More than 100,000 protesters take to the streets of downtown Chicago for ‘No Kings Day’

CHICAGO (WGN) — Thousands of demonstrators across the country took to the streets Saturday for “No Kings Day,” a nationwide series of protests against the Trump administration.

In Chicago, protesters began to pack into Butler Field at Grant Park at around noon. At 2 p.m., demonstrators were led on a march throughout the city. The large crowd was escorted by Chicago police.

It may have been Chicago’s largest demonstration in recent history, with an estimated crowd of more than 100,000 protesters. City officials estimated 15,000 people were at the first “No Kings” protest in Chicago on June 14, though organizers disputed that claim and said the turnout was much higher.

“Numbers matter,” protester Ava Cahill said Saturday. “When it’s a bigger crowd, it makes more of an impact.”

The demonstrations were a rallying cry against the Trump administration’s actions, including mass deportations and deploying federal troops into U.S. cities.

Chicago protest organizers said the purpose behind “No Kings Day” is to oppose what they call “illegal” and “unnecessary” attacks against their neighbors. Since Operation Midway Blitz began in early September in the Chicago area, federal agents have detained more than 1,500 people.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents have clashed with protesters in the Chicago area, sometimes deploying tear gas and pepper balls.

“I’ve seen children terrified that their parents are not going to be there when they get home after school,” Ben Gustafson, protesting Saturday at “No Kings Day,” said. “They’re terrified that their family members are going to be dragged away, and they could not know how they could ever see them again.

“It frightens me to my core. It breaks my heart.”

Some Republicans called Saturday’s rallies anti-American and “Hate America” rallies.

Elected officials who also oppose the Trump administration’s plans, however, addressed the large crowd gathered in Grant Park.

“We do not want troops in our city,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “We will not allow our city to be occupied.”

“People are here today standing up for our Constitutional rights and our economic freedom, and that is what resistance looks like,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said.

Last week, Pritzker said he supports Illinoisians exercising their First Amendment rights against the Trump administration and ICE.

“Peaceful protest is a good thing,” Pritzker said. “It’s something we protect in the Constitution.”

For now, a court order is blocking the deployment of the National Guard to Illinois, which the White House argues is needed to protect federal agents. A federal judge has ordered the head of ICE’s Chicago field office to testify Monday about the use of force on demonstrators.

Other protests Saturday

More than 2,000 “No Kings Day” events happened Saturday nationwide and around the globe.

In addition to the big protest in downtown Chicago, protests were also held in other locations in the city and the suburbs, including in Elgin, Rosemont, Elmhurst, Palatine, Naperville and more.

In Oak Park, people filled the sidewalk along Lake Street near Scoville Park. In Elgin, people lined the street with signs encouraging drivers to honk in support.

And in the Logan Square neighborhood on Chicago’s Northwest Side, people used chalk to share messages in a protest sponsored by Indivisible Chicago Northwest. That event gave people who may have wanted to avoid the large crowds downtown somewhere to protest.

“A lot of people are looking for something but might not necessarily be comfortable with being at a very large, many thousands of people event,” Jessica George of Indivisible Chicago Northwest said. “So this is a great way to also be out in the neighborhoods.”

Allison Ensomo, a mother of two, said it was important to be an example for her family.

“We have to live and stand by our values,” she said.

A White House spokesperson, meanwhile, responded to “No Kings Day” by saying, “Who cares?”