It looks like the “March on Bloomington” was no march at all.
A WGLT reporter at both Miller Park and Downtown Bloomington early Saturday found only counter-protesters. They hoped to counter whoever showed up for the March on Bloomington that was advertised two weeks ago on circulating flyers that featured a swastika-like icon and a promise to “claim Illinois for real citizens” following Republican victories in federal and local elections.
The flyers called for the March on Bloomington to gather at 7 a.m. Saturday at Miller Park and then proceed to the farmers market downtown. By 6:30 a.m., the group Punks Against Trump had already turned out nearly 100 counter-protesters near Grossinger Motors Arena, a few blocks from the farmers market. Several were decked out in “Blues Brothers” cosplay and signs, a reference to John Belushi’s line from the film, “I hate Illinois Nazis.”
“We saw those flyers and were like, ‘Absolutely not,’” said Oriah Matich, leader of Punks Against Trump. They organized the counter-protest along with several partner organizations.
Matich said they thought “almost nonstop” about the possibility that the flyers were bogus — that there was no actual March on Bloomington planned, only an intention to rile people up.
“Regardless of whether it’s real, it’s still worth it to be here,” Matich said. “The alternative is that they come and nobody’s here. It’s better safe than sorry.”
Joining the Punks counter-protest was a Gigi, a young person from Bloomington-Normal. Gigi said they wanted to support “those who are different” and to make it clear that Bloomington-Normal “does not stand for racism, bigotry and hatred.”
“We’re here to say that there is no such thing as true citizenship,” Gigi said. “Everyone is here because they deserve to be. They shouldn’t be made to feel othered because of that.”
There was no large crowd at Miller Park at 7 a.m. – only a smattering of counter-protesters and curious neighbors who converged near the entrance on Wood Street. The rest of the park was empty, except for a few people fishing or walking their dog.
Some of those who showed up said they lived nearby, and they wanted to make it clear that “Nazis were not f---ing welcome in my neighborhood.”
Ryan Edwards Bertrand was there to counter the possible march. He said it’s important to “address this sort of mindset early on.”
“I don’t think a majority of people welcome that mindset, but if people who are Nazis and believe that way are allowed to voice their opinion or take action without hearing any opposition or seeing any opposition, they can quickly start to get more power,” Bertrand said.
Bertrand also didn’t think the flyers were “terribly serious.”
“It’s not surprising to me that we can’t find them right now [at Miller Park],” he said. “But if it was something real, then it can quickly get out of hand.”
It’s still unclear who made the flyers in the first place. They led, in part, to Bloomington city officials being asked to fill out pledge cards for Not In Our Town this week, viewed as an expression of unity in regard to public safety. The pledge is made against intolerance and bigotry.
Downtown rally
Several other groups, including Not In Our Town, Prairie Pride Coalition, the American Civil Liberties Union, and 50501, staged a rally following reports of a planned March on Bloomington rally.
The rally on the lawn outside the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts was largely an anti-Trump protest, the latest in a series of gatherings held there since Trump’s second inauguration.
Crowds lined the lawn along East Street holding signs that read “We the people make America great,” “Honk Against Hatred” and “Not in our country, never.”
Aaron Watson of Normal, who works in healthcare client services, held a sign comparing the cost of sending National Guard troops as the Trump administration has done in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles [and is considering for Chicago], versus spending on homeless services.
He said the online rumors about a rally for Nazi sympathizers helped motivate him to join a counter demonstration.
“It also builds a sense of community that how I’m feeling about this situation, I’m not alone,” Watson said.
Sisters Georgia and Katherine Philippe of Normal wore matching homemade hats made to look like chickens with TACO inscribed on the side. TACO is the acronym for "Trump always chickens out," a critique of the administration’s constantly shifting tariffs.
Georgia, a retired jeweler, said she’s concerned federal Medicaid cuts will hurt rural hospitals. She said her son, who lives in North Carolina, is disabled from his Air Force service and has an autistic son.
“His son needs a lot of care, a lot of help, a lot of training and it’s almost impossible for them to get help,” she said.
Katherine Philippe, a retired high school teacher, held a sign of a purple crown drawing with an X over it.
"No kings, we don’t need one,” she said.
Katherine said cuts to Veterans Affairs clinics is causing care for veterans to suffer. She cited a personal example: a family friend who suffered three concussions in Afghanistan where he served as an Army Ranger.
“It’s harder for him to get to the people that he needs to help him,” she said.
Katherine said she wasn’t sure she was going to come out to a rally after the initial March on Bloomington was reported, but then felt she needed to “not let them show up and take the stage.”
