PITTSFIELD — Bob Van Olst faced a crossroads in 1972.

He was in the Army with orders to go to Vietnam — a “death sentence” he said, given his tall stature.

However, across the United States, opposition to the war was gaining traction as millions took to the streets in protest. Then, something remarkable happened: the war ended.

“My orders to go were canceled. So I'm here alive today because of protests,” Van Olst said. “We could do the same now for many other people who are suffering.”

A few protesters gather along the Veterans Memorial Overpass during the "No Kings" rally against the policies of the Trump administration on Saturday joining thousands of rallies and protests across the nation.

Van Olst helped coordinate and participate in the third round of countywide "No Kings" protests on Saturday, held in conjunction with national demonstrations rebuking myriad actions enacted by President Donald Trump's administration. Lee, Adams, Stockbridge and Great Barrington also hosted "No Kings 3" protests.

“As many of us fear for our Democracy, we are gathering in Protest because action is the antidote to fear,” wrote Stand Up! Berkshires organizer Robin O'Herin, who organized the Pittsfield protest. “In this country we elect presidents, we do not allow them to crown themselves king!”

Organizers said about 2,500 protesters gathered at the Common on First Street in Pittsfield at 2 p.m., marching through downtown while chanting before returning for a rally that ran for more than two hours.

Cars honk and react to protesters as they gather in front of North Adams City Hall during the "No Kings" rally against the policies of the Trump administration on Saturday joining thousands of rallies and protests across the nation.

In North Adams, organizer Eileen Gloster said about 1,200 people turned out, spreading across the Route 8 bridge and onto the sidewalks at the intersection of Main Street and Route 8.

Many protesters feared that democratic norms and institutions are eroding under the Trump administration. They spoke of threats to free and fair elections, unchecked executive power and what many described as a dangerous drift toward authoritarianism.

For them, showing up wasn't just symbolic. It was necessary.

Protesters stand across the street from the North Adams City Hall during the "No Kings" rally against the policies of the Trump administration on Saturday joining thousands of rallies and protests across the nation.

Amy Chin attended the protest with her daughter Emily Johnson. Both want to see less division in the country, but not through racism or discriminatory policies. For them, a key political goal is flipping control of Congress, which they believe is necessary to check Trump’s power and reverse policies they see as harmful.

Several local figures took the stage in Pittsfield, including O'Herin; the Rev. Margo Page of Berkshire Interfaith Organizing; Rose Fiscella, an MCLA history student and leader of the grassroots group Frogs for Freedom; and Tara Jacobs, the governor's councilor for District 8.

Marion, a Lanesborough resident who did not give her last name, was outraged by what she called “unlawful interference in elections,” pointing specifically to reports of federal agents seizing ballots from the 2020 presidential election in Fulton County, Ga., which she described as “terrifying” for the future of free elections.

The war with Iran gave Saturday's protesters a new rallying point that wasn't on the table during the first two No Kings demonstrations since Trump took office.

Rudy Pfeiler, a 77-year-old veteran, said the war is exactly the kind of conflict the United States should never fight — one driven by oil and money, with American lives as the collateral damage.

A protest sign at a "No Kings" rally in North Adams against the policies of the Trump administration on Saturday joining thousands of rallies and protests across the nation.

“If he puts boots on the ground, we’re going to lose a lot of young people,” he said. “[Trump] is for himself, not the American people. He has no concern, it seems like, for anybody.”

Anti-war sentiment was visible throughout the crowd, with signs reading “We the people did NOT ask for Trump’s war,” “stop invading other countries” and simply “No Kings, No War.”

Another common thread was opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with many signs referencing the killing of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.

Protesters stand across the street from the North Adams City Hall during the "No Kings" rally against the policies of the Trump administration on Saturday joining thousands of rallies and protests across the nation.

“The number of innocent people who are being deported is shameful,” Chin said.

“Everyone is a human, everyone who lives here deserves to be here,” Johnson added.

Several protesters also showed up in inflatable animal costumes, a nod to the Operation Inflation anti-ICE demonstrator in Portland, Ore., who went viral after being pepper-sprayed while dressed in an inflatable frog suit.

Although protesters differed in age, background and specific priorities, their core message was similar: Trump has overstepped the limits of his power and that ordinary people must get involved.

“I know this administration keeps taking steps to silence us,” Fiscella said during her speech. “But look around, we continue to come out in droves and our voices are so loud.”