Mirror photo by William Kibler / Protesters march toward Heritage Plaza in downtown Altoona Saturday as part of the No Kings rally.

Not long ago, Mike Metrik of Altoona posted a concern on Facebook about the way things are going on the national scene, and a friend responded with a challenge: if you want to do something about it, go to the No Kings rally and march downtown on Oct. 18.

“It was enough of a kick in the butt,” said Metrik, 52, Saturday, in Heritage Plaza, near the end of his first-ever protest, which he attended with his wife and an estimated 1,500 others, who carried signs, chanted slogans and listened to speakers rail against the alleged authoritarianism of President Donald Trump’s administration — without any significant counter-protesting presence.

It’s true that Trump played a major role last week in creating the fragile peace between Israel and Gaza, Mike Metrik said.

“But that doesn’t undo the harm he’s caused,” said his wife.

“I would hope he’d show the same kind of consideration (in terms of creating peace) domestically,” Mike said.

During the rally that preceded the march, one woman stood across from the plaza in a Trump hat and after the march began, expressed admiration for President Trump, who provides the nation with protection against “bad people,” she stated.

Two other individuals stood in “Trump attire” near the Mishler Theatre on 12th Avenue while the march passed by, according to Altoona police Sgt. Patrick Tomassetti.

As for trouble at the event, “there was nothing whatsoever,” Tomassetti said. “It was about as peaceful as it can get.”

“People were energized, but not downtrodden,” said Carol Taylor, president of Indivisible Blair County, which organized the rally and march. “Kind of happy, given that the subject is so tough.”

The protest in Altoona was one of many across the United States promoted by the national Indivisible organization. According to the group’s website, more than 7 million people attended 2,700 rallies in all 50 states Saturday to support democracy and protest what the group deems Trump’s abuses of power while in office.

Fred Offman of Portage came to No Kings because he no longer recognizes “the country I grew up in,” he said.

The Trump administration thrives on scapegoating, creating “a boogeyman” — immigrants allegedly “coming to take my rights” and “my job” and to get free medical care, Offman said, with contempt for the strategy.

Offman’s father fought in World War II under Gen. George Patton as part of the Normandy invasion and in battles that followed, including the Battle of the Bulge, he said.

He was fighting actual fascists, he said.

And if he were alive now, “he would be killing himself,” he said.

Event attendee Nicole Stouffer figured she “might as well come out and exercise (her) First Amendment rights,” she said, just as the speakers took the stage.

She’s “somewhere between angry and scared,” she said, referring to the administration sending ICE agents into cities to arrest illegal immigrants.

The situation reminds her of the famous quote by Pastor Martin Niemoller of Germany after World War II: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist. … Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak.”

Former downtown businessman Sam Scheinberg was surprised and pleased to see the crowd.

“I didn’t realize so many people thought like I did,” Scheinberg said.

Not long ago, he visited the site of the Dachau concentration camp in Germany, where Jews and other “undesirables” were imprisoned by the Nazis.

Hitler came to power via nationalism and the scapegoating of Jews, Scheinberg said.

Trump came to power here via nationalism and the targeting of “brown-skinned people,” Scheinberg said.

Pat McElwain of Tyrone has disliked Trump since the 1970s, when he learned that Trump got deferments from the draft due to bone spurs — even as McElwain enlisted in the Army after getting his own draft notice, he said.

McElwain ended up not going to Vietnam, although two of his brothers went, he said.

His family disagrees with his politics — although his mother wouldn’t object, if she were still alive, he said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.