A “No Kings” protest rally, the second since June, will be held Saturday at Kimball Street and North Grove Avenue in downtown Elgin.
Starting at 11 a.m. and organized by Standing Strong TOGETHER, it will be one of an estimated 2,500 such events being held across the United States in opposition to the actions being taken by the Trump administration. It comes in the wake of several targeted immigration enforcement efforts conducted in Elgin and nearby Carpentersville in recent days as part of the federal Operation Midway Blitz.
No Kings protests are also planned for Algonquin, Aurora, Bartlett, Crystal Lake, Geneva, Pingree Grove and Schaumburg as well as many other suburbs and downtown Chicago.
The Elgin rally is just a short distance from Gail Borden Public Library at 270 N. Grove Ave., where a second large crowd will be gathered for the Trote de la Calacas (Trot of the Skeletons), a 5k race that starts at 9 a.m. Saturday and for which 965 runners are signed up to take part.
The race route takes participants through east side neighborhoods and along the Fox River Bike Trail. It will be followed by El Trote Marketplace inside the library, where there will be food, music and costumes.
To help with parking, race sponsors — the Gail Borden Library Foundation and the U-46 Educational Foundation — are providing bus trolleys starting at 7:30 a.m. to pick up people at McKinley Elementary School, 258 Lovell St., and the city’s Chicago/Highland parking garage, 48 N. Spring St.
Elgin’s No King Day protest in June was peaceful, with the Elgin Police Department reporting no incidents, there’s no reason to believe this event will not be the same, officials said.
Officers have been assigned to monitor the race course and to provide traffic control, and the department plans to have “dedicated resources to ensure a safe environment for all participants,” Sgt. Hector Gutierrez said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.