Hundreds of protesters lined streets in downtown Elgin Saturday for a “No Kings” rally at which they expressed anger and frustration over President Donald J. Trump’s policies and actions on immigration enforcement, the government shutdown, the economy and other issues.
“This is what democracy looks like,” said Belen Huerta, who used a microphone sound system to make her message heard.
Similar No Kings rallies were held all over the country Saturday, the second such gathering since June. The movement’s message, according to its website, is to make it clear that America does not belong to “kings, dictators or tyrants.” More than 2,500 events were planned, with protests to be held in every state and Puerto Rico.
Elgin’s No Kings rally on Kimball Street and North Grove Avenue brought out people dressed as dinosaurs and in other costumes and carrying signs with messages such as “Stop Hurting Our People,” “This Ends When Enough of Us Say No” and “I need to tell my grandkids I did not stay silent.”
Kaye Gamble’s sign featured photos of her father, Marion Hamman, a World War II Army veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. It read, “I’m Fighting Fascism Like My Dad Did in World War II.”
Gamble said her cause is the same as her dad’s.
“I want to honor him. I know he would’ve supported this purpose against fascism,” she said.
As protesters chanted, cars driving by honked their horns in solidarity. Musician Kevin Lambe played protest songs from the 1960s and ’70s, which he said remain relevant today.
The reasons people turned out for the rally were as different as the signs they held. Many said they were angry with and opposed to the myriad actions Trump has taken since being sworn in for a second term in January.
“Everything he does is illegal,” said Linnea Carlson, whose sign said, “No Kings Since 1776.”
Huerta, who became a U.S. citizen in 2021, said her chief issue was Trump’s immigration enforcement and the fears people are facing as agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement target towns like Elgin and Carpentersville, with large Hispanic populations, as part of Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz.
“I know what it means to be an immigrant. I know how difficult it is to become a citizen,” Huerta said. “It’s very heartbreaking to know that people who come here and work very hard to make America the best country it can be are being taken away from their families.”
Knowing she was not alone in her outrage and frustration felt good, she said.
“If you look all around, this is what America is,” she said. “This is what it’s always been. This is the America I knew existed; this is the America I’m witnessing; this is the America I want to be part of.”
Elgin Community College student Nicole Torres said federal agents recently detained a student on school grounds.
“It caused a lot of us, including me, to be distraught,” said Torres, a member of the Organization of Latin American Students. “We just have to fight back. It’s something very important, especially because Elgin is a heavily populated Latino community. A lot of people I know are being affected by this.
“Families should not be torn apart,” Torres said. “I don’t think it makes America great.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
