Before Tuesday, Naperville resident Mary Horek had never attended a protest. But at 71 years old, she stood in the rain on Naperville’s Washington Street overpass with a sign in hand that read: “Vote like democracy depends on it. (It does.)”
Horek was among more than 50 people who gathered near the Fifth Avenue train station late Tuesday afternoon for a pro-democracy rally. The gathering was one of several demonstrations planned across the country ahead of President Donald Trump’s prime-time speech to a joint session of Congress.
Naperville’s Washington Street demonstration was organized by the League of Women Voters of Naperville in partnership with the Illinois National Organization for Women, National Council of Jewish Women Chicago North Shore, AAUW Naperville Area and Naper Pride. It was held in tandem with several community gatherings organized by other local chapters of the League of Women Voters throughout the state, from Chicago to Rockford.
It wasn’t so much Tuesday’s demonstration itself that galvanized Horek to protest but that she found herself reaching “a boiling point,” she said.
“I can’t sleep,” she said, wearing a bright yellow poncho, her hood pulled up as it steadily drizzled. “Everything that’s happening, it’s just not right. … I’m worried about everybody in our country.”
Since he took office, Trump’s second term has been a blitz of activity. He’s withdrawn America from international agreements and organizations, sought to end government support for programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, cracked down on immigration and overseen the mass firing of federal workers, among a host of other acts.
In his joint address to Congress, Trump vowed to continue his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action.”
As she stood near the Fifth Avenue station, Cyndi DeBock, who’s lived in Naperville since November, said, “I can’t even believe it’s our country. I can’t believe it’s our country anymore, and I’m frightened. I’m really, really frightened.”
Standing beside DeBock, Elaine Waite, also a Naperville resident, held a sign that depicted an upside-down American flag, which has historically been used as a sign of distress. It read, “She’s in Distress! All Hands on Decks!”
Elsewhere along the overpass, an upside down flag bobbed among demonstrators.
“It’s not the America that I have felt proud of,” Waite said, who’s originally from Louisiana but moved to Naperville in 1991. “It’s been a long time since it really has been. … And I’m extremely concerned. I don’t know if we’re going to have a democracy for much longer.”
Susan Craighead, president of the League of Women Voters of Naperville, emphasized that the League — and in turn, Tuesday’s demonstration — was “completely nonpartisan,” but that the organization does “advocate for important issues.” Protecting democracy, she said, is “one of our most important issues.”
“We see democracy under great threat every day since the most recent election,” she said. “It is up to the people to voice their will. And we hope that everybody will listen.”
Naperville resident Tim Nelson attended the gathering with his 9-year-old daughter and mother-in-law. He said he wouldn’t characterize himself or his family as “traditional activists,” but that “given the state of things, we’re out here to support peace and democracy and to make sure it’s upheld.”
Below, cars passing beneath the overpass on their way into and out of downtown Naperville sporadically honked their horns.
Meanwhile, further into downtown, more protesters gathered near the intersection of Jackson Avenue and Webster Street under the Free Speech Pavilion along the Naperville Riverwalk.
A separate event, the Riverwalk gathering was organized by Indivisible Naperville. The demonstration, billed in a news release as a “Musk or Us Rally,” was devised to protest Elon Musk and the billionaire adviser’s push to cut government spending, according to Indivisible Naperville co-founder Dianne McGuire.
“It’s time to stand up and speak out for what we believe this country stands for,” McGuire said, speaking over the phone Tuesday night. Indivisible’s rally at its peak saw about 200 people turn out, McGuire said.
“It was tremendously energizing,” she said.
While most protesters had filtered out by early evening, a small group remained with their signs still in tow. Aurora resident Alyssa Tesmond stood beside her wife Hannah Tesmond.
“It’s kind of just scary times, you know?” Alyssa, 27, said, her voice breaking. “So we’re glad to be here.”
“We don’t like the current state of our country, and we think we deserve better,” Hannah, 25, added. “We just wanted to do something about it, instead of feeling like we can’t do anything.”
The Associated Press contributed.
