Protests against President Donald Trump and his administration\u2019s policies were held across the nation on Saturday.<\/p>\n
CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS OF THE PROTESTS<\/a><\/p>\n The second round of \u201cNo Kings\u201d protests included more than 2,500 demonstrations across all 50 states. <\/p>\n Organizers for Pittsburgh\u2019s \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest expected about 5,000 demonstrators<\/a> on Saturday. Around 10,000 people showed up during the first \u201cNo Kings\u201d rally<\/a> in June.<\/p>\n Channel 11 spoke with demonstrators about why they wanted to take part.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think there are so few ways that we can tell our government that what\u2019s going on is so wrong,\u201d said Mike McDermott. \u201cI don\u2019t know who to write letters to. I\u2019ve written to congressmen and senators, and nothing changes. I mean, this is embarrassing. This is not American, and this is not what we should be used to.\u201d <\/p>\n Police say as many as 800 people showed up for the protest at McCandless Crossing along McKnight Road.<\/p>\n Demonstrators said there\u2019s a need to unite people, and to come together and do what\u2019s right.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love America, and America, we\u2019re gonna lose everything our people have died for,\u201d said Rachelle Jordan. \u201cRed, white and blue\u2019s not a joke. The red\u2019s the blood, the white\u2019s the peace and the blue is for all the blue-collar workers and the lower-income people who support this country.\u201d<\/p>\n Protesters also gathered at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg.<\/p>\n Along with protesting the federal government, protesters were also on hand to speak out against the ongoing state budget stalemate.<\/p>\n One educator said the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit is on the verge of layoffs because of the lack of a budget.\t<\/p>\n \u201cThese effects of the budget not being passed are going to have detrimental effects on special needs students in Westmoreland County,\u201d said Terri Pajak. \u201cOur students and our families are going to suffer because of this.\u201d<\/p>\n Organizers said it was the largest demonstration they\u2019ve seen yet, saying they believed around 1,200 people showed up.<\/p>\n Demonstrators also came out in Uniontown, where organizers said that, even in rural areas, voices can be heard.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no kings in America, since 1776. We will not stand for a dictatorship, and we the people will not be quiet,\u201d said Tracy Wilson, president of the Democratic Women of Fayette County.<\/p>\n They also pressed the elections this November as a way to make their message clear, reminding everyone to vote on Nov. 4.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92025 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n