A large crowd packed into public space outside the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday as rallies for “No Kings” Day took place across the nation.
People spilled over the grass borders on all sides onto sidewalks and side streets, holding up signs and urging people to honk if they opposed the agenda of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
Illinois Wesleyan University student Leela Peterson said the rally was important to preserve democracy and to give comfort and aid to close friends of hers, who are immigrants.
“The online world that we live in today feels really isolating. You can get a lot of people telling you you don’t matter, but with the amount of people that came out today all over the United States, we’re not alone,” said Peterson.
Barb Simmons of Normal said she was there for her daughter and son.
“We should have rights. We should be able to say whatever we want and not worry about it,” said Simmons.
“This is the real America where everybody matters, everybody counts. It’s not about hating America, it’s about loving America and doing unto others, our neighbors, as we would want done to ourselves,” said Pam Hodel of Normal.
“I’m here because I believe in democracy. I want my children to have the type of country to live in that I had, and I want to stop what’s currently happening,” added the Rev. Jennie Edwards-Bertrand.
And while protests alone won’t move the needle, such events are important to remind the opposition it is a community, said Bertrand: “It’s overwhelming the way that you feel standing here, watching your friends and neighbors pack in this location. Knowing this is happening around the country is powerful.”
Non-traditional demonstrators
Not all of Saturday's demonstrators came from constituencies that would traditionally be thought of as liberal. Retired attorney Mark Allen of Delavan came with his wife.
“I think the rule of law is important and I’m concerned about the future of our country if we forget those basic principles,” said Allen, adding he has no magic answers for getting back to the way he thinks things should be.
“And I’m afraid we maybe have done some damage to our country and its people and it’s going to be long-lasting,” he said. "It’s not going to be easily reversed. But people need to vote and be heard. That’s why I’m here.”
Allen said history may provide some reason for optimism for Democrats.
“Well, we made it through a Civil War with masterful leadership that we had at that time. Maybe we can survive what we’re going through now. It remains to be seen,” he said.
Vote and act
Chris Cashen said it is important to leverage the energy of demonstrations into voting and other actions.
“If that means boycotting businesses, boycotting individuals, continuing to protest, continuing to be noisy, economic boycotts, if need be, voting with the pocketbook,” said Cashen.
The second Trump administration has seen robust court actions and a Supreme Court that several demonstrators said has expanded presidential powers beyond what is permissible.
“Be careful because when — not if, but when — a Democratic president comes into office, conservatives may rue the day,” said Cashen, though he hoped there will not be an eye-for-an eye mentality.
“Given how cruel some of the conservative actions have been, that’s a terrible thing to consider,” he said.
Zach Carlson said Democrats have not been very vindictive when the pendulum has swung throughout history, though he said there may be an appetite for it in this era as “Trump and the Supreme Court have weakened protections and shown there are ways to get things done in a more aggressive fashion that is un-traditional.”
But he thinks the Democratic appetite for payback among members of the Democratic party is not a majority of the party, “So, I don’t see that vindictiveness coming back the other way around.”
Given that presidential powers have been expanded by high court justices, Carlson thinks it remains an open question how the party moves forward.
“Whether the next Democratic president will be a cautious Obama-style president, or a bolder Teddy Roosevelt or FDR style of president who wants to shake things up remains to be seen,” he said, noting he wants a change maker, not an incremental president.
Caution
Despite the large numbers of people of like-minded people, several demonstrators still showed caution and refused to give their names out of fear of workplace retribution.
“We can’t afford to be singled out. We can barely afford our lives as it is. You certainly can’t afford to be singled out and lose your job,” said a woman who said she worked at a medium-sized business.
“Everything that’s happening right now is entirely against the constitution and the founding of our government, the entire existence of the United States of America. This is not what we are,” said another woman.
“We told the king get lost over 200 years ago. The fact that anyone even wants to entertain that as a way to go forward is completely the antithesis of the reason for our existing. And we are all immigrants. Nobody was here originally except for the first nations people and the fact we are arguing who has a right to be here is just another layer of insanity on the whole thing,” said the first woman.
The narrative
Though demonstrators gathered energy from each other, several were less certain that rallies are useful in showing anything to people on the other side of the political fence.
“If we knew the answer to that, we would be doing it. I’m not sure what this will show to those who are supporting the current harm to our country. All I know is how to show love and try to reduce harm,” said Bertrand.
Others noted that demonstrations and public rebuttals of President Trump by prominent Democrats, such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, still cede rhetorical space to the president because they only say what they oppose, not what they are for.
“Some of it is honestly freaking hilarious, but more is needed,” said Sarah Decker of Normal, adding Democrats have yet to articulate their own message.
“Overall, they need to show they care about people. They care about the children going hungry. They care about the families struggling. They care about people getting health care. They care about rural families having a place to sell the products of their family farm,” said Decker.
She harkened back to the unofficial Clinton-era slogan, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
“Everything comes back to that. It’s giving people the support to go out and earn their living, giving them the support to, when something happens, have a soft place to fall so they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. It’s letting the kids have something to eat so they can actually focus on their studies so they can learn why days like today are important,” said Decker.
