Thousands of people marched through the streets of the Loop Saturday, coordinating the biggest protest in Chicago since Donald Trump began his second term as president.
The April 5 protest was one of hundreds that took place throughout the nation and the world and was organized by Indivisible Chicago, working with the Chicago Federation of Labor, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Equality Illinois, Sierra Club, Personal PAC and a plethora of smaller organizations.
The march’s goal was to send the message “hands off” to the Trump administration regarding cuts to government jobs, imposition of tariffs, deportation, healthcare and more.
Kathie Ford, a senior citizen at the march, said protesting is important to show resistance to the government. Ford is worried for the next four years under the Trump administration and hopes to see change.
“My concern as a 76-year-old is what’s happening with the stock market,” Ford said. “I’m losing money everyday in my IRA, and now if they do something with social security too,all of us senior citizens are just going to be ruined.”
Similarly, protester Mauzkie Ervin from Harvey, Illinois said he believes Trump and Elon Musk are trying to “tear everything down.”
“I’m out here to stand up and fight for not only the things that are on my sign but for everything that’s on everybody’s sign,” Ervin said. “That’s out here because they’re all important; that’s what makes America, America.”
Ervin also said he wants somebody in office to represent the American people in a positive way, rather than reversing decades of progress in a few months, which will take years to be reestablished.
Noche Diaz, who works with the Revcom Corps for the Emancipation of Humanity, said he did not attend for himself but rather for others. The Revcom Corps for the Emancipation of Humanity is an organization that defends people’s rights as they should be under the current system, but to also fight for a new system, Diaz said.
“I know people are feeling it now, and people are going to be suffering here, but what the suffering is going to mean for people all around the world is even worse,” Diaz said.
Diaz said he sees problems not just within the Trump administration but throughout American politics.
“Yes, this is fascism, not just billionaires and oligarchs because, by the way, the Democratic party is also backed by billionaire oligarchs,” Diaz said. “The problem we’re facing is fascism and it has to be defeated.”
Parents like Chicagoan Andrea Cook also came out to express concerns for their children.
“I have a child that has a disability that won’t be able to get disability (benefits),” Cook said.
Cook also said that protesting is important for exercising First Amendment rights and that it was a vital action step she could take to help preserve democracy.
Eric Basir, a union representative for CTA workers, protested for different reasons
Basir used today’s protest to bring awareness to how “the Chicago Transit Authority abuses the employees.”
“We have a new president acting, Nora Leerson, first female president of the CTA,” Basir said. “The only thing that’s changed for us is we get lots of employee appreciation, photo ops, trinkets and hugs from the boss. That’s it, it’s the same crap, but it sounds and looks better.”
Basir said he and other CTA workers are “fed up” and they “can’t make it work anymore.”
“We have to inspire our coworkers and the public to stand up and take power — voting and hoping only takes us so far,” Basir said. “We have to start doing what people did back in the day to get what they deserve.”
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