Latest news with #NoKings
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Peace rally attendees in Geneva Saturday prevail through rain
Ann Wilson of Geneva wanted to help raise awareness within her community about things she finds unacceptable in our country today and felt that coming out to a peace rally in the rain this past Saturday morning was a way to do it. 'I've been to like my fifth or sixth rally that I've come to now, and I feel these are making a difference,' Wilson said as rain fell heavily just before 11:30 a.m. 'I feel like this draws attention to things and people are willing to speak out and maybe we can change some minds.' Saturday in Geneva brought together hundreds as the grass roots Fox Valley-based We Can Lead Change group gathered along south Randall Road and Gleneagle Drive in Geneva for a rally/protest called 'Together for Justice.' The 90-minute event represented the 10th held by the group, and they have continued to draw thousands, organizers said. Ellen Ljung of Geneva, one of the 10-member steering committee that leads the organization, spoke an hour before the start of the rally, which was already threatening to be cancelled due to severe weather. 'This is our 10th rally and people keep asking for them and so – we just do it. We have raincoats, we've done it [rallies] in bitter cold but people are asking for the opportunity to come together and we're getting people that have never been involved before,' Ljung said. 'When we started, we had 300 people on April 5th and our No Kings event had close to 10,000 people. I think today will be small because of the weather and it's not a national thing but we're talking thousands that have gotten involved. We're not small anymore.' Ljung spoke about the impact of the rallies on national government officials and said despite being locally based, 'They are having an effect.' 'We are giving people a way to connect and to show them our initiatives and to help people get involved,' she said. 'I think the sense of pressure is being felt by Washington because it's not just us – it's nationwide. A lot of the rallies have been on nationally-designated days and I feel the pressure is being felt. I also think it's absolutely critical for people to have an outlet to work for change.' Ljung noted that the group also offers educational programs and initiatives and 'has written representatives about the latest budget bill.' 'We've written senators and the Supreme Court asking them to protect due process,' she said. 'We worked on immigrations and met with libraries and school superintendents. Our goal is to bring people together to work for change. I'm 78 now and I never thought we'd be doing this in the last chapter of our life, but the only way to make change happen is grassroots organizing. What we do here in Kane County is a drop-in-the-bucket, but we're filling buckets around the nation and that pressure will come to bear.' Despite an 11:30 a.m. official start time, supporters were already present an hour before and drew plenty of honking horns and cheers as motorists drove by. Rain and lightning forced an early cancellation just before noon but not before Wilson and others in attendance had their say. 'We had 10,000 people at the Kings Rally we had and then we did the bridge rally with 5,000 on the Geneva Bridge,' Wilson said. 'This is a good way to build community and maybe fight.' Pamela O' Brien of Batavia sat under an umbrella and said she has been 'at every rally since [President] Trump was elected.' 'I was at a lot of the other ones – maybe eight or 10 altogether and when I know something is coming up – I cancel everything else I'm doing because I feel it's the most important thing to do right now,' she said. 'I'm surprised when other people don't.' O'Brien said looking back on the rallies she has attended, 'I see an engaged yet peaceful group of people, very passionate about keeping democracy.' 'It's a very diverse group of people as well as all kinds of issues – everything from young people afraid of what the future will bring to someone from Mexico,' she said. 'Community wise – compared to when the presidential election was over – there's been much more engagement. This whole Randall Road is touching more people and they are starting to wake up.' JoAnn Vanthournout of St. Charles, 92, attended her first rally and admitted 'I never thought I'd be a protestor at my age.' 'I never thought someone we have as president would be elected. I remember the Vietnam protests and it does feel at least like I'm trying,' she said. 'I was afraid at first but they said I could bring a chair. I'd like to come again but I'd prefer it not be raining.' Denise Ward of Geneva said this was her sixth rally and was encouraged by the turnout despite the rain. 'These rallies are making a difference,' she insisted. 'At least it shows we're not going to sit here and let things happen.'
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Journalists among at least 13 arrested during immigration-related protest in US
Police in Cincinnati arrested at least 13 people, including two journalists, after demonstrators protesting the immigration detention of a former hospital chaplain blocked a two-lane bridge carrying traffic over the Ohio River. A reporter and a photography intern who were arrested while covering the protest for CityBeat, a Cincinnati news and entertainment outlet, were among those arraigned Friday morning in a Kentucky court. Other journalists reporting on protests around the US have been have arrested and injured this year. More than two dozen were hurt or roughed up while covering protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles. A Spanish-language journalist was arrested in June while covering a No Kings protest near Atlanta. Police initially charged Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador, with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway. A prosecutor dropped the charges, but Guevara had already been turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being held in a south Georgia immigration detention center. His lawyers say he has been authorized to work and remain in the country, but ICE is trying to deport him. Video from the demonstration in Cincinnati Thursday night shows several tense moments, including when an officer punches a protester several times as police wrestle him to the ground. Earlier, a black SUV drove slowly onto the Roebling Bridge while protesters walked along the roadway that connects Cincinnati with Kentucky. Another video shows a person in a neon-colored vest pushing against the SUV. Police in Covington, Kentucky, said those arrested had refused to comply with orders to disperse. The department said in a statement that officers who initially attempted to talk with the protest's organizer were threatened and met with hostility. Among the charges filed against those arrested were rioting, failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Reporter Madeline Fening and photo intern Lucas Griffith were charged with felony rioting and several other charges, said Ashley Moor, the editor in chief of CityBeat. A judge on Friday set a $2,500 bond for each of those arrested. The arrests happened during a protest in support of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He was detained last week after he showed up for a routine check-in with ICE officials at their office near Cincinnati. Protesters met in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday in support of Soliman, then walked across the bridge carrying a banner that read 'Build Bridges Not Walls.' Covington police said that 'while the department supports the public's right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved.'
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
At least 13 held, including journalists, in Cincinnati immigration protest
Police in Cincinnati arrested at least 13 people, including two journalists, after demonstrators protesting the immigration detention of a former hospital chaplain blocked a two-lane bridge carrying traffic over the Ohio River. A reporter and a photography intern who were arrested while covering the protest for CityBeat, a Cincinnati news and entertainment outlet, were among those arraigned Friday morning in a Kentucky court. Other journalists reporting on protests around the US have been have arrested and injured this year. More than two dozen were hurt or roughed up while covering protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles. A Spanish-language journalist was arrested in June while covering a No Kings protest near Atlanta. Police initially charged Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador, with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway. A prosecutor dropped the charges, but Guevara had already been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being held in a south Georgia immigration detention center. His lawyers say he has been authorized to work and remain in the country, but ICE is trying to deport him. Video from the demonstration in Cincinnati Thursday night shows several tense moments, including when an officer punches a protester several times as police wrestle him to the ground. Earlier, a black SUV drove slowly onto the Roebling Bridge while protesters walked along the roadway that connects Cincinnati with Kentucky. Another video shows a person in a neon-colored vest pushing against the SUV. Police in Covington, Kentucky, said those arrested had refused to comply with orders to disperse. The department said in a statement that officers who initially attempted to talk with the protest's organizer were threatened and met with hostility. Among the charges filed against those arrested were rioting, failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Reporter Madeline Fening and photo intern Lucas Griffith were charged with felony rioting and several other charges, said Ashley Moor, the editor in chief of CityBeat. A judge on Friday set a $2,500 bond for each of those arrested. The arrests happened during a protest in support of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He was detained last week after he showed up for a routine check-in with ICE officials at their office near Cincinnati. Protesters met in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday in support of Soliman, then walked across the bridge carrying a banner that read Build Bridges Not Walls. Covington police said that while the department supports the public's right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
13 Arrested, Including 2 Journalists, At Immigration Protest In Cincinnati
Police in Cincinnati arrested at least 13 people, including two journalists, after demonstrators protesting the immigration detention of a former hospital chaplain blocked a two-lane bridge carrying traffic over the Ohio River. A reporter and a photography intern who were arrested while covering the protest for CityBeat, a Cincinnati news and entertainment outlet, were among those arraigned Friday morning in a Kentucky court. Other journalists reporting on protests around the US have been arrested and injured this year. More than two dozen were hurt or roughed up while covering protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles. A Spanish-language journalist was arrested in June while covering a No Kings protest near Atlanta. Police initially charged Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador, with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway. A prosecutor dropped the charges, but Guevara had already been turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being held in a south Georgia immigration detention center. His lawyers say he has been authorized to work and remain in the country, but ICE is trying to deport him. Video from the demonstration in Cincinnati Thursday night shows several tense moments, including when an officer punches a protester several times as police wrestle him to the ground. Earlier, a black SUV drove slowly onto the Roebling Bridge while protesters walked along the roadway that connects Cincinnati with Kentucky. Another video shows a person in a neon-colored vest pushing against the SUV. Police in Covington, Kentucky, said those arrested had refused to comply with orders to disperse. The department said in a statement that officers who initially attempted to talk with the protest's organizer were threatened and met with hostility. Among the charges filed against those arrested were rioting, failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Reporter Madeline Fening and photo intern Lucas Griffith were charged with felony rioting and several other charges, said Ashley Moor, the editor in chief of CityBeat. A judge on Friday set a $2,500 bond for each of those arrested. The arrests happened during a protest in support of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He was detained last week after he showed up for a routine check-in with ICE officials at their office near Cincinnati. Protesters met in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday in support of Soliman, then walked across the bridge carrying a banner that read "Build Bridges Not Walls." Covington police said that "while the department supports the public's right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The No Kings Playbook to Confront Trump's ‘Authoritarian Breakthrough'
The 'No Kings' movement is shifting gears to counter what they're calling the 'authoritarian breakthrough' of Donald Trump's second Wednesday evening, the No Kings movement hosted a video conference call for more than 130,000 pro-democracy activists. The call seeks to build off the success of mass anti-Trump street protests — which also continued Thursday evening with more than 1,600 nationwide 'Good Trouble Lives On' demonstrations, inspired by Civil Rights icon John Lewis. The 90-minute video conference was organized to train activists in principles of 'strategic non-cooperation,' which aims to gum up the works of the increasingly dark and dictatorial Trump administration. The call was organized by the progressive grassroots organization Indivisible, and featured a trainer from Choose Democracy, Daniel Hunter, whose bio touts past work with pro-democracy activists living under authoritarian regimes, such as in Myanmar. The tone of the conference was significantly more somber than similar recent webinars organized by Indivisible. It painted United States' democracy as confronting an existential crisis — and pegged the odds of overcoming Trump's ambition at not much better than a 'coin-flip.' 'We're in a moment of authoritarian breakthrough,' said Hunter, who defined that term as a 'window in which a would-be authoritarian is attempting to rapidly consolidate power' in an effort to 'eliminate checks' that prevent them from operating with impunity. Hunter ticked through six characteristics of authoritarian breakthrough, all of which are currently in play. This dictatorial to-do list includes 'directing investigations against critics'; 'giving license to lawbreaking'; 'regulatory retaliation'; 'deploying [the] military domestically'; 'federal law enforcement overreach'; and holding tight to power, i.e. 'the autocrat won't leave.' Trump is hewing to this well-worn playbook, Hunter said, by pardoning violent Jan. 6 felons, sending masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to round up law-abiding immigrants, deploying the National Guard and Marines into Los Angeles, making 'capricious threats' to deport U.S. citizens like Rosie O'Donnell, and openly plotting an unconstitutional third pro-democracy trainer offered the encouragement that 'Trump didn't write this playbook. This is a global phenomena … the growth of autocracies.' He added that the experiences of allies across the globe offer strategies that have succeeded in turning back Trumpian figures in their own the odds of success are sobering. The training included a study of 35 countries that experienced 'democratic backsliding' in the last 30 years, and their track records for overcoming the authoritarian assault. Without a movement of mass 'civil resistance,' less than eight percent of countries were successful at righting the democratic ship of state. Active civil resistance — such as the movement that No Kings is building in the U.S. — has historically increased the odds to 52 percent. 'I don't love those numbers,' said Hunter, but he added that the payoff for victory can be profound. Successful resistance movements typically forge societies that are 'more democratic' on the other side — offering 'an advancement' rather than a return to the status quo ante. 'Our task right now is to build and activate a powerful opposition' based on 'mass defiance in a lot of places,' Hunter said, with the goal of 'interrupting the regime' by 'getting into the gears through nonviolent tactics.' He insisted that organizers and activists need to commit themselves to resistance now: 'We're in a bit of a race against time,' he said, adding more hopefully: 'We have window.'A fellow pro-democracy organizer, Maria Stephan of the Horizons Project, assured the assembled crowd that there's a rich history of successful resistance movements to take inspiration from. These include not only foreign examples, like Chile overcoming the brutal regime of the fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet, but also the all-American struggle that ended legal segregation. Stephan pointed to America's 'own civil rights activists who dismantled racial authoritarianism in the Jim Crow South using legal and legislative strategies, but also boycotts, strikes, sit-ins, freedom rides, and other campaigns of non-violent resistance.' The 'Achilles heel' of authoritarians, Stephan said, is their dependence on popular passivity — on normal people, who feel isolated, fearful, and disempowered, who choose to go along rather than taking risks and rocking the challenge for pro-democracy activists is to forge connection, solidarity, and build truly popular resistance that can offer safety in numbers and embolden other Americans to fight the democratic backslide — seeking to regain momentum for a government that serves the people's interests, not those of Trump and his cronies. For Stephan that means activating broad-based resistance across the different 'pillars' of society — from labor and faith communities; to business interests and educational institutions; to the nation's civil service workers and members of the efforts to cow big-business CEOs, oust university leaders, mass-fire civil servants, and deploy the military against the people of Los Angeles, demonstrate how each of the pillars is vulnerable to being co-opted into the administration's authoritarian project. But Stephan underscored the power of popular resistance to 'shift the incentives' and create a popular counterweight to presidential pressure. 'We need to get the institutional enablers of authoritarianism to withdraw their support from the authoritarian system and to get behind a democracy based on the will of the people.' For everyday people, Stephan highlighted three main avenues for resistance: First are strategies of 'protest and persuasion' (think: street demonstrations or T-shirt ready slogans like 'Melt ICE') that communicate popular resistance. Second, is building up positive local infrastructure, whether that means supporting immigrant-friendly local businesses or providing mutual aid to neighbors in need. The third is the broad category of 'non-cooperation.' This can come from outside of institutions, as with boycotts, or from inside, as when civil servants or even soldiers refuse to carry out illegal or immoral orders. As a small-scale proof of concept, Stephan pointed to the successful pressure campaign by Annapolis alumni and retired military commanders that beat back Trump's efforts to strip the Naval Academy's library of books by black authors like Maya Angelou (while leaving, e.g. Hitler's treatise Mein Kampf on the shelves). The way that Harvard University's powerful alumni network has spurred the university administration to fight Trump's assault on academic freedom, rather than capitulate like Columbia, is another example. Stephan also pointed to ongoing consumer boycotts of Tesla (over Elon Musk's traumatizing tenure in the Trump administration) and Target (for its rollback of diversity initiatives) as 'acts of non-cooperation that are making a difference in this country' as they cost those companies webinar was not just a conceptual orientation, but a call to action. Leaders asked participants to commit to taking the evening's online organizing and make it physical by hosting a gathering with like-minded activists in their own communities. The organizers hoped to get 1,000 house-party pledges. The evening's tally soared past 5, meeting closed with an energizing message from a longtime activist Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, who encouraged new participants not to get flummoxed by the lingo or overwhelmed by the opposition. 'It's not complex, my friends,' she said. 'Don't let these evil people make you feel like it's rocket science to get to democracy — when it's actually just fingerpainting,' 'It's actually our culture,' she added. 'And the majority of the people in this country agree with us.' More from Rolling Stone Trump Claims He 'Never Wrote a Picture in My Life.' He Actually Drew Plenty of Them Team Trump Was on 'F-cking Warpath' to Kill Story About Salacious Letter to Epstein The White House's Epstein 'Hoax' Explanation Makes Zero Sense Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
