Crowds of North Shore residents mobilized against the Trump administration at Fountain Square on Saturday morning, marking Evanston as one of thousands of communities rallying across the country on the same day as both President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday and the military parade commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.
The intersection of Sherman Avenue and Davis Street was closed as throngs of community members with handmade quilts, signs and baby Trump balloons jam-packed into the Square, rallying with chants of “No tyrants, no kings; Democracy is everything.” Event organizers said they received over 1,300 sign ups online and estimated the crowd to be over 3,000 people.
For Susan Sidell, a member of Indivisible Evanston’s leadership team and one of the event’s organizers, the administration’s spending on the military parade — estimated to cost between $25 million and $45 million — was an investment that could have gone to everyday Americans.
“We wanted to take as much focus away from what was going on in the D.C. parade,” Sidell said.
The star-studded speaker lineup of public officials included longtime U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), Cook County Board Commissioner Josina Morita and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who is running for Schakowsky’s open seat in 2026.
Illinois State Senate candidate Patrick Hanley lambasted the Trump administration for unleashing the National Guard against protesters in Los Angeles this week.
“The promise of the United States is the hope that this is a free place and a fair place, that it gets better because it is sustainable, and we’re watching now that promise break,” Hanley said.
Other Evanston community members highlighted the impact of the Trump administration’s policies from the stage. Evanston Township High School District 202’s Board of Education President Pat Savage-Williams affirmed the school district’s commitment to providing diversity, equity and inclusion resources for student success, arguing that it is embedded in everything the district does.
Savage-Williams added that the district will “stand firm” in the face of federal threats, even if it runs the risk of losing federal funding — prompting a wave of applause from the crowd.
“I admit it makes me very nervous, but we would not know who we are if we change,” Savage-Williams said.
Rising seniors from Niles West High School in Skokie, Jade Alao and Ragad Eltay, took the stage to promote a message of Democrat unity and self-reflection beyond Saturday’s wave of “No Kings” protests.
Between speakers, organizers led the crowd through chants like “Whose streets? Our streets. No soldiers on our streets,” and “No hate, no fear. Immigrants are welcome here.” Local musicians sang their own political anthems, with Evanston resident Margaret Nelson leading the crowd with her song, “Get the Money Men out of Congress.”
55-year-old Evanston resident and demonstrator Karen Backe said the rally is another way for the community to activate despite some of the Trump administration’s policies being “hard to track.”
While Evanston is a predominantly liberal community, Backe said it is important to show that there are people fighting in smaller cities for nationwide issues.
“Our representatives are already doing what they can, so it’s very hard to feel like we can actively do something,” Backe said. “It’s important to show up and show numbers and let people know that we’re out here.”
53-year-old Evanston community member and demonstrator Stephanie Smith noted the symbolic importance of Saturday’s multigenerational crowd, which included older people chanting to children beating on toy drums.
Smith, who brought her two teenage children to the event, described the generational convergence as “profound.”
“Keeping hope alive is really important — that sense of protest and coming together across generations,” Smith said.
One example in the crowd was 22-year-old Skokie resident Sofia Ford, who sang and chanted at the protest with her nearly 84-year-old grandmother, Kathe Ford.
Sofia Ford said the moment was a source of bonding for the pair, as Kathe Ford had been an active protester during the 1960s. The protest was also an opportunity for the 22-year-old to advocate for immigrant rights, as her mother recently gained U.S. citizenship.
“Following in my grandma’s footsteps and then protecting people like my mom are a big reason why I’m here,” Sofia Ford said.
Kathe Ford said Saturday was a “sad day” for democracy. She added she felt “insulted” by the Trump administration’s actions.
However, Kathe Ford added that the protest provided a definitive course of action for all those who believe in democracy — a sentiment shared by event organizers who described it as a “jump start” for political action.
“Just show up and keep working afterwards, too.” Kathe Ford said. “Being a presence is important, and doing it together is great.”
Clarification: This article has been updated to note that Susan Sidell is a member of the Indivisible Evanston leadership team and one of many event organizers. It also has been updated to note Indivisible Evanston’s amount of sign-ups received and crowd estimates.
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