CHICAGO – At “No Kings” protests in small towns and big cities across the United States today, people gathered to cheer, curse, wave flags, dress in costume and wave signs in a show of support for democracy and against President Donald Trump.
Michael Philip, who dressed up as a penguin during the protest in Evanston, Illinois, said he was inspired by people in Portland, Oregon, who had protested in costumes.
“I call it tactical frivolity,” said Philip. “I’m purposely making light of the Trump administration.”
Chicago, Illinios
A boisterous crowd that started at Grant Park marched through the streets in the heart of Chicago and poured out their frustration about the current administration.
Near the Trump International Hotel and Tower, 9-year-old Zeke Resnick-Miller spoke into a microphone because, he said, he “wanted everyone to hear what bad things were going on.”
His mother, Sarah Garza Resnick, said, “I think kids have the most to lose, because this is their future. That’s why I’m out here, because I’m a mom, and I want my children to not live under authoritarianism.”
Children, she said, know right and wrong and are an “honest reflection” of what’s happening in the country.
“I don’t like Donald Trump,” said Resnick-Miller. “He’s doing bad things. He’s kidnapping people.”
Raquel Edwards, a mother and Chicago resident, said she wanted her daughter to understand what peaceful protest looks like so she will become an activist, too.
“The government is being taken over by a … deranged man who doesn’t know what he’s doing,” said Edwards. “He has not read a civics book ever in his life.
Mia Ramahi, a 17-year-old Mexican-Palestinian teenager, said she was protesting what is happening in Sudan, Palestine and Mexico.
“There’s people in other countries who can’t speak out how I can speak out and who get killed for speaking out,” Ramahi said. “So my heritage makes me take pride in coming out here.”
Images from the Chicago protest. (Aniva Vyas/YJI)
Lucy Campbell of the Washington, DC area, is a senior at the University of Chicago. She said she is afraid for the future and wants agents from Immigration Customs and Enforcement out of Chicago.
Campbell, who attended the Chicago protest, said, “The First Amendment is a privilege that should be exercised as often as possible.”
Bowie, Maryland
The “No Kings” protest held in front of the Bowie Public Library attracted supporters from across Maryland, including Ingrid Crepeau of Silver Spring.
Crepeau, a visual artist, said she attended the protest in Bowie instead of a larger demonstration in Washington, D.C. because of a friend’s recommendation and its intimacy.
The smaller site also made it more feasible to transport “King Rump” — a roughly 11-foot sculpture, depicting Trump sitting on a golden toilet with a strained expression.
Crepeau said she was inspired by the common caricatures of President Trump like a “long nose” and “poopy” expression and spent three weeks crafting “King Rump” entirely out of cardboard boxes.
“I am thrilled by how many young people are here,” said Crepeau, who said she usually only sees older people among the protesters.
Bowie’s protesters lined opposite sides of the roads, some holding pun-filled signs and wearing accompanying clothing. A T-rex gripped a “We can’t let democracy go extinct” sign.
A crab – the state’s famous crustacean — waved the Maryland flag while leading the chant, “This is democracy. No kings!”
Others rang bells, tapped together sticks, and played the drums.
Tasha Tobias, a teacher from Bowie, said the music was part of “bringing rhythm” to the protest. It “evokes a spiritual feeling,” Tobias said.
Tobias, who is “sick of” the government’s actions towards education and democracy, said, “It feels like we’re going back. People here have lived through this history before. We’re not going back.”
The “No Kings” protest was organized by Indivisible Bowie and Beyond, an organization which aims to mobilize and defend the rights of Americans.
Liz Enagonio, is a co-leader of Indivisible Bowie and Beyond and was a lead organizer of this ‘No Kings’ protest.
Pointing to the crowd, Enagonio said she was protesting to ensure democracy is for “We the people. This is America. We are America.”
Jasmine Dollup, an archaeologist from Bowie, said she feels like everything America has built is being “destroyed.” She protested Saturday, she said, to “protect democracy.”
Lewiston-Auburn, Maine
Accompanied by occasional chants and songs, and supported by the honking of passing cars, Lewiston-Auburn’s “No Kings” protest on Saturday afternoon remained peaceful — and colorful.
Dressed as a lobster, Maine’s iconic symbol, protester Terry Gwinner from Hebron, Maine, said she came to the protest because she believes that as a nation, people need to recognize their differences — and that their similarities are what bring them together.
Proudly displaying her costume and sign, she was one of more than 1,000 protesters attending the demonstration.
Jane Collins, a retired teacher, said she and several of her friends joined the protest because they love democracy, believe in freedom, and support everything good about civil rights.
“I am also here in honor of my dad, who fought in World War II against fascism,” Collins said. “I believe it’s so important for the future of our country to be here today.”
The protest, aimed at Donald Trump’s administration, was also attended by Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who has made headlines for standing up to the president at the White House in February. Mills recently announced her decision to join the U.S. Senate race to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, Maine’s longtime Republican senator.
Mills said she came to the protest Saturday “to defend the Constitution and the things that are at risk — our rights, healthcare, and education. These are the things this president and his administration are tearing apart, and I want to stand up to that.”
The crowd, filled with colorful signs and creative costumes, turned the bridge on which the protest took place into a lively sea of American flags and protest signs.
Evanston, Illinois
The protest here drew a large crowd to Fountain Square. Though many were Evanston residents, some came from neighboring cities such as Skokie to support.
Elizabeth Clarke, Founder and President of the Juvenile Justice Initiative, said she is “deeply concerned” by what the federal government is doing.
“Sweeping up people without any reason, locking them up,” Clarke said. “We need due process, we need fundamental rights, we need liberty and justice for all.”
That people are being stopped based on what they look like is “shocking.”
“It’s a human right to not be stopped, to have liberty, to not be stopped without good cause,” Clarke said.
Skokie mother Criselda Ruiz, brought her children to the protest in Evanston.
“I felt like it was really important for [my kids] to see this and to be part of this,” said Ruiz. “I don’t think you’re ever really too young.”
Ruiz continued.
“We’re teaching them to be good people in all the ways that the leadership in this country is not practicing,” Ruiz said. “It’s important for them to know that grown-ups make mistakes, they do the wrong things all the time, but you always have to work to make it right. And all these things, all these good things that we can take for granted, you have to work for it. I mean, right now this is the greatest threat to our democracy while I’ve been alive.”
Ruiz said everyone living here, citizen or not, should stand up for their neighbors and community.
“We make America. And people like Trump, other people in this administration, they try to say that America is a certain way, and they’re wrong,” said Ruiz. “I’m an immigrant. I wasn’t born here. And, you know, my parents left a dictatorship to come here. But I think that’s kind of beside the point because it doesn’t really matter why we’re here. We’re here. And we have to show up for each other if we want to keep all the good things here that we appreciate.”
Philip, who wore the penguin costume, had an upbeat take on the day.
“Go America!” Philip said. “This is not an ‘I hate America’ rally like [House Speaker] Mike Johnson is trying to portray it. This is clearly all patriots.”
Dorothy Quanteh is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International. She reported from Maryland, U.S.A.
Samantha Esquivel is a Senior Reporter with Youth Journalism International. She reported from Evanston and Chicago, Illinois.
Lina Marie Schulenkorf is a Correspondent with Youth Journalism International. She reported from Lewiston-Auburn, Maine.
Aniva Vyas is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International. She contributed reporting from Chicago.
