Community members rallied in Urbana as part of the No Kings Day movement, urging government accountability and defense of democracy.
URBANA - A sizeable crowd of protesters carried signs with messages including “End ICE Thuggery,” “Hate Will Not Make U GREAT,” and “No Kings in America” as they gathered in front of the Urbana Courthouse on Main Street. The peaceful two-hour protest drew close to 2,000 people, young and old, who demonstrated against the Trump administration’s attacks on health care, immigration policies, and the threat of using the military against American citizens.
Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Protesters line Vine Street between Main and Illinois solicting honks from supporters in passing vehicles. See more photos in our photo gallery below.
Organizers said there were about 2,600 No Kings demonstrations across the country. While some government officials labeled the protests “hate America rallies,” millions of Americans marched through the streets of major cities in solidarity to show strength in numbers against a government that many feel is drifting toward authoritarianism. There were 75 such rallies scheduled to take place Saturday throughout Illinois. While the number of rallygoers appeared smaller than the June protest in Urbana, the sentiment was the same - central Illinoisans don’t want a king. The rally’s show of unity was co-organized by the ACLU of Champaign County, ACLU of Illinois, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Champaign-Urbana, Champaign County Democrats, Champaign-Urbana Resistance Effort (CURE), Indivisible Illinois, Indivisible Vermilion County, Illini Democrats, and Young Democratic Socialists of America. Gabriella DalSanto, a pre-law student at the University of Illinois in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, told the assembled protesters that despite the amount of hate in the world, their individual lights continued to shine. “Our ancestors had to fight for every single ounce of liberty and justice we are awarded today,” she said. “It is our turn to take on the fight.”
The country wouldn’t be what it is today without its melting pot of people.
Kendell Harrison, a member of Champaign County Indivisible who kicked off the series of remarks and speeches at the rally, said he was worried about the situation in today’s America. “Even though our politicians tell us not to be worried about America, I’m worried because our nation in 2025 is still sick with racism,” he said to protesters under gray skies and comfortable fall T-shirt weather. “Just think about it - the fact that we were a nation built on a principle that all men are created equal, but yet the Supreme Court is voting right now to see if we can still have those rights.” Harrison pointed out that America is a diverse nation of people from many races and that the country wouldn’t be what it is today without its melting pot of people from around the world. “America, be true to what you put on paper,” he said, alluding to the statement in Declaration of Independence. “And let my people grow.”
Urbana's October 'No Kings' photo gallery
Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Inflatable costumes were a popular to Saturday's No Kings protest in Urbana. The costumes were first used in Portland, Oregon, protests and now have become mainstream additions in an effort to keep tensions lower and draw attention without violence.
A protestor shouts at cars pass through the intersection at Main and Vine street in Urbana. While all most two thousand assembeled in Urbana for the national protest, Springfield reportedly had nearly the same number of people at the Abraham Lincoln statue in front of the Illinois Capitol, lining the sidewalks and lawns fronting the Illinois Supreme Court building and the Illinois State Library.
Marchers walk a long Illinois Street near Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday. Forecasted showers held off until after the No Kings protest ended.
LEFT: Tracey Dougan gives the opening remarks at the No Kings protest. CENTER: Protesters applaud during speeches by guest speakers. RIGHT: Protesters young and old brought signs to wave.
Hundreds of protesters gather in front of the Champaign County Courthouse. Around the state Illinois citizens came together for peaceful protests against masked and unidentified agents detaining people, the targeting of journalists, and immigration raids targeting adults and American citizens.
LEFT:Despite a serious threat to the American way of life, protesters found a way to take away the fear through laughter. CENTER: Gabriella DalSanto gives brief remarks at the beginning of the protest. She told the audience, "I understand if your patriotism is shakened right now. The state of our nation is bleak. Our tax dollars are being used for power grabs and authoritarian rule." RIGHT: A man holds a sign with a quote from J.D. Vance that reads, "Trump is America's Hitler".
LEFT: This was the second major No Kings event since Donald Trump was sworn in as the the 47th president. Organizers mobilized around 2,000 protests across the country in June with an estimated 5 million people marching nationwide. While not a King, Trump was convicted of 34 counts of First-degree falsifying business records. CENTER: A rally-goer records a speaker during the early part of the protest. RIGHT: As with June's protest, the sound system was sufficient enough for everyone to hear invited guest speakers. Thirty to forty people lined up along Vine Street in Urbana to give public support to the cause. According to research by Harvard, no government, with one exception of the 2011 Bahrain Uprising, have withstood 3.5% of its population mobilizing against it.
A protester records a moment during the protest's march along the streets around Lincoln Square Mall and the courthouse. Meanwhile in Chicago, the big sister protest enjoyed a procession that was an estimated 2 miles long, start to finish.
LEFT: A woman holds an "I Love America" sign. Republican politicians and talking heads, fearing the 50501 Movements increasing popularity, labeled the demonstrations as "Hate America Rallies". One needed to talk to one or two participants to get a sense of how far of the GOP messaging strayed. CENTER: A couple of hip hippos walk hand-in-hand at the start of the protest march down Main St. in Urbana. RIGHT: A demonstrator carried two signs on trek through the streets of Urbana. The protest was an opportunity for CU residents who believe the Trump administration is needlessly destroying the country they love to come together in solidarity.
LEFT: Popular right-wing social media platforms were beside themselves after the rallies, pointing out that attendance across the nation was overwhelming white baby-boomers. In Urbana, demonstrators of all ages and generations were equally represented. CENTER: The rallies around the country were about more than Trump's dictatorship aspirations, but more about protecting free speech, putting a spotlight on the crackdown on immigration, and weighing in on lawmakers’ government funding discussions. RIGHT: Demonstrators elicited honks from drivers passing them on Vine Street.
Peter Montgomery is a Senior Fellow at People for the American Way. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.
