Protesters in Bloomington chanted “deport Trump” and “Hey, ho-ho, Donald Trump has got to go” on Saturday in the second of a series of nationwide protests against Trump administration policies.
They gathered outside the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, the site of a similar protest April 5. A group called Blo-No Activists, part of the 50501 movement, says it organized the event.
A chief concern among attendees was the violation of Constitutional rights.
Jodie Slothower, leader of the local Indivisible chapter Voices of Reason, a progressive advocacy group, said people are gathering to stand up for their First Amendment rights.
“They’re standing up against the chaos of the current administration, they’re standing up for American values. I’m concerned that so many things that are considered fundamentally American are being slashed or taken away," Slothower said.
Brad Bell, a member of Voices of Reason and the Unitarian Universalist Church, helped spread the word about the rally.
“Our democracy is under threat. The entire Constitution is being trampled on. There are over 150 court cases for all these lawless actions that are going on, and our country is being taken over by frauds. We the people have to show up and show our support so that lawmakers and judges, and other people in power, know that they have our support," Bell said.
Several attendees held signs demanding Kilmar Abrego Garcia be returned home. Abrego Garcia was apprehended by ICE in Maryland and mistakenly deported to CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
Della Jacobs, a Champaign resident of Hispanic ancestry, held a sign that read, “I just look illegal.” The sign was made in response to feeling targeted based on racial profiling, Jacobs said.
“I think it’s horrible what they’re doing with the Venezuelans — all the immigrants in the United States. Anybody who is here in our country is under our rules and laws and it should be respected," Jacobs said.
Normal Town Council member Karyn Smith also attended.
“I’m here today because my Jewish father-in-law’s family fled Russia to escape Russian pogroms. My father served as a Marine in the Pacific in the second World War," Smith said. "I don’t think either of them would recognize the country we have today, and I doubt if my father would have risked his life for what is going on in Washington now.”
One veteran’s sign read “Veterans Against Trump.” Steven Haustein served 27 years in the Army, and he feels that Trump has attacked veterans.
“His comments in the past, his actions in the VA. Veterans are a group that need to be protected. We sacrificed for the freedom that everyone enjoys and is enshrined in our Constitution. We’re trying to defend that against Trump," Haustein said.
Haustein referenced comments regarding fallen soldiers reportedly made by Trump during his first term. Trump denied the allegations reported by The Atlantic in September 2020.
Haustein said more needs to be done.
"Veterans are not a unified voting bloc. We’re dispersed all over the country, so we’re an easy target. We need to be protected," he said.
More protests are planned in the days to come. Jacobs said she plans on travelling back to Bloomington for a protest planned in May.
