Protests will take place across the nation, including in Butler County, as part of the “No Kings” movement on Saturday, June 14, and law enforcement said it doesn’t foresee any problems.

One such protest will be held in Cranberry Township from noon to 2 p.m. around the intersection of Freedom Road and Route 19. Another protest will be held in Grove City from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Grove City Memorial Park.

Catherine Lalonde, chairwoman of the Butler County Democratic Committee, which organized the Cranberry Township protest, said she’s excited by the expected turnout, but she wanted to iterate that the protest is designed to be peaceful.

“We want it to be peaceful,” she said. “We think there will be some people counterprotesting, but all we want to do is speak our minds.”

She said many are concerned about the Trump administration’s plans.

“We need to have things like Medicaid and Medicare, and the idea of a deficit being reduced is false,” she said. “They always say they’re ‘rooting out fraud and abuse,’ but if you look at what DOGE has done, they did not find billions in just ‘fraud and abuse.’”

The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, a national movement claiming to be made up of everyday Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.

“No Kings” protesters plan to call for President Donald Trump to be “dethroned” as they compare his actions to that of a king and not a democratically elected president.

Saturday’s protest will not be the first this year in Butler County. In March, over 100 people lined the corner of New Castle Road and South Duffy Road to protest potential cuts to VA Butler Healthcare.

Then, in April, hundreds lined Route 68 as part of nationwide “Hands Off!” demonstrations to condemn actions by Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, the now-former leader of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, a government organization designed to slash federal spending.

Republicans in the county previously took to the streets themselves. On April 19, demonstrators held the “Support President Trump Roadside Rally” in Butler’s Diamond Park to show support for his administration.

For both Cranberry Township and Grove City, police have spoken with the organizers of the protests and do not foresee any conflict.

According to Lt. Chuck Mascellino with Cranberry Township police, the organizers of the protests have told police their expected turnout and been given parameters based on the protest location.

Cranberry Township police expect a low turnout with rain showers projected throughout the day. They have not seen large numbers of threats toward protesters on social media and do not expect many counterprotesters.

They asked protesters to stay off the road as crossing the intersection is not permitted.

Grove City Police Department said it is aware of some threatening comments on social media, so officers will be watching for potential confrontations.

“For some reason, this has been looped in with the recent (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) protests,” said Chief Michael Elias, of the Grove City Police Department.

Elias said the protests are facilitated by the Indivisible Project, which was founded in 2016 to organize supporters for democracy and against authoritarianism, according to its website. The project rejects all forms of political violence and intimidation.

“Trump wants to look strong,” Leah Greenberg, Indivisible co-founder and co-executive director, said in an article about the protests. “What he doesn’t understand is that true power comes from the people. And on June 14, we’re going to prove it.”

The project has facilitated multiple protests in Grove City without issues, including a “Hands Off!” protest in April and a May Day protest.

Elias said the project appoints someone at the local level to help organize protests and communicate with police. Certain protesters also are appointed to a safety team, which is responsible for calling 911 if warranted, de-escalation and ensuring protesters follow protest parameters.

The Grove City protests have usually included 80 to 100 people who rent pavilions in the park, Elias said. He said the project has a protest planned each month for the rest of the year.

Chairman Jim Hulings of the Butler County Republican Committee, said he doesn’t understand what the attendees are protesting, but he’s hopeful for a peaceful demonstration.

“I think most people are going to be at the Jeep festival,” he said.

Hulings said he found it ironic that protesters against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in California are against sending what he said are violent criminals to their country of origin.

“I hope it goes well and they have their peaceful demonstration, but whatever they’re selling, I don’t think people are buying it,” he said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro released a statement on Thursday, June 12, ahead of the protests. He said he supports and will defend the First Amendment right to protest, but insisted protesters keep them peaceful.

“I want to be very clear: all protests and demonstrations must remain peaceful, lawful and orderly,” Shapiro said. “Violence is not an answer to any political differences; destruction and chaos are unacceptable — and neither will be permitted here in Pennsylvania.”

Associated Press contributed to this report.