In cities all over the country, people gathered in mass protest on Saturday against President Donald Trump and his administration, and Naperville was no exception. More than 1,500 people rallied in front of the city’s municipal center to take part in the nationwide “No Kings” protest.
The group behind the Naperville protest
The group Indivisible Naperville organized the local rally.
“We’re here today to protest the looming autocracy that this current administration represents. We’re here to say ‘no’ to kings in America, ‘no’ to crowns,” said Nancy Turner, a volunteer with Indivisible Naperville who helped plan the protest. “There are over I think 2,000 ‘No Kings’ protests this weekend because the president is having a military parade, troops on the ground in Los Angeles, so the threat, we feel, is very real.”
A singer from Mays Music led everyone in the singing of “This Land is Your Land,” followed by comments from Syrian-American humanitarian activist Suzanne Akhras and Congressman Bill Foster.
“This is exactly what makes America great,” said Foster. “I just want to thank you for showing up, being peaceful, and being loud. Thank you all.”
Protesters then started marching through a section of downtown on a set route.
The city sent a mass text alert to residents via the Naper Notify program, alerting them to the large demonstration on the move, warning of potential street closures.
The march did result in many spilling onto the streets, with police managing street closures accordingly.
Keeping the event peaceful
Turner says she contacted the Naperville Police Department ahead of time to help manage such a large crowd and keep everyone safe, something she learned from prior protests.
The police had an increased presence, including reinforcements from other cities, in the downtown Naperville area, which spokesperson Commander Rick Krakow said is standard protocol for such large gatherings.
“We are committed to maintaining the peace in Naperville and to protecting citizens’ rights to peacefully demonstrate,” he said in a statement to NCTV17 prior to the protest.
Origins of the ‘No Kings’ protest?
Nationally, the theme of “No Kings” was thought up by the 50501 Movement, which was born from the idea of 50 protests in 50 states on one day.
Rallies were happening all over the country in defiance of President Donald Trump and his policies. Organizers say they were planned to coincide with a military parade President Trump is having Saturday in Washington, D.C. Today also happens to be his birthday, as well as Flag Day.
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