‘No Kings’ protesters fill Oak Park, march for hours on Lake Street 

Protestors filled Oak Park’s downtown again over the weekend as residents took part in a local demonstration associated with the nationwide “No Kings” protests of President Donald Trump.  

Several thousand protesters had gathered in Scoville Park by 11:15 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. They heard from “The Raging Grannies,” a singing group, and from organizers who called for joy and appreciation for Oak Park police “who will keep us safe and are our friends.”

Then the huge crowd began moving from the “Peace Triumphant” statue at the crown of Scoville Park and towards Lake Street, where protestors marched between Oak Park Avenue and Harlem Avenue for several hours. The protest, one of more than a dozen that took place in the metro area on the day, came after months of conflict between local leaders and the presidential administration, primarily in the context of Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz” mass deportation effort focused on the region and his bid to station out-of-state national guard troops in Chicago. 

Brian and Angie Callahan, who live a few blocks from Scoville Park, said it was important for residents to come together at the demonstration amid the administration’s sharp rhetoric and actions in the city. 

“People in Chicago are walking to the grocery store or dropping their kids off at school and are getting accosted,” said Angie Callahan, who attended the protest wearing a variety of patriotic accessories. “It’s terrible.” 

“I feel that we’re slipping into an authoritarian oligarchy right in front of us,” Brian Callahan said. “We’ve got to be able to stand up and show what Chicago and Oak Park are really like.” 

The operations of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents throughout Chicagoland were top of mind for many other Oak Park protestors, particularly the scenes at ICE’s detention facility in nearby Broadview where critics of the administration allege that both protesters and detainees’ civil rights have been violated.   

One protester who teaches at a school near the facility said the federal presence in the West Cook suburbs has created a disruptive environment for their students. 

“I feel like I have to do something because I don’t want my students to continue being affected like this,” said the protester, who asked to remain anonymous. “The other day a helicopter was flying so low over the school that if I knew the pilot, I would’ve been able to identify him. That was a really scary moment for me.”  

Several Oak Parkers have been arrested at protests at the facility in recent weeks, including Paul Ivery, a 26-year-old Oak Park and River Forest High School cafeteria worker with an intellectual disability who was held in federal custody for four nights and charged with felony assault in connection with an alleged confrontation with Border Patrol agents. 

The federal government dropped charges against Ivery on Oct. 10 after prosecutors reviewed records related to his disability. 

ICE activity has also been reported on several occasions in Oak Park and River Forest since September, including when federal agents arrested and deported a pair of longtime River Forest residents to Slovakia. Last month, the village of Oak Park took steps to limit all access to its village hall parking lot after ICE agents had accessed the site. 

The federal government says it has deported more than 1,000 people in Chicagoland since its operation began. 

Protestors Saturday held satirical signs, pushed young and old family members in wheelchairs or strollers and in many cases wore silly costumes. 

Megan Spillman, who was dressed as Gary the Snail from SpongeBob SquarePants, protested with Melissa Gerald, who was dressed as Velma from Scooby Doo. The Oak Parkers said that in a time where many in the community are living in fear of a potential deportation, economic hardship or loss of civil liberties, leaning into joy is a powerful thing. 

“This is the least we can do, to show up to things like this,” Gerald said. “And to do it in costume.’ 

“We want to show we’re not afraid,” Spillman said. “We’re not afraid to have joy.”

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