Naperville resident Linda Schollmeyer carried a sign to the No Kings Rally Saturday that said, “God forbid a girl wants liberty and justice for all.”
Schollmeyer, who attended Naperville’s rally and march at Rotary Hill near the Millennium Carillon, said she is concerned the rights of women and girls are being stripped away, especially as President Donald Trump tries to enact the SAVE Act, which could restrict women’s ability to vote.
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Protesting is an American act, she said.
“This is not about hate,” Schollmeyer said. “No matter what side you are on, our voices should be heard and respected.”
Cheryl and Barth Richards, of Aurora, had a long list of grievances against Trump from the war in Iran to rising costs of gas and groceries at home. Trump’s administration is corrupt, Barth Richards said, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has been using Gestapo-like tactics.
“We have a crazy person who needs to be in memory care instead of the White House, and he is destroying lives,” Cheryl Richards said.
The two said they hope the No Kings Rally opens the eyes of members of Congress and the donors who fund their campaigns.
The No Kings Rally Saturday in Naperville was one of about 3,000 similar events held across the country.
Protestors carried signs against Trump and members of his administration, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense. Some people carried an upside down American flag to indicate distress. Others had homemade signs with messages such as, “You can’t bomb your way out of the Epstein files,” “Pro-America, Anti-ICE,” and “Trump — making America poor again.”
Organizers said about 2,000 people attended the rally in Naperville.
Some of those in attendance stated their concerns ranged from the war in Iran, the rising price of gas and food, ICE agents stationed in American cities, cruel treatment of immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and more. Some people said they felt Trump acted as a king and the other branches of government were afraid to stand up to him or his policies.
Saturday’s rally, which was the third to take place in Naperville, included a new feature, a justice sing-along led by Carl Kennedy, the music and worship director of DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church with members of the Singing Resistance Chicago West Burbs.
“We are creating a sense of community and solidarity and doing it through music,” said Dianne McGuire, a co-leader with Indivisible Naperville.
Lynn Phillips with the Singing Resistance Chicago West Burbs said her daughter is involved in a similar organization in Minneapolis, where ICE agents shot and killed two protesters.
“This is a grassroots movement to deal with our anger and grief,” Phillips said. “Singing brings hope and peace. Singing is healing. When you are feeling so helpless, it brings hope. … You can’t call a group of singers domestic terrorists.”
Naperville resident Dana Bussing said she and her 12-year-old daughter attended the rally because she has a strong belief everyone should be treated with dignity.
“Courage is contagious,” she said. “I hope people see this and realize they are not alone.”
Jody Bonneau, of Naperville, said she would like Republicans and Trump supporters to look at the increasing number of protests held nationwide.
“I want his supporters to understand what he is doing to this democracy,” Bonneau said.
Mardie Krumlauf, a former Naperville resident who now lives in Florida, said the Supreme Court and Congress don’t seem to be co-equal branches of government.
“I cannot stomach it,” she said. “He’s president of all people, but he is only for himself and his cronies.”
Lisa Yost, of Naperville, said she worries about the state of the world for future generations.
“I have grandchildren. I worry about the world we are leaving to them,” Yost said. “I worry about innocent people being arrested and harassed. I worry about the damage done to our institutions. We’ve treated our allies horrifically and then we turn around and ask for their help and wonder why they are not willing to stand up for us. I worry about our position in the world.”
George and Linda Vytlacil, of Woodridge, said they also attended the protest to make the country better for their grandchildren.
“This is not what America has been or should be,” Linda Vytlacil said.
Rebecca Gamboa, of Naperville, who teaches 5th grade in Lombard, said she sees increasing stress in her students’ lives. Children of immigrant families are concerned about ICE, and they are also recognizing their parents are working more to make ends meet.
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She said her students, who are studying the Constitution, are asking hard questions.
Gamboa said she rallies on behalf of her students and future generations.
Kevin Fee, legal director of the ACLU of Illinois, told the crowd that while the Trump administration is undermining the rule of law, there is hope through the court system.
“We are facing an administration that tells us out loud every single day what they want to be and how they want to operate,” Fee said. “And that’s as a fundamentally unaccountable, undemocratic and un-American regime … and it’s up to us to fight back.”
He said the ACLU nationwide has filed more than 200 legal actions since Trump’s inauguration and the organization has won many cases, which bothers Trump.
“The American people — all of us — built this democracy over generations and all together it’s going to be us who stop this administration,” Fee said. “We see that power here in Naperville. We see it down the road in Elk Grove, down the Eisenhower (Expressway) in Chicago, up in Evanston, in cities and townships throughout this country that are standing up to say, ‘This is not the way we do things in the United States of America.’”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.