Rush hour sounded different on the Church Street overpass Friday — a chorus of honks for protesters waving anti-Trump signs and American flags above I-94.
For the past month, protesters have gathered at I-94 overpasses every Friday to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Chicago area.
North Shore Says NO! began organizing these protests in September, following the Trump administration’s announcement of Operation Midway Blitz — a major immigration enforcement action that marked a surge in ICE activity around Chicago.
“This feels like life or death for our democracy,” 2nd Ward resident Nancy Bruski said. “I mean, end times. We’re talking end times.”
Bruski, who has been involved in political activism since the 1968 presidential election, proposed the idea of overpass protests to North Shore Says NO! She then scoped out prime locations with her husband, she said.
Demonstrations have taken place on Winnetka Avenue, Glenview Road, Church Street and Pratt Avenue throughout September during rush hour traffic, from 7-9 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m.
The response from passersby was “overwhelmingly” positive, Bruski said. She recalled a previous protest when two women were driving by and spontaneously decided to join them.
“My goal is to get as many people off their asses as possible,” Bruski said.
The protests were originally planned to end within the month, but enthusiasm from volunteers led to the demonstrations being extended through October, Bruski said. North Shore Says NO! will protest at the overpasses on Church Street and Glenview Road every Friday for the rest of the month.
Protest shift captain Herb Brenner has protested all four weeks so far and encouraged people to continue showing up.
“More people need to do this because otherwise you just feel helpless,” Brenner said. “It’s important to do something, any little thing, to protest and let people know we don’t want an autocracy in this country.”
Around two dozen protesters, mostly older participants, gathered at the Church Street demonstration on Friday afternoon.
“I don’t know if this is a great example because we’re all of the same age, color and hair color: gray,” 3rd Ward resident and community activist Joan Rothenberg said.
There were some young children present, including Evanston first grader Olivia Jennetten, who came to the overpass with her mother after school. Carrying a sign reading “NO ICE, NO KING, ONLY DEMOCRACY,” Jennetten said she just liked to hear the cars honk.
Bruski agreed that the demographics of the protests skewed old and emphasized the need for younger community members to participate.
“We need younger people,” Bruski said. “We need more Northwestern students to work with us because we’re old, and you’re the ones who are going to be dealing with this world. We’re gonna be dead, and you need to deal with this s–t.”
Evanston resident Joanne Davis said the ICE detentions are symptomatic of a broader policy of cruelty being carried out by the Trump administration.
Davis said she hopes the 2026 midterms will prove to be a turning point for the Trump administration and that protests like these will help turn the tide of public opinion.
“If President Trump were here right now, I would say, ‘Sir, I think you should refer to a page in one of your golden Bibles where it says, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,’” Davis said.
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