Hundreds turn out for Lake County ‘good trouble' rallies; ‘Trump has broken the Constitution in so many ways'
Standing in Washington Park in Waukegan with approximately 500 others preparing to participate in a March on Washington Street to make 'good trouble' over a host of President Donald Trump's policies, Perez said her presence was personal.
'I'm here for my parents,' she said. 'They came here from another country searching for freedom. People shouldn't ever have to be afraid in America, but ICE is taking people off the streets because they look brown or Hispanic.'
Perez was one of more than 500 people in Waukegan along with over 625 in Highland Park and 210 in Buffalo Grove marching or demonstrating against a host of Trump administration policies Thursday, making 'good trouble' on the fifth anniversary of U.S. Rep. John Lewis' death.
Katie Salyer, an event organizer and a member of Northeast Lake County Indivisible, charged the Waukegan crowd preparing to march nearly a mile to heed Lewis' words urging people to make 'good trouble' to effect change. He was a civil rights leader before going to Congress.
'We should never, ever be afraid to make good trouble to save our democracy,' Salyer said. 'When I say, 'good trouble,' you say 'necessary trouble,'' she added, as salvos of the responsive chant began and continued along Washington and Genesee streets to Jack Benny Plaza.
Leaving Washington Park at Glen Rock Avenue and Washington, the group walked east on Washington to Genesee and north to Jack Benny Plaza carrying signs with a variety of messages criticizing Trump policies on immigration, healthcare and more, as well as Lewis' words.
A group of people was waiting for the marchers when they arrived. There was a police escort at the front and rear of the line. Once there, they heard from several speakers. One of the people was Douglas Raul Williams, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant. He said he was there for the Constitution.
'When I was in the military, I took an oath to defend the Constitution,' Williams said. 'Trump has broken the Constitution in so many ways. I'm here for the Constitution.'
Former Waukegan Community School District Board of Education President Brandon Ewing led an effort to change the name of Thomas Jefferson Middle School to John Lewis Middle School four years ago. He hopes the students there will learn from Lewis' legacy.
'When Congressman John Lewis told us to get into good trouble, necessary trouble, he wasn't talking about chaos,' Ewing said. 'He was talking about courage. He was talking about doing what's right even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard.'
Mano a Mano Family Resource Center Executive Director and Waukegan Township Trustee Dulce Ortiz was a featured speaker at the Jack Benny Plaza rally. An immigrant herself at a young age, she respects the courage of people who come from foreign lands seeking a better life.
Ortiz criticized a number of recent measures in the 'big beautiful bill' recently passed by Congress containing spending cuts on human services like healthcare, education, food benefits and more, along with tax cuts. She said ICE agents are taking possible immigrants off the streets and have done much more.
'This is the most corrupt, criminal and fascist administration I've seen in my lifetime,' Ortiz said. 'Violating the rights of undocumented immigrants, legal permanent residents, DACA recipients and U.S. citizens by kidnapping them and tearing their families apart. They said they were only going to deport criminals. They lied.'
Nancy Shepherdson, the vice chair of the Lake County Democrats and one of the organizers of the march and rally, urged people to help candidates for office get their petitions signed, and then work to get them elected. Ortiz issued a call to action.
'We protect us,' she said. 'Whether that means a pathway to citizenship, access to healthcare, access to housing, access to education or any number of issues, we're fighting for big, transformational change that won't be complete unless we organize and fight this corrupt administration.'
Joan Zahnle of Highland Park helped organize the rally there. There was also a food drive. She said people from Indivisible Evanston came to join them, helping increase the size of the crowd in front of City Hall.
State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, spoke at the Highland Park event. She said just as Lewis urged people to get into 'good trouble' to expand voting rights leading to significant change, it is time to heed his words once more.
'Throughout Illinois and the nation, we are getting into good trouble to save our democracy, to save our immigrant brothers and sisters, to preserve our way of life, and to protect our civil rights,' Johnson said in her speech.
'He was a national treasure,' Johnson said of Lewis. 'I am hopeful that the chaos and confusion, the inhumane and cruel treatment, and the un-American actions by the Trump administration will end soon.'
Lake County Democratic Chair Lauren Beth Gash, who was at the rally in Highland Park, said before the event Lewis' version of good trouble, 'truly does live on when we stand up for our values with meaningful nonviolent action.'
In Buffalo Grove, organizer Carolyn Pinta said 210 people lined the roadside with signs and chants as numerous people honked horns in support. People from Mundelein and other surrounding suburbs came to participate.
'We were happy to be in camaraderie with others who feel the same way we do. We were all glad to be here,' Pinta said. 'There was a lot of talk about what's going on with (Jeffrey) Epstein and that bill I won't name.'
Lake County Republican Chair Keith Brin said in a text Friday that Trump's legislation and actions were part of the fulfillment of campaign promises. Brin does not believe the protests will lead to change.
'The protests were silly and ineffective, and changed nothing on the course of policy that America clearly voted for in the last presidential election,' Brin wrote. 'I hope at least the protestors enjoyed some time outside during the protests because that's all they amounted to.'
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