Indivisible Blair County and the Unitarian Unversalist Fellowship of Blair County are co-sponsoring the local version of the third “No Kings” rally and march, which will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the downtown.

The rally in Heritage Plaza will last an hour, after which participants will march on the sidewalks nearby on a route that hasn’t yet been determined, said Carol Taylor, president of the local Indivisible.

The local event is one of about 3,000 nationwide, with events also to be held in foreign countries — all organized to protest what event leaders consider the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.

“So many issues,” Taylor said. “No ICE, no war, no discrimination, no usurping — derogation — of Constitutional rights.”

Indivisible does not condone violence, so Saturday’s event will be peaceful, Taylor said.

The organization urges participants not to engage with counter-protesters, if there are any, although “respectful interaction is always a plus,” Taylor said, adding that in the context of the event and given the mood of the country, respectful interaction might not be easy to attain.

The organizers were initially expecting to receive a permit to march on the streets on the same route that No Kings marchers followed as part of the last such event.

But City Manager Christopher McGuire informed Taylor on Tuesday afternoon that marchers must stay on the sidewalks, because there would be no street closures.

No permit is necessary if participants stay on the sidewalks.

Taylor was unhappy with the denial of the street closure permit.

“We don’t have the (police) manpower to shut down the streets,” McGuire said. “There are multiple events going on.”

Asking participants to stay on the sidewalks isn’t unreasonable, McGuire said.

Given that perhaps 1,000 people will show up, it would be safer to close the streets, Taylor said.

The city has introduced, but not yet passed, an ordinance that would require organizers of events that require police protection to pay $50 per officer per hour — a proposed requirement that Taylor and others have protested.

The ordinance could be adopted at City Council’s meeting in April.

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