On Saturday, Oct. 18, protesters gathered along Randall Road in Geneva to participate in a local No Kings rally, one of thousands scheduled across the nation that day to protest the policies of President Donald Trump. According to organizers, around 9,000 community members attended the rally.
Participants gathered with a wide array of signs protesting the Trump administration, engaging in chants and cheering at cars passing by. Many were even in costume; Statues of Liberty, Supermen and inflatable creatures could be found among the crowd. The inflatable costume choice in particular was popular with protesters, a trend popularized by an anti-ICE demonstrator in Portland, Oregon.
Two women in inflatable hamster costumes, who wished to remain anonymous, dubbed themselves as “hamsters for humanity.” Like many other crowd members, the women selected the hamster costumes to bring a sense of light-heartedness to the rally and counteract claims from the Republican party that No Kings protestors are un-American.
“We’re being called anti-American and violent. I’m a middle-aged mom and accountant. I’ve never committed an act of violence in my life,” one of the women said. “We’re here to show that we love our country, we love the people, we’re not terrorists. We’re trying to bring some lightness, some joy to the act of protesting for what we believe is right.”
The No Kings movement operates on an anti-Trump platform, claiming that Trump has abused his powers as the president and acted beyond the constraints of the Constitution. According to the No Kings website, over seven million Americans attended one of 2,700-plus rallies across the country on Oct. 18 to protest these perceived abuses of power.
“I think that an ever-increasing number of Americans recognize that Trump not only is seeking a fascist society and authoritarian government, but he is trying to become a monarch,” said Ellen Ljung, member of We Can Lead Change, one of the many organizations that helped coordinate the Geneva rally. “He just does whatever he wants as though he were king.”
The Fox Valley-based volunteer organization We Can Lead Change worked with several other local groups to organize the event. The group’s booth offered protesters more information on how to be involved in similar efforts, and they collected food and supply donations as a part of their Unity in the Community drive.
“We always collect supplies for people in need at [rallies] because we live in a very generous area and people want to help, and people need help and we can be a conduit. That’s a very positive thing that comes out of the rallies,” said Ljung. “These last two drives, and there will be more, are specifically to help people whose lives are so impacted by ICE.”
Ljung noted she was impressed with Saturday’s turnout and happy to see many young people attending.
“There were more newcomers at this rally, more first timers,” said Ljung. “There were more young people, and that was really thrilling to me, because, frankly, I’m an old lady. I don’t think things are going to turn around in my lifetime enough, but it’s my children and grandchildren that I’m doing this for.”
Ljung’s sentiment is shared by many of the Saturday attendees who say they hope to shape a better future for the next generation.
“I have granddaughters,” said protester and retired teacher Kathy Fraser. “I don’t want them to grow up thinking this is what a democracy looks like. We’re not going to be around in so many years, but they will.”
