Thousands take to Niagara Square in Buffalo for 'No Kings' protest

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The national 'No Kings' protest made its way to Buffalo on Saturday as thousands poured into Niagara Square to protest the Trump Administration.

Buffalo's demonstration was one of more than 2,700 across the country. WIVB News 4's cameras were there as protestors marched in Downtown Buffalo.

"When you have a constitution, you don't have a king, and that's what everybody's here for," one protester said.

"We have three branches of government and it seems right now the Executive Branch is overstepping and trying to control the Supreme Court, trying to control the Legislative Branch," another protester said.

Many others raised concerns over what they believe to be constitutional violations in the Trump Administration.

"I believe in free speech, I believe in the amendments, I believe in the constitution," another protestor said. "Trump is violating all of that right now."

A number of local groups turned out to show their support and march with the protestors, including 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.

"There's no kings in America," explained Shameka Burnette-Mathews, an 1199 SEIU administrator. "The health care cuts that are pending will affect all of our facilities, one in four nursing homes, a number of hospitals would close, waiting times would increase by numbers, and that affects not just health care workers, patients, residents in nursing homes, and really all of us, even you."

In an effort to keep things peaceful, many of the protestors took to humor to get their messages across.

"We're just trying to have a peaceful protest," one woman dressed in an inflatable costume told us. "Just trying to tell people Trump has got to go."

One group even made up signs to protest the fact that Donald Trump is the first president since William McKinley to not have a dog in the White House.

"1897 to 1901 was the last president that didn't have a dog until Trump," one protester said.

"We need dogs in the White House! Real cute dogs, not dog like humans," a woman said while holding a sign that read: 'A President Without A Dog?!?'

Among the thousands protesting, there was at least one counter protestor we encountered, a Trump supporter who was perched high on the steps of City Hall waving an American flag.

"There's a lot of eyes on me," he said. "If it takes one person to stand up for what they believe in. I don't believe any of this stuff that they're protesting is good for our country. I'm just here standing up for what I believe in, everyone else is standing for what they believe in. If it takes one person against 500, I'll stand here."

News 4 reached out to Western New York's Republican Congressman Nick Langworthy for a response to the protest, who issued us the following statement: "Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real disease."