Everything you need to know about the No Kings protest in DC

Pennsylvania Avenue NW in D C will be taken over Saturday by an expected tens of thousands of protesters against President Donald Trump s administration The event running under a No Kings banner calls for a reclamation of democracy without the need for a king like the president who thinks his rule is absolute It s part of a nationwide series of events protesting against the current administration Participants will march along the National Mall and are encouraged to wear yellow as a visible optimistic banner that carries the weight of Democratic struggle the organization s website reads Ezra Levin a leading organizer of Saturday s protests stated The Associated Press that the demonstrations are a response to what he called Trump s crackdown on First Amendment rights Levin the co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible pointed to Trump s sweeping immigration crackdown his unprecedented promises to use federal power to influence midterm elections restrictions on press freedom and retribution against political opponents Expected speakers at the rally include Vermont Sen Bernie Sanders Connecticut Sen Chris Murphy TV scientist Bill Nye and British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan among other figures In a video posted on X Sanders announced his message ahead of the protest is simple People fought and died throughout the history of this country to preserve our democracy And we re not going to let Trump or anybody else take it away WTOP s Scott Gelman published live from a kickoff event at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday Organizers say they re expecting at least people on Pennsylvania Avenue Republicans meanwhile are calling these protests planned across the country the upcoming day Hate America rallies he mentioned Virginia Gov Glenn Youngkin noted in a social media post that members of the National Guard will be on duty at the protests to ensure the Guard will be ready to respond alongside our substantially increased police presence to help keep Virginians safe We call it the Hate America rally that ll happen Saturday Let s see who shows up for that House Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned I bet you see pro-Hamas supporters I bet you see Antifa types I bet you see the Marxist in full display the people who don t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic and we do and that s what we re here doing every single day With No Kings events also planned in neighboring Maryland residents traveling into the region are also being urged to monitor the state s and ChartWeb database for the latest road closures Motorists are encouraged to provide themselves with extra driving time and keep aware of pedestrians and bicyclists who may be out as part of the event Maryland State Highway Administration spokesperson Charlie Gischlar recounted WTOP WTOP has reached out to U S Park Police for more information on the event DC road closures Selected roads will be closed to motorists and there are specific parking restrictions D C police remind drivers to proceed with caution and be aware of further detours Until Saturday at p m Pennsylvania Avenue from rd Street to Constitution Avenue NW will be posted as Crisis No Parking and closed to van traffic From a m to p m on Saturday the following streets will be posted as Crisis No Parking th Street from C Street to Constitution Avenue NW Constitution Avenue from th Street to th Street NW U Street from th Street to th Street NW W Street from Martin Luther King Jr Avenue to th Street SE From a m to p m Saturday the following streets will be closed to van traffic Pennsylvania Avenue from rd Street to th Street NW th Street from C Street to Constitution Avenue NW Constitution Avenue from th Street to th Street NW rd Street from Constitution Avenue to Independence Avenue SW From a m to p m Saturday the W Street from Martin Luther King Jr Avenue to th Street SE will be closed to carriage traffic Now from a m to a m Saturday temporary street closures may take effect on th Street from Florida Avenue to F Street NW The Associated Press contributed to this statement Source