Days after President Donald Trump posted on social media that Mayor Brandon Johnson “should be in jail for failing to protect” immigration officers, Johnson struck a defiant tone to thousands gathered in Grant Park on Saturday, saying he will not “bend, bow or cower” to authoritarianism.
“The attempt to divide and conquer this nation will not prevail,” Johnson said at the “No Kings” rally in the Loop, one of numerous events underway this weekend to show opposition to the Trump administration’s policies, particularly its increasingly aggressive immigration efforts that have been active in the region and elsewhere.
“When the people are united, justice always prevails,” said Johnson, a Democrat who went on to criticize the Republican president’s deportation campaign.
“Donald Trump is using ICE as his private, militarized occupying force,” Johnson said. “But we are saying emphatically clear: we do not want troops in our city.”
By 1:30 p.m., thousands of protesters in Grant Park were starting to line up for a march through the Loop.
Their 2.5-mile route was expected to go past Trump Tower at Wabash Avenue and the Chicago River, and south to Federal Plaza toward the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Ida B. Wells Drive, before turning back toward Grant Park — named for long-ago president and general Ulysses S. Grant who helped preserve the Union during the Civil War.
While an official crowd count wasn’t immediately available for the gathering, it was surely in the tens of thousands. Helicopter footage showed a sprawling gathering on parkland that just months ago was home to a more festive event: Lollapalooza.
Despite the serious undertones of that rally and others, some of the protesters enlisted a measure of whimsy in conveying their messages of inclusivity and kindness and free speech.
Some dressed up in costumes, depicting themselves as clowns, dragons, unicorns and even the owl from the classic 1970s Tootsie Pop commercial.
Many held signs with messages such as “ICE out” and “Hands off.” Others waved American and Mexican flags.
In Little Village, a heavily Mexican American neighborhood on Chicago’s Near Southwest Side, another demonstration was underway, with some of the protest signs bearing biting humor.
“Big Man Little Dignity” one read, with a cartoonish image of Trump crossed out.
Maja Sandstrom organized Little Village’s “No Kings” rally in hopes of encouraging residents to voice their opinions without having to stray too far from the safety of their homes.
Sandstrom said many of her neighbors have been targeted in recent raids, leaving many residents afraid to leave their homes.
“I decided to put together this event for Little Village to hopefully give people a chance to voice their opinion, stand in community and stand up against the targeted fear-mongering that this administration is really trying to deliver to people who are empathetic and just wanting to raise their voice,” she said.
Sandstrom said she was surprised by the turnout as hundreds of residents holding up signs and flags and blowing on whistles stretched along 26th Street — where Little Village’s arch serves as a community icon, and served as a backdrop to the event.
Meanwhile, scores of people gathered in Oz Park on the North Side this morning for a family friendly “No Kings” rally organized by Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) and the group Moms for Democracy. Many of the families in attendance saw it as a safer alternative to the larger “No Kings” rally downtown.
Jamin Townsley from Humboldt Park attended the rally with his 2-year-old daughter, Romi, who sat on his shoulders in a princess dress.
Ahead of the rally, he helped her put together a pink spray-painted sign that said: “No Kings, only princesses.”
Other events were held in Highland Park, Park Ridge, and in several towns in DuPage County.
“This protest is about folks who love America and who want to hold our elected officials accountable and responsible for making this country live up to the promise of maintaining freedom, liberties and diversity,” said Channing Lynne Parker, CEO of Equality Illinois, one of the organizations leading the Grant Park event.
“All of those things that make up America, that’s who we are. And to roll those things back is an affront to all of the individuals who have fought, bled and died for not only this country, but for the people who live in it.”
Saturday’s protests aren’t just local but also in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, San Francisco and more than 2,000 locales across the country in a “nationwide day of defiance.”
Republican leaders, including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), have slammed the protest as a “Hate America Rally.”
Republican governors in Texas and Virginia have said they are ready to use the National Guard to respond to “acts of violence or damaging property” during the protest.
The Chicago rally comes four months after the first “No Kings” protest, which drew about 15,000 to downtown and more to the suburbs, according to estimates. The June protest was meant to counter a military parade in Washington to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 79th birthday.
Trump also had recently threatened Gov. JB Pritzker with jail in a social media post, and the Democrat closed out the Grant Park rally to a rousing round of applause: “Donald Trump, stay the hell out of Chicago!” he shouted.
Contributing: Mohammad Samra, Somer Van Benton, Casey He, Erica Thompson, Anna Savchenko, Cindy Hernandez, Lynn Sweet, Mitch Armentrout, Robert Herguth