PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — One of the largest "No Kings" rallies on the Treasure Coast is in Port St. Lucie on Saturday, at the busy intersection of Port St. Lucie and Airoso boulevards.
At the shopping plaza across from city hall, Amy Castrogiovanni, owner of Sweet Basil, was prepping for the protest on Friday.
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“Our parking lot is already crowded,” said Castrogiovanni. “Now they're going to come in here, and it's going to cause havoc for tomorrow.”
While Castrogiovanni is Trump supporter, she said she also supports people rallying for what they believe in, as long as they keep it peaceful.
“Everyone has the right to speak their mind,” said Castrogiovanni. “If protest gets out of hand, it makes it difficult for us to do our jobs, for us to serve the public, and that's what we're here to do.”
A few doors down at Frida’s, server Vienna Maldonado supports the protest, especially when it comes to concerns over recent deportations.
“I feel like I know what it feels to have somebody in your family to be deported, and it hurts,” said Maldonado.
But like Castrogiovanni, she wants the protest to be calm.
“People can say, come and do what they have to do, but in the right way,” said Maldonado.
Port St. Lucie police said they’re prepared for the protest on Saturday.
“We're anticipating peace and order,” said Chief Leo Niemczyk. "But if we have to deal with something other than that, we'll be ready to do that.”
Chief Niemczyk said they will have additional officers managing the crowds.
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“We're prepared to protect everybody's constitutional rights,” said Niemczyk. “There will be no lawlessness that's going to be tolerated."
WPTV spoke to the chairperson for the St. Lucie County Democrats, who said there could be thousands of people in attendance.
The No Kings Rally in Port St. Lucie is expected to start at 4 p.m.
