Saturday’s No Kings rally brought passion and spirit to the steps of the Illinois Statehouse, although the crowd was smaller than previous events held to protest the Trump administration.
The Oct. 17 event focused on voting rights and promoting voting early ahead of the midterm elections. Some attendees dressed up as suffragist leaders, including Peggy Cormeny with Capital City Illinois Indivisible Group, who was one of the organizers of the rally.
She paid homage to Alice Paul, a young suffragette of the early 1900s with a Quaker background who organized silent protests in front of the White House during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, Cormeny said. They carried huge banners that read: “Dear Mr. President, when are women going to get the right to vote?”
“The police would come and try and take their banners, and they wouldn’t let them take the banners,” Cormeny said. “So they were put in jail, and then, they went on hunger strikes.”
Cormeny said she was moved by Paul’s commitment. “She was determined to make it happen, and she fought the rest of her life for women’s rights,” she said.
Attendees cited several of the Trump administration’s policies and actions that spurred them to take part in the rally.
Maribel Cruz-Hine criticized President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda with her sign that read: “Abolish ICE, No human is illegal.”
“It has the KKK, the swastika, because that’s how it feels right now in this country,” said Cruz-Hine, who is the co-chair for the Land of Lincoln Democratic Socialist of America and served as another organizer for the rally.
“It feels like if you’re a person of color, you’re targeted. It doesn’t matter where you come from.”
Regarding her sign, she said, “They’re undocumented. Undocumented people – it’s not even a criminal offense, it’s a civil offense. So why are we targeting our neighbors?”
Performers played protest songs in between speeches encouraging people to vote.
Phil Blazich broke up quieter moments in the rally with chants.
“We got this (rally) right before the election, there should be a million people right here against Trump right now speaking out,” Blazich said. Instead, he said there’s a small crowd.
“It makes me upset because they should be here; they should care about America,” he said.
Blazich said he’s concerned about cases of immigrants and citizens alike having their constitutional rights violated. “I don’t see the reason why people get snatched out of their houses,” he said. “That’s not fair, that’s not right.”
He’s running as a Democrat for the Montgomery County Board District 2 seat and said if he wins, he’d be the only Democrat on the board.
“Whether I win or lose, I’m going to give him a good fight,” he said.
Several people wore shirts in support of Jennifer Todd, the Democrat running against MAGA Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller for the 15th District.
While much of the focus was on national issues at the rally, there was also room for local campaigning for Sangamon County Board races.
Roz Stein said she’s supporting Patricia Hayes, a write-in candidate running against District 23 Sangamon County Board member Tony DelGiorno. He serves as the Democratic Caucus leader, but Stein said she’s against the incumbent because “he’s supportive of the data center.”
“And, I believe, just like Patty does, they (Sangamon County Board) rushed into this and they pushed it through, and he helped to push it through,” Stein said. “But there’s so much about those data centers that people are not finding out.”
Linda Rendleman leaned on a large sign that her friend made highlighting the growth in the budget deficit under Trump.
“I was doing fine once Biden got elected and we were done with Trump,” Rendleman said.
“I really could start breathing again, and then Trump got reelected and it’s like, oh my God. So, I’m seeing my doctors a little more often.”
Another attendee told Illinois Times how the Trump presidency impacts the dynamic in his family.
“My kids are all mad at me because I can’t stop talking about my displeasure of (Trump),” Rick Griminger said. “So, now I can’t talk about Mr. Trump in front of my kids anymore.”
While he’s silent at home, he said, “Today I can express my feelings.”
This was really heartwarming to see. Special needs adults and the mentally ill need human connection just like everyone else. I’m glad they are able to find it so easily at the “no kings” rallies!