More than 1,500 gather for ‘No Kings’ protest in State College. What they said

More than 1,500 protesters — organizers estimated at least 3,000 — gathered Saturday afternoon on Penn State’s Old Main lawn as part of the national “No Kings” anti-Trump rally, before marching through downtown State College and largely staying on the sidewalks.

After about an hour of listening to speakers at Old Main, protesters began moving downtown and marching along the sidewalk on College Avenue. A line stretched from South Pugh Street to Old Main, and they continued to march on College Avenue, then South Garner Street, Beaver Avenue and Allen Street — before heading back to Old Main.

Some cars honked in support of the mile-long march, but traffic did not appear to be impacted. Protesters waited at traffic lights and were guided by green-vested volunteers at intersections. The rally remained peaceful and largely dissipated around 2:05 p.m., about two hours after it began.

“Show me what democracy looks like!” protesters yelled while marching. “This is what democracy looks like!” came the reply.

The local rally was one of more than 2,500 scheduled to take place across the country Saturday. It was created to protest against what organizers described as President Donald Trump’s authoritarian efforts to undermine democracy during his second term, in addition to opposing health care funding cuts and the recent government shutdown.

Nearby events were also planned in Altoona, Clearfield and Lock Haven.

Centre County organizers told the CDT on Saturday morning that about 900 protesters had formally registered ahead of the noon start Saturday on Penn State’s campus. (Typically, organizers said, at least twice as many show up than are registered.) And faces in the crowd varied, from young children to college students to those sporting silver hair.

This was the second such “No Kings” protest since the summer. The first took place in June, with the State College area also hosting a rally as part of a national movement that saw more than 5 million protesters take part across the U.S.

The June rally was one of the largest coordinated single-day protests in American history. According to national organizers, Saturday’s rally was even larger and was estimated at nearly 7 million attendees.

Why attend?

The Centre Daily Times stopped 10 attendees at the protest to ask one question: Why was it important for you to be at this event? Here’s what they said:

Ray Bilger, Air Force veteran

“I’ve got 40 years of experience of service to this country as a combat veteran in the intelligence community and with the State Department of Foreign Service, and I took an oath a long, long time ago to defend the Constitution and this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic — and I take that oath very seriously.

“I know a lot of people who’ve sacrificed a lot more than I have for these rights and freedoms we have right now, and those rights and freedoms are under attack, and I simply won’t stand for it. We’re going to stand up and we’re going to push back against this in every way possible, and this is how we do it.”

Andy and Suzanne Heckathorne, Bellefonte married couple

“I’m very concerned about cuts to health care, and it affects our family directly,” Andy Heckathorne said.

Added Suzanne Heckathorne: “I’m standing up for democracy and making sure that we’re not heading into an authoritarian regime.”

She continued, “I think it’s important for us all to put our voices together and speak out against things that are impacting people who are vulnerable. Our son is one of the ones that’s vulnerable. He has multiple [medical] diagnoses, and we’re concerned about that — not just him though, but for all the people that can’t speak up for themselves.”

Bethany Haddock, State College resident

“I am a teacher and I feel like our president right now is very much coming at public education, special education, the Department of Education — just about everything in that education realm, really.

“As a public teacher, my main responsibility and passion in life is to make sure that my kids and the kids of future generations are being taken care of — and they have the education that they need to have the critical thinking to overcome governments like the one we have now. Protests like these give me a voice, and help me continue to pursue that passion.”

Isabel Rivera and Beyla Holer, Penn State students

“I come from a Puerto Rican family, and seeing so much bias toward Hispanic people has been really impactful for us, even though no one should ever be targeted, especially those who are U.S. citizens,” Rivera said. “Being targeted is really harmful. I think it’s important to remind people that we’re all human at the end of the day. We’re made of the same things, and we need to respect each other equally.”

Added Holer: “I think the moves and the policies that this administration is making and approving are dangerous for free speech, as well as due process.”

Denise McCann, State College resident & Centre Helps Executive Director

“I’m here because I think what’s happening in our country is wrong. I think that it’s scary, sort of overwhelming, and it feels good to be around people who are like me, people who are as concerned as I am.

“If you feel the same way I do, please do something. You don’t have to do everything, but just do something. Call your representatives, go to a rally, write letters — just do one thing. It’ll make a difference, I promise.”

Krista Bartko, Bellefonte resident

“The increasing authoritarian grabs by the Trump administration, the lawlessness, the lack of due process, the tariff wars, increasing costs — every single thing this administration does is not meant to help the people of America. To be honest, my sign doesn’t have enough room to fit all the reasons I’m here.

“I hope that everybody realizes this is peaceful protest. It is our right to speak out against this administration, and I hope people vote in their own best interest and try to remove this regime from power before it’s too late.”

Walter Walker, Philadelphia resident

“I’m here because my mother gets Medicare, and [this administration] needs to stop the stealing of money from that program, plain and simple. Something that we also need to be doing for the entire country is building for Americans — that’s what we need, and I’m not seeing any of that.

“We need to continue to support Americans in whatever color Americans are — whatever size, shape, religion, race that they are; however they got here — they all need to be supported.”

Butch Leitzinger, State College resident

“I’m here to support the pro-democracy movement and to try to claw back some of the rights that have been taken away from us.

“My frustrations don’t just boil down to one thing either. It’s everything combined. It’s the injustices piling on top of each other — ICE, executives acting as if they aren’t answerable to anyone. ... It’s nice to be here and to know that there’s a lot of other people that feel like I do.”

This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 12:56 PM.