Latest news with #IndivisibleEvanston
Chicago Tribune
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston ‘will not be silenced,' holds No Kings rally to protest Trump policies
An estimated 1,000 people filled Fountain Square in Evanston on Saturday for a No Kings rally protesting a wide range of President Donald Trump's policies. Similar rallies were taking place in most cities across the nation, including Chicago and many of its suburbs. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Mayor Daniel Biss and Evanston Township High School District 202 Board President Pat Savage-Williams were among the speakers who warned of the 'critical juncture' the country faces as Trump expands his deportation plan and other controversial policies. Members of Indivisible Evanston, a local community activist group, led the crowd in chants of 'Hey hey, ho ho, it's the Gulf of Mexico,' 'No tyrants, no kings, democracy is everything,' 'Whose streets? Our streets. No soldiers on our streets,' and other slogans. The rally was peppered with songs from Chicago area performers, including critically acclaimed Nora O'Connor of Chicago and local performer Margaret Nelson, who led the crowd singing 'Get the Money Out of Congress.' Savage-Williams said the U.S. Department of Education, which Trump has proposed dismantling, was created to protect and serve all American students, in particular marginalized students. 'This isn't just about bureaucracy. It's about our children's futures and their relentless attack on diversity, equity and inclusion,' she said. 'It is overtly racist and threatens to unravel decades of hard-won progress on racial equality and civil rights.' District 202 will not comply with Trump's demands, Savage-Williams said. 'Our students need us to continue to provide the resources, supports and services to facilitate their success,' she said. 'DEI is not an add-on. It is embedded in everything we do. Yes, we are running the risk of losing federal funds, and that makes me very nervous. But we would not know who we are if we cut our equity initiatives.' Biss said every time he thinks Trump's actions and policies can't get any worse, somehow they do. He accused the president of facism and trying to instigate violence among Americans. 'This is the fascist playbook,' he said. 'They know what they're doing and doing what they can. They're trying to disable anyone who wants to push back.' Biss said Americans must use the 'anti-fascist playbook.' 'When we stand up to them, they don't stand a chance,' he said. 'When we fight them in the courts, they have to defend their bogus arguments. Even when we lose, we slow them down.' Patrick Hanley, Winnetka environmental activist and cofounder of Operation Swing State, said he apologized to his British wife because of the rally's name, which Hanley said implies an attack on kings. 'I had to tell her it's not personal,' he said. 'Kings just don't work out well here.' Hanley urged the crowd to view the country's future through the lens of sustainability. 'There's nothing sustainable about targeting individuals in the street without due process,' he said. 'This is not the country we signed up for. This is not the country our ancestors died for.' Rev. Eileen Wiviott of the Unitarian Church of Evanston said the crowd's presence sends the message to the Trump administration that Americans 'will not be silenced and will not be complicit.' 'This might be the most brazen and corrupt regime we've known in our lifetime,' Wiviott said. 'But this regime will not survive. They always fall because the people will always bring them down.' Attendees came from throughout the North Shore and Chicago. Betty Brucato of Evanston said she and friend Nan Carlson of Chicago, who attended the rally with her, are 'outraged' by Trump's behavior and policies. 'I'm still in shock that he's president,' Brucato said. 'He's violating the law.' 'I'm losing my mind,' Carlson said. 'Waiting for the mid-term elections is not a solution when he's violating the law. He claims he's a Republican and he goes into California and takes over the National Guard. That is not a Republican value.'
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
At Evanston May Day rally, protesters decry Trump administration cuts
About 300 people rallied at Evanston's Fountain Square on May 1, a holiday reserved to honor workers, to demand workers' and Constitutional rights and protest President Donald Trump's actions during the first 100 days of his presidency. Speakers at the protest, organized by the group Indivisible Evanston, included Ph.D students, elected officials and clergy and continued the momentum of previous protests in the northern suburbs against Trump and Elon Musk. 'They (the Trump administration) are figuring out, how in this moment of unprecedented corporate concentration of power how to make corporations larger and more powerful and weaken workers more,' said Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss. 'In this time of unprecedented economic insecurity when people are trying to figure out how to afford housing, how to afford healthcare, how to afford childcare, how to afford elder care, how to afford their higher education, they're trying to figure out how to make workers weaker and how to make corporations more powerful for the very simple reason that they want to put more money in their own pockets.' Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita (13th) also addressed the crowd, saying, 'As the daughter of a Teamster, I stand with my brothers and sisters in the labor movement. This year, of all years, we stand by our government workers who make our society work, who make our community strong.' At Evanston's rally, speakers also defended the rights of immigrants and marginalized people. The Trump administration, through recommendations by the Department of Government Efficiency, has made spending cuts affecting thousands of federal employees, though the president has announced he will increase spending on defense. Northwestern University Ph.D student in Mechanical Engineering Rohan Kota told the crowd that spending cuts the Trump administration made have already affected research at the university. 'We're working every single day to make groundbreaking discoveries and tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time,' Kota said. 'A few weeks ago, my roommate, also a Ph.D student, received an email from the federal government telling him to immediately stop his work. The truth is, acts like these jeopardize the very engines of American progress. We cannot expect to lead in the 21st century if we are busy attacking the institutions that built the 20th,' he said. Organizers announced that a future rally is planned for June 14, Trump's birthday.
Chicago Tribune
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
At Evanston May Day rally, protesters decry Trump administration cuts
About 300 people rallied at Evanston's Fountain Square on May 1, a holiday reserved to honor workers, to demand workers' and Constitutional rights and protest President Donald Trump's actions during the first 100 days of his presidency. Speakers at the protest, organized by the group Indivisible Evanston, included Ph.D students, elected officials and clergy and continued the momentum of previous protests in the northern suburbs against Trump and Elon Musk. 'They (the Trump administration) are figuring out, how in this moment of unprecedented corporate concentration of power how to make corporations larger and more powerful and weaken workers more,' said Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss. 'In this time of unprecedented economic insecurity when people are trying to figure out how to afford housing, how to afford healthcare, how to afford childcare, how to afford elder care, how to afford their higher education, they're trying to figure out how to make workers weaker and how to make corporations more powerful for the very simple reason that they want to put more money in their own pockets.' Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita (13th) also addressed the crowd, saying, 'As the daughter of a Teamster, I stand with my brothers and sisters in the labor movement. This year, of all years, we stand by our government workers who make our society work, who make our community strong.' At Evanston's rally, speakers also defended the rights of immigrants and marginalized people. The Trump administration, through recommendations by the Department of Government Efficiency, has made spending cuts affecting thousands of federal employees, though the president has announced he will increase spending on defense. Northwestern University Ph.D student in Mechanical Engineering Rohan Kota told the crowd that spending cuts the Trump administration made have already affected research at the university. 'We're working every single day to make groundbreaking discoveries and tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time,' Kota said. 'A few weeks ago, my roommate, also a Ph.D student, received an email from the federal government telling him to immediately stop his work. The truth is, acts like these jeopardize the very engines of American progress. We cannot expect to lead in the 21st century if we are busy attacking the institutions that built the 20th,' he said. Organizers announced that a future rally is planned for June 14, Trump's birthday.
CBS News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
May Day rallies, marches against President Trump's polices to be held in Chicago, Evanston
Activists around the world will be rallying on Thursday for May Day. In some countries, it's a public holiday honoring labor, but in the U.S., activists will use the day as a call to action against President Trump's policies. In Chicago, organizers say the rally and march will show unity against attacks on immigrant rights, worker rights, and more. The rally will kick off at 9 a.m. People will first gather for a multi-faith prayer service, followed by speakers at Union Park. Then at noon, demonstrators will march from Union Park to Grant Park. They will then gather at the Petrillo Music Shell for a rally, entertainment, and speakers. There will also be a rally in Evanston led by the grassroots initiative, Indivisible Evanston. They say the rally is to honor working people while protesting President Trump's policies. The rally will go from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Fountain Square near Sherman Avenue and Davis Street. There will also be rallies commemorating National Law Day of Action in more than 40 cities nationwide. Organizers say Chicago lawyers and concerned citizens will gather to defend the rule of law, judicial independence, and legal integrity. The rally will kick off at noon in Federal Plaza. There will also be an attorney oath reaffirmation ceremony, where legal professionals can restate their commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution.
Chicago Tribune
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
Northbrook protesters demand Constitutional rights, prevention of fascism
A crowd lined a stretch of Skokie Boulevard and the Edens Expressway in Northbrook Saturday to speak out against the actions of President Donald Trump and businessman Elon Musk. The peaceful rally, held on the sidewalk on front and across the street from the Tesla dealership at 1200 Skokie Boulevard, was organized by the Evanston, Chicago, Northwest Suburban and Skokie-Morton Grove-Lincolnwood chapters of Indivisible, a citizens action group opposed to the president's policies. The centerpiece of the protest was a giant inflatable chicken meant to resemble Trump, which faced the Edens Expressway. A sign affixed to the front of the inflatable read, 'Stop Trump and Musk.' Throughout the two-hour rally, which drew more than 300 people, drivers of passing cars on Skokie Boulevard and on the Edens acknowledged the protestors by sounding their horns. Participants waved handmade signs and engaged in chants critical of Trump and Musk. Up the street, on the Dundee Road overpass above the Edens, members of Indivisible Evanston displayed a 'Stop Trump and Musk' banner. 'We don't want our rights taken away,' said former Skokie trustee Ilonka 'Loni' Ulrich, of Indivisible Skokie-Morton Grove-Lincolnwood. 'We're standing up for our rights.' Bill Davis, of the Northwest Suburbs Organizing for Action Indivisible chapter, described the rally as a protest against 'the Trump-Musk agenda.' For those who gathered, this included a range of issues, including treatment of immigrants by the Trump administration; cuts to the federal budget and grants for research; Musk's involvement in government matters, including sweeping cuts of federal employees; upholding the U.S. Constitution; LGBTQ+ rights; concerns about the future of Medicare, Social Security, veterans' benefits and civil liberties, and more. 'It's only going to get worse—this has only been 100 days,' Davis said. He, like other organizers, said he hopes rallies like this one send a message to the greater community to get active in taking a stand against federal policies and actions that are concerning to them. 'It's the beginning of the fight,' Davis said.'We need to stay strong, we need to organize and get out in the streets.' 'The people are up in arms over all of this,' said Edward Spire of Morton Grove, a member of Indivisible Illinois. 'We want to make sure that when we speak up, it will encourage others to do so because we need everyone speaking up right now.' 'This is what we do in our spare time now—we protest,' said Jennifer Schwartz of Chicago, who has attended larger rallies in Milwaukee and Chicago as well. 'I don't want democracy to fall and think, 'I didn't get out there.'' James McKibben of Buffalo Grove said he attended Saturday's rally to promote support for veterans and protest employee firings and cuts within the Department of Veterans Affairs. 'I'm here for those guys who can't be out here,' McKibben said. 'Somebody needs to stand up and speak for them. I hope, in my little way, I'm doing that.' The location for the protest was chosen due to its proximity to a dealership of Tesla, the car company owned by Musk. 'Tesla is just such a symbol of Elon Musk and Elon Musk has been so disruptive— and of course it's taken Trump to make that happen,' said Candace Davis of Indivisible Evanston. 'The whole point of this is to draw attention to what they are doing and put up a fuss. We are jumping right into fascism, and if people don't stand up and fight back, we're in trouble.'
