PHILADELPHIA (AP) 鈥 Demonstrators crowded into parks and plazas across the U.S. Saturday to rally against President Donald Trump as officials urged calm and mobilized National Guard troops ahead a to mark the Army鈥檚 250th anniversary that coincides with .
Atlanta鈥檚 5,000-capacity quickly reached its limit, with thousands more demonstrators outside the barrier in front of the state Capitol and a handful of counterprotesters leaving before the rally finished.
Intermittent light rain fell as sign-carrying marchers gathered for the flagship rally in Philadelphia's Love Park, where a woman wearing a foam Statue of Liberty crown brought a speaker system and led an anti-Trump sing-along, changing the words 鈥測oung man鈥 in the song 鈥淵.M.C.A.鈥 to 鈥渃on man.鈥
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Karen Van Trieste, a 61-year-old nurse who drove up from Maryland, said she grew up in Philadelphia and wanted to be with a large group of people showing her support.
鈥淚 just feel like we need to defend our democracy,鈥 she said. She is concerned about the Trump administration's layoffs of staff at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fate of immigrant communities and the Trump administration trying to rule by executive order, she said.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, crowds cheered anti-Trump speakers and chanted 鈥渨e have no kings鈥 while people started to gather in front of Los Angeles City Hall, many carrying American flags as a drum circle began.
Protests are planned in across the country, from city blocks and small towns to courthouse steps and community parks, organizers said, but no events are scheduled in Washington, D.C., where the military parade will take place in the evening.
The 50501 Movement orchestrating the protests says it picked the 鈥淣o Kings鈥 name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.
The demonstrations come on the heels of protests that flared up across the country over federal that began last week and Trump and Marines to Los Angeles, where protesters blocked a freeway and set cars on fire.
Philadelphia
Several hundred people gathered in a downtown park, with organizers handing out small American flags and many people carrying protest signs saying things like 鈥渇ight oligarchy鈥 and 鈥渄eport the mini-Mussolinis鈥 as they waited for the march to start.
Some signs bore immigrant-rights messages, including 鈥淭he wrong ice is melting鈥 and 鈥淯nmask ice.鈥
A handful of people wore gas masks or balaclavas to cover their faces.
One man in Revolutionary War era garb and a tricorn hat held a sign with a quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson: 鈥淎ll tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.鈥
Tallahassee, Florida
About a thousand people gathered on the grounds of Florida鈥檚 old Capitol, where protesters chanted, 鈥淭his is what community looks like,鈥 and carried signs with messages like 鈥渙ne nation under distress鈥 and 鈥渄issent is patriotic.鈥
Organizers of the rally explicitly told the crowd to avoid any conflicts with counterprotesters and to take care not to jaywalk or disrupt traffic.
Calling out the National Guard
Governors and city officials vowed to protect the right to protest and to show no tolerance for violence.
Republican governors in Virginia, Texas, Nebraska and Missouri are to help law enforcement manage demonstrations.
There will be 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥 for violence, destruction or disrupting traffic, and 鈥渋f you violate the law, you鈥檙e going to be arrested,鈥 Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin told reporters Friday.
In Missouri, Gov. Mike Kehoe issued a similar message, vowing to take a proactive approach and not to 鈥渨ait for chaos to ensue.鈥
Nebraska鈥檚 governor also signed an emergency proclamation Friday to activate his state鈥檚 National Guard, a step his office called 鈥渁 precautionary measure in reaction to recent instances of civil unrest across the country.鈥
that one march will go to the gates of Trump鈥檚 Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis warned demonstrators that the 鈥渓ine is very clear鈥 and not to cross it.
Some law enforcement agencies announced they were ramping up efforts for the weekend. In California, state troopers will be on 鈥渢actical alert,鈥 which means all days off are canceled for all officers, while West Virginia鈥檚 governor put the state police and National Guard on standby.
Governors urging calm
On social media, Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, called for peaceful protests over the weekend, to ensure Trump doesn鈥檛 send military to the state.
鈥淒onald Trump wants to be able to say that we cannot handle our own public safety in Washington state,鈥 Ferguson said.
In a statement Friday, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, urged protesters 鈥渢o remain peaceful and calm as they exercise their First Amendment right to make their voices heard.鈥
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said his administration and state police are working with police in Philadelphia ahead of what organizers estimate could be a crowd approaching 100,000 people.
Philadelphia鈥檚 top prosecutor, District Attorney Larry Krasner, warned that anyone coming to Philadelphia to break the law or immigration agents exceeding their authority will face arrest. He invoked civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. as a guide for demonstrators.
鈥淚f you are doing what Martin Luther King would have done, you鈥檙e going to be fine,鈥 Krasner told a news conference.
