I work in science, and science has been gutted,” Wagner said. “I came back from Africa and the damage being done to the African nations is horrendous. It’s going to cause a loss of life. It’s going to mean new infections of HIV and raise possible new resistance, which may eventually come to America. It’s a mess.”

Wagner and other protesters like Lynn Guterman, 75, of Penn Hills were excited by the turnout.

Her major concerns involved federal troops being sent to American cities, and ICE grabbing anyone and not just dangerous criminals.

“Trump is trashing the Constitution and he’s getting away with it,” she said. “He’s taking people’s rights away, and he’s going around the legal and judicial system.”

Marching to Mellon Square pic.twitter.com/MzbWAtMWHg

— Kristina Serafini (@KristinaS_Trib) October 18, 2025

In Greensburg, peaceful protesters spilled onto sidewalks for blocks near the courthouse. Organizer Abby Graham-Pardus expected about 800 people; by noon the crowd had swelled to at least 2,000. Greensburg police said at its peak, up to 3,000 people filled North Main and Otterman streets.

pic.twitter.com/brYBuWGulj

— Kristina Serafini (@KristinaS_Trib) October 18, 2025

Paul Demers, from Burlington, Vt., was home for a visit in Irwin and felt compelled to come to the rally. He joined in chants of “Immigrants are welcome here,” and “We deserve health care.”

“People are not going to stand by while democracy crumbles,” Demers said. “Having mass police deployed in our streets is unacceptable.”

Peaceful chants at the No Kings rally in Greensburg ⁦@TribLIVE⁩ pic.twitter.com/rl7dXRuOtl

— TawnyaP (@tawnyatrib) October 18, 2025

For those in attendance, the list of grievances against the Trump administration is long. They protested racism, ICE raids and arrests, health care costs and other issues.

Spencer Cooley, a trans person from Blairsville, said they were tired of seeing people suffer.

“This is what democracy looks like,” Cooley chanted with the crowd.

Mechelle Hutchinson says she’s at the No Kings rally in Greensburg to protect her grandchildren’s future. ⁦@TribLIVE⁩ pic.twitter.com/yjSDXNONLc

— TawnyaP (@tawnyatrib) October 18, 2025

Many held signs and some dressed as unicorns, chickens and dinosaurs, as was done in Pittsburgh on Saturday and has been done at recent protests across the nation.

Chris and Mechelle Hutchinson of Greensburg wore inflatable green frog costumes.

“We had to come out,” Mechelle said. “We have grandchildren. We don’t want to leave them nothing. This administration wants to get rid of health care and everything.”

Chrissy Taylor rallying against racism Saturday in Greensburg. #NoKing ⁦@TribLIVE⁩ pic.twitter.com/jd4JxAMqZP

— TawnyaP (@tawnyatrib) October 18, 2025

Irwin resident Chrissy Taylor dressed as a Colonial-era queen for the event.

“I hate what’s happening in our country,” she said. “The racism is out of control. People are getting pulled from their homes and deported.”

Barb Ciampini, from the Democratic Women of Westmoreland, said the rally sent a clear message: “Our country is in distress, and we won’t stand for it.”

According to a group spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh protest, “this is part of a national mobilization to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration.”

No Kings protest in Pittsburgh is about to start. pic.twitter.com/d2XntFFyHK

— Kristina Serafini (@KristinaS_Trib) October 18, 2025

Tom Spallone of Hempfield cheered as motorists honked in solidarity driving past the courthouse in Greensburg. He wishes more people would get involved to take a stand against what he said are extremist policies.

“People are being treated inhumanely,” Spallone said. “That’s not the American way.”

The Greensburg event was not completely without incident.

At the start of the rally, a man carrying a large American flag started screaming “Trump” at the crowds. He struck a passing car with the wooden flagpole and poked several members of the crowd with it.

A fight broke out but police arrived seconds later to break it up. Greensburg police said later Saturday afternoon that the fight is being investigated. People were being interviewed to be determined if charges will be filed.

The remainder of the rally was peaceful.

Among those who spoke in Pittsburgh were U.S. Reps. Summer Lee and Chris Deluzio; Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato; Vic Walczak, ACLU of Pennsylvania’s legal director; Monica Ruiz, executive director of Casa San Jose; former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale; Phat Man Dee and Sugar Ray Morrison.

Walczak said the ACLU has sued the Trump administration multiple times with more legal action likely to come.

He said a lot of the administration’s actions, including sending the National Guard into various cities, deporting people to foreign prisons, slashing Medicaid and bullying universities, law firms and the press are not OK.

“None of this is OK, and we the people will be heard,” Walczak said. “We the people have the power to stop this. Every freedom ever gained, every fight ever won started with free speech. The freedom to say ‘not today, not anymore, not like this.’ There’s a reason free speech is in the First Amendment.”

Lee, a Swissvale Democrat, emphasized the need to stand up for democracy beyond the protest and to keep the energy level up.

“There are no easy roads from this day forward,” Lee said. She also talked about overcoming hate and putting personal divisions aside for the betterment of everyone.

Congresswoman Summer Lee speaks during the Pgh No Kings protest. pic.twitter.com/EAAhBgjcKy

— Kristina Serafini (@KristinaS_Trib) October 18, 2025

Innamorato said the county has joined in legal action against the Trump administration to prevent the National Guard from being deployed to U.S. cities.

“Every day I use the power of the county executive office to push back against the chaos and cruelty of this administration,” Innamorato said.

Some people carried protest signs said things like, “Resist or Regret,” “This is not normal,” “Courage is Contagious.”

Barb Addlespurger, nurse from Bon Air, joined the rally in Pittsburgh cloaked in an American flag, wearing a Burger King crown and holding a sign that read, “We the people want to be heard.”

She explained why she showed up.

“As a nurse who is very much concerned with access to health care, because it’s vital for us to fight.

“They keep trying to throw things on the Democrats, saying we’re blocking things, when, actually, we are seeing access to health care being taken away. And we need to do something about it.”

No Kings activities continued at Mellon Square with several nonprofits.

They included the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, who were helping register people to vote and handing out information on all candidates set to be on the November ballot.

There were also several speakers at Mellon Square including Carrie McDonough of Stand Up for Science Pittsburgh. She talked about how the administration went after multiple universities and encouraged colleges and higher-education institutions not to sign Trump’s compact.

According to an Associated Press report, the administration had asked nine major universities to commit to Trump’s political agenda in order to get favorable access to federal money. Others have been threatened with sanctions.

The Pittsburgh protest was organized by Indivisible Pittsburgh and a coalition of partners: Indivisible Black Neighborhoods United, the Black Political Empowerment Project, 1Hood Power, ACLU Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, Casa San Jose, Progress PA, Stand Up For Science, the League of Women Voters, SEIU, and the Coalition of Labor Union Women.

Indivisible Pittsburgh Director Tracy Baton said several neighborhood gatherings by local Indivisible subgroups leading up to the protest helped with turnout, which was estimated in the thousands.

“Our event wasn’t supposed to start until 12:30 (p.m.),” Baton said. “I have never seen that many people there an hour-and-a-half early.

”We’ve had extraordinary support from our local politicians. Pittsburgh politicians know that Pittsburgh is not a fascist town. Our elected officials in our region know that they want to stand shoulder to shoulder with us against fascism and against attacks on our neighbors.”

Summer Lee speaks at No Kings pic.twitter.com/ArJLjCWRE8

— Mike D. (@MikeJdiVittorio) October 18, 2025

There were additional protests in the region on Saturday:

• Allegheny Commons Park West in Pittsburgh, 2 to 4 p.m.

• Riverfront Park in Kittanning, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Mt. Lebanon, 3 to 4:30 p.m.

• Shady and Fifth avenues in Pittsburgh, 5 to 6 p.m.

Crowds cheer as motorists honk in solidarity at No Kings in Greensburg ⁦@TribLIVE⁩ pic.twitter.com/6POv5ajm26

— TawnyaP (@tawnyatrib) October 18, 2025

It’s the second such nationwide series of protests under The No Kings banner, following up on one in the summer.

In June, protests in Pittsburgh, Greensburg and Cranberry also used the No Kings name to voice opposition to Trump and his administration’s policies.

At the Pittsburgh protest, Bethel Park High School sophomore Scarlett Stockhausen played the “Ghostbusters” theme on her trumpet as well as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and other tunes near the intersection of Seventh Avenue and William Penn Place while protesters marched toward Mellon Square.

The 15-year-old marching band and student council member said she has a passion for government and wanted to bring some joy to the event.

“I really love politics, and I really care about our city, and I care about our democracy, and I love America,” Scarlett said. “I feel like I’m a true patriot, and what is happening in the government right now is unacceptable.

“Usually, protests are a pretty real serious thing. I’m bringing joy. I’m bringing fun. And I think that music is the best way to make a hard situation lighter, especially with everything today.”

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