As Joanne Bertalan sat in her wheelchair on a crisp and sunny morning during Evanston's "No Kings" rally, she thought back to the civil rights protests she attended as a college student at Bradley University in 1964.
“We’ve been here before,” said Bertalan, 77. “These people have all lived through a lot of stuff and wars. It’s got a lot of veterans here and they're done with this.”
She was among a few hundred people gathered Saturday in Evanston to kick off protests taking place across the country. The nationwide rallies, dubbed "No Kings," are protesting President Donald Trump's policies including immigration, the rollback of transgender rights and the war in Iran.
Organizers expect more than 3,100 events to take place in the U.S., and protests also were planned for Europe, the AP reported. Rallies are planned Saturday for Grant Park, Lincoln Square and Irving Park in Chicago. Just outside of the city, other rallies will take place in Cicero, Oak Park, Forest Park and Evergreen Park.
Last fall, tens of thousands of people attended similar protests across the Chicago region. Republicans had branded the protests as the "Hate America Rally."
Cheree Bertalan (left) sits next to her mother, Joanne Bertalan, during Saturday’s “No Kings” rally in Dawes Park in Evanston. The mother and daughter walked with their church to join the protest.
Leigh Giangreco/For the Sun-Times
In Evanston, the crowd skewed grayer, with demonstrators carrying not only posters but canes, walkers, beach chairs and wheelchairs. Bertalan attended the rally with her 57-year-old daughter, Cheree Bertalan. Both attended the 'No Kings' rally last year and returned for the event, noting they appreciated the peaceful demonstration that brought out dogs, grandmothers and young children alike.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who won the Democratic primary last week for Illinois’ 9th congressional district, took the stage around 10:45 a.m. to loud cheers.
“Things have gotten worse,” B
