The city is preparing for thousands of demonstrators to pack the streets in Center City for the second "No Kings" protest.

Around Independence Mall, temporary "No Parking" signs are now posted, and barricades are at the ready. 

"We expect a very large crowd, thousands and thousands of people," said Meg Berlin, with Indivisible Philadelphia.

Berlin is helping organize the second "No Kings" protest and rally on Saturday. It's one of more than 2,000 events planned across the country to protest against the Trump Administration and its policies.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the president dismissed the protests, saying, "They have their day coming up. I hear very few people are going to be there." 

"We are doing this is in the place where our Constitution was written and on the other end of the mall where our Constitution is celebrated," Berlin said.

The protest is set to begin at City Hall, and demonstrators will march to Independence Mall for a rally.

"Traffic is going to be difficult, the road is going to be closed, so just keep in mind if you're going to be traveling in the area," said Sgt. Eric Gripp with the Philadelphia Police Department.

Organizers say some 95,000 people gathered in LOVE Park and at the Art Museum in June for one of the largest "No Kings" rallies in the country. This protest will look a bit different.

"We're not the flagship event, so we expect it to be smaller because there will be more events all over the country," Berlin said.

Police say they will still be ready, and they're encouraging everyone to protest peacefully.

"We're holding over our day work shift, and we have our later shifts coming in four hours early," said Gripp, who added that Philadelphia police will also be working with state and federal partners.

The city of Philadelphia said the first round of road closures will begin Saturday around 11 a.m. and last until approximately 1 p.m., starting with John F. Kennedy Boulevard from Juniper Street to 15th Street and North Broad Street from John F. Kennedy Boulevard to Arch Street, for the assembly area.

A full list of the street closures and parking restrictions for the demonstration is available online. The road closures will be lifted as streets are cleared of pedestrians and serviced.

Along with the "No Kings" rally that begins in Center City, Philadelphia will also have rallies in Roxborough and Northwest Philly. But there will also be events in the Pennsylvania suburbs, New Jersey and Delaware.

"No Kings" rally in Delaware County

Activists in Springfield, Delaware County, are gearing up for a second round of "No Kings" protests on Saturday, aimed at what they call an abuse of power by President Donald Trump and his administration.

Since March 8, demonstrators have gathered every Saturday along Baltimore Pike outside Springfield Mall. This weekend, they're expecting the biggest crowd yet.

"Normally, we get about 125 patriots," Travis, a protester, said. "I would estimate turnout for the national mobilization will be closer to 600."

Travis is part of No Kings, a grassroots coalition that opposes President Trump's policies on immigration, tariffs and scientific research.

"Trump has taken over many of the powers that he doesn't have in the Constitution," Travis, a former physicist, said. "So, we're peacefully assembling to register that we don't agree and want a restoration of the rule of law and of the Constitution."

However, Local GOP leaders said the protests misrepresent the president's authority.

"At the end of the day, our country has checks and balances," Media Borough Republican Committee Chairman Michael Straw said. "President Trump has only so much authority in the executive branch. The legislative branch has the ability to pass legislation and curb anything he wants to do or enact his agenda, if they wish. The judicial branch has the ability to curb any of his executive actions or approve his executive actions."

Straw also defended Trump's immigration stance, saying it resonated with many in Delaware County.

"One of the things President Trump has done in Delaware County is he's made sure Delaware County no longer has sanctuary status," Straw said. "He wanted to make sure illegal immigration stopped in Delaware County and violent criminals that were here illegally were deported. So that was one big issue he focused on, not just for Delaware County, but for the entire United States."

With attendance expected to grow, Springfield Mall is enforcing strict boundaries: no protesters on mall property. Demonstrators must remain on public sidewalks.

Many plan to park in surrounding neighborhoods, something homeowners like Diane Kennedy have gotten used to.

"You're allowed to park anywhere you want," Kennedy said.

But some opponents are pushing back. A Facebook user is encouraging people to flood the area with parked cars to block curbside spots for demonstrators.

"Why they would do that?" Kennedy said. "Just to aggravate them, want to start something? I don't agree with that. I think it's wrong. Everyone's entitled to free speech."

Organizers said that even after the "No Kings" rally, weekly protests will continue in Springfield until their message is heard.