Copyright Chicago Tribune
Armando Solis, 76, of La Grange Park, was born in Mexico, moved to America as a young man and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He said he was “proud to participate” in a “No Kings’ protest with the crowd that lined La Grange Road for just over three blocks in downtown La Grange on Saturday. Organizers estimated at least 3,000 people showed up. There were young and old, white, Black and Hispanic people in the peaceful protest against President Donald Trump and his policies. Many held signs with witty or derisive slogans. Others chanted “Trump must go.” Drivers of countless vehicles honked their horns to show support. One man played James Brown’s “Living in America” on a loudspeaker. The gathering was one of more than 2,700 rallies held in all 50 states. Organizers estimated 7 million people protested. Similar rallies were held in Chicago, other suburbs, and around the world. About a half-hour after the 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. rally, Solis said “I’ve never seen so many people in a rally like this here in La Grange. I’m proud, proud to participate. Solis, retired after 43 years as an optical technician, worries when he sees TV reports of ICE agents pulling people out of cars in the Chicago area. Often, those people are Hispanic, he said. “It’s not fair. Why are they more aggressive with us? Why? … As a Mexican-American, my ancestors contributed a lot. A lot,” Solis said. While Solis thinks protests “definitely” will be heard by Trump, he noted the President “has the power and the money. And that’s not good.” There was no place Bill Westrick, 63, of La Grange, would have rather been than at the No Kings rally, holding a sign urging “protect our freedom of speech.” “Nothing is more important than this. Seriously. We are at a total inflection point in our democracy, our nation. And we need to stand up for what’s right,” he said. Westrick, who works in the IT industry, bristled when reminded that many Republicans, including the Speaker of the House, claimed the “No Kings” rallies were “hate America” rallies. “Totally opposite. 180 degrees. We love America. We love our Constitution. We’re loyal to our Constitution, not an individual who’s out for revenge against his enemies,” Westrick said. There were even a few four-legged protestors. Willow, a 2-year-old English cream golden retriever, attended with her owners, Linda and Dale Bueghly, of Westmont. Linda, 71, held a sign reading “My dog is smarter than Trump.” “She can keep her mouth shut. She doesn’t bark,” Linda said. “I want to save this country for my grandkids. I have five, from age 15 to 9. They deserve a free America. They deserve a place where they can feel safe. And this is not happening right now,” Linda said. “I don’t feel safe for people around me who are a different color than I am. That’s the worst part,” she added. Her parents immigrated from Eastern Europe. Her step-father, Josef Hasil, helped people flee communist Czechoslovakia in the1950s. “I feel we’re heading down that road, where you’re going to be afraid that someone is going to come for you or your neighbors soon,” she said. Dale worries about corruption by Trump. “He’s selling shoes. Watches. The grifting is godawful,” Dale, 69, said. “There’s just so many things. If you heard me watching (Trump) on TV, you’d have to leave the room.” La Grange resident Mike Waters, 67, is a member of Indivisible West Suburban Chicago, a grass-roots group that opposes Trump. He wore a bright yellow vest and reminded people to stay on the parkway. “It’s a great turnout. I’m proud of our community for being out here and for making it known that America is not a place for kings,” he said. “Obviously, we love America. We’re out here to make that known. The fact that they portray us as America haters shows how afraid they are of the American people who are trying to protect democracy,” Waters said. The rally “brings people together,” said Sean Kirchman, 25, of Burbank, co-president of the Young Democrats of Lyons Township. “A lot of people are angry here but there’s also a lot of hope. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t be out here,” Kirchman said. His biggest concern is “cuts to federal programs, especially health care. … Day to day lives are going to be affected.” Holding two signs, one that read “America is going to be Trump’s 7th bankruptcy,” Victor Skrobacz, 62, of La Grange Park said it feels like Trump can do whatever he wants. “My biggest concern is the Supreme Court that made him king. He can do anything and not suffer consequences,” he said, referring to a 2024 case in which the court ruled former presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecutions when exercising “core powers” of the office. Skrobacz considers Trump “the worst traitor in American history,” pointing to recent news that Qatar will have an air base in Idaho. “Canada doesn’t have one here. England doesn’t,” he said. For Steve Jones, of La Grange Park, protest meant simply waving a large American flag. “It says it all. You don’t need a sign. This flag stands for independence and freedom. What’s happening is the opposite of that,” Jones said. Jones, 69, is retired from jobs as village administrator in Lemont and Oak Forest. He also was interim city manager in Joliet. He noted that on the local level of politics, compromise is often needed. That’s not found in the current administration, he said. “Trump has always been divide-and-conquer at the expense of the country,” Jones said. Jones thinks “buyer’s remorse” will eventually settle in with Trump supporters when spending cuts to federal programs impacts them. “Where is the accountability of our elected Congress? That’s been more disappointing than the person holding the presidency,” Jones said. The crowd was largest at the intersection of La Grange Road and Cossitt Avenue. As a cacophony of horns sounded in the background, Sallye Branch, 77, of Westchester, explained her sign that said Trump is “always lying” and a “racist.” “He fights against things that are good for people of color, always saying they are not qualified, and they are,” she said. “We have fought for years for the freedom we have now as African Americans, and he’s trying to tear them down.” Earlier this year, Trump signed three executive orders seeking to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the public and private sectors. DEI helps minorities, she said. Branch said the rally “brings back memories from the 1960s.” “I lived in the South, in Mississippi, during most of the ‘60s, so I’m very familiar with what we have to fight for,” she said, recalling the Civil Rights movement. “It was hard work,” she said. “That’s why we are here today. We’re not going to sleep on this.” Her husband, William, 79, worries “but I’m hopeful.” “We will weather the storm because the country is stronger than one man,” said William, who served stateside in the Army during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
