Signs at the ready, thousands packed Dawes Park for a “No Kings” rally Saturday morning, joining the nationwide movement calling for accountability from the federal government. Protesters later marched around the lakefront, the temperature hovering near freezing.
Several federal, state and local politicians were in attendance, including U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) and Illinois House Majority Leader and State Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston). Mayor Daniel Biss, City Clerk Stephanie Mendoza and ACLU of Illinois Executive Director Colleen Connell all spoke at the rally.
Throughout the event, which was organized by progressive political group Indivisible Evanston, activists passed out flyers with action items before November’s midterm elections and yellow paisley-patterned scarves, as the color has come to symbolize unity and anti-authoritarianism at these rallies.
In his remarks, Biss slammed the conflict in Iran, calling it “an unjust, illegal, deranged war,” and reminded the crowd that the solidarity movement was growing.
“It’s not only about voting,” Biss said. “It’s about standing up. It’s about fighting. It’s about marching. It’s about showing up. It’s about demonstrating this beautiful, diverse movement of people demanding something different.”
The sheer number of rallies around the country — and the world — stood out to Indivisible Evanston co-leader Susan Sidell. Over 3,000 rallies took place across the country and internationally, according to The Guardian.
Evanston’s large turnout was not particularly shocking to Sidell, but she said she believes many may have attended other protests in the area.
“We’ve had this number here before — a lot of the people that might have come here also went to Wilmette and Glenview and Northbrook and so forth,” Sidell said. “We’re delighted to know that these other rallies are taking place.”
The rally and march also included performances by Singing Resistance Evanston and S.O.U.L. Creations. SRE sang “We Are Here” by Sarina Partridge, the leader of Minneapolis’ Singing Resistance, and “Lead With Love” by Minnesota-based artist Melanie DeMore.
Fourth Ward resident Melody Oleary said she expected there to be “quite a lot of pressure” on the current administration as a result of the nationwide rallies.
“This is the time to protest and demand there are no kings who are unaccountable in our federal government — among many other things that are wrong with the current administration,” Oleary said.
Biss, the Democratic nominee in the race to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, told The Daily that he believes too many people see “the role of activism and the role of government in different universes.”
He said it’s important to him to be a part of “resistance movements” right now, adding that he hopes to be a “partner of activists and organizers on the ground” to bring about progressive legislation.
“We need government leaders who are themselves organizers, (and) organizers on the ground who are partners in the efforts to change policy,” Biss said.
A row of posters was nestled in the middle of the crowd, featuring the names and photos of those who had died at the hands of federal agents or in their custody in the last year, according to organizers. Among them were Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens shot in Minnesota whose deaths sparked national backlash.
The display resonated with Indivisible Evanston co-leader Shelley Sutherland on “a different level” than speeches and marches, she told The Daily.
“These are people who should still be alive, people who have families,” Sutherland said. “Some who are here legally and should never have been in the situation that they were in.”
Although Illinois is not a “voter suppression state,” according to Connell, she warned the crowd about voter disenfranchisement across the country. Connell condemned the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which she said would “disenfranchise more than 22 million American voters” if passed.
The SAVE Act would require voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Mendoza spoke about the fear that many immigrant families are experiencing, stressing that “our children deserve to be children” and that no one should live in fear because of their background.
She said she moved to Evanston from a place where she felt unsafe so she could give her children a better childhood and called on the community to stand up for their immigrant neighbors.
“We’re raising children who are supposed to feel safe,” Mendoza said. “We’re raising good children who are compassionate. If you are not upset that our kids just can’t hang out after school without fear, you should be.”
Evanston Community Cares also set up a collections tent at Saturday’s rally, which Sidell said would help neighbors who have been so “drastically impacted” by current events and do not feel safe leaving their homes.
“This community is sticking together and making sure that they’re fed and clothed, and that we can walk their children to school,” Sidell said. “The important thing is we’re staying together.”
Navya Singh contributed reporting.
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— Evanston ‘No Kings’ protest draws thousands to protest against Trump’s policies
— Indivisible Evanston unites in ‘No Kings’ protests
— Chicago’s ‘No Kings’ protesters don stars and stripes on Flag Day
