Chicago's Massive No Kings March Stretches Two Miles Through Loop
DOWNTOWN — With the city caught in the country's largest immigration enforcement operation, tens of thousands of Chicagoans flooded Downtown on Saturday to condemn the Trump administration. This was part of the second nationwide No Kings protest.
The march stretched a full two miles, from south of Washington Boulevard up Michigan Avenue to Wacker Drive and back south along Clark Street and Jackson Boulevard to Grant Park's Butler Field, where it had begun hours earlier. The Chicago No Kings protest in June drew a crowd of an estimated 75,000 people Downtown.
The Saturday event kicked off around noon with a rally in Butler Field at the Petrillo Music Shell. Thousands of people converged on the lakefront park well before noon to hear from speakers including Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Pritzker walked out to chants of 'JB!' from the crowd, which packed the field from end to end. He emphasized the need for resistance against tyranny, stating, 'We will never surrender! Throughout history, we've learned that tyranny doesn't arrive with dramatic proclamations; it comes wrapped in 'law and order.' Here in Chicago, Black and Brown people are being targeted for the color of their skin, children are being zip-tied and separated from their families. These people are not abstractions; they pay taxes, work hard, and are the fabric of our society.'
As 'U.S.A!' chants erupted, Pritzker called on Chicagoans to unite against the Trump administration's actions, stating, 'Peaceful, democratic resistance is always scary for authoritarians. We in Chicago are not afraid to stand up... today, we resist more than just Donald Trump's attacks on democracy, and he knows it.'
Johnson added, 'They want a rematch of the Civil War, but we stand firm and committed. We will not bend or cower. The attempt to divide and conquer this nation will not prevail, because when the people are united, justice always prevails.'
The crowd, carrying hand-lettered signs with slogans like 'When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty,' 'No crown for the orange clown,' and 'Hate does not make America great,' spilled out onto Downtown streets after 1 p.m. Despite initial confusion about the route, the destination was Wacker Drive across from Trump Tower, 401 N. Wabash Ave. After rallying there, the crowd was expected to circle back to Butler Field.
One protester, Paulina, a Chicago resident, shared her motivation: 'It's my duty to do this as a Mexican American with citizenship here. I've seen terrifying realities on social media, but being here with protesters of all ages and abilities takes the fear out.'
A line of police officers with bicycles guided demonstrators north on Michigan Avenue, while bystanders cheered on the protest.
Kurt, a Brighton Park resident, who declined to share his last name for safety reasons, mentioned that Saturday's protest was his first since the 1990 protests against the Gulf War. He was inspired to attend after being hit with tear gas in his neighborhood, stating, 'That's why I'm here. They're kidnapping people off the streets in my neighborhood, and it feels like a ghost town. People are scared, and I'm angry. History is repeating itself, and this feels like Nazi Germany. I carry my birth certificate now out of fear of what they might do.'
Kurt revealed surgical scarring on his wrists, explaining, 'I can't get zip-tied. I'm disabled, and they could hurt me and mess up my wrists.'
The No Kings protest in Chicago was one of many held across the United States on Saturday. The Downtown rally aimed to show President Donald Trump and his administration that there is unified opposition to 'illegal and unnecessary attacks against our neighbors, our communities, and our democracy,' according to an organizing page.
A group of protesters, some dressed in inflatable costumes, brought a custom-made piñata decorated to look like an ICE agent to the march. One protester, Oli from West Chicago, said, 'We've been protesting at Broadview, and we've seen everything firsthand regarding how these savages are behaving. People get to punch him, and there are treats in there eventually.'
Oli, who, along with her friends, declined to have her last name used due to safety concerns, mentioned that they started protesting at the ICE detention center in Broadview after seeing how federal agents treated other immigrants in the Chicago area. She added, 'Masked men are kidnapping people off the streets, out of school parking lots, and from their homes. I come from an immigrant family and am an immigrant myself, so I have the voice and ability to spread awareness, which motivates me.'
The protest and march occurred as the Trump administration's large-scale immigration operations in Chicago, ICE's Midway Blitz and Customs and Border Patrol's At Large, entered their second month. More than 1,000 people have been arrested during Operation Midway Blitz, according to Russell Hott, the former ICE field director in Chicago. Since the operations began, federal agents have shot at least two people, killed one, repeatedly tear-gassed protesters and first responders, shot rubber bullets at protesters, detained U.S. citizens, including children, handcuffed a Chicago alderperson in a hospital, smoke-bombed and tear-gassed people in Logan Square, Albany Park, and East Side, and fired a chemical weapon at a TV reporter, detaining a journalist.
