URBANA – Over 200 demonstrators stood in the pouring rain outside of the Champaign County Courthouse on Saturday for a rally against the Trump Administration and its policies.
Bob Hughes, a member of the Champaign-Urbana Resistance Effort and organizer of the “Rally for Democracy,” said that the event was planned with the hope of making a peaceful stand against the White House.
“We just wanted to come out and speak our mind and say, ‘We don’t like what’s going on,’ and that we’re planning to resist it, and to continue to organize and express our views until we get some changes in the way things are going,” Hughes said.
Protestors lined E. Main Street with signs reading “Never Appease Fascism” or “Stand Up for Democracy” while chanting “No Justice, No Peace” to passers-by.
Speakers included Joe Pavia, one of CURE’s head organizers, and a faculty member from the University of Illinois’ College of Education. Mayor Diane Marlin of Urbana also made an appearance.
Hughes added that the turnout proved that resisting Trump’s recent policies is a priority amongst community members throughout Champaign-Urbana.
“It’s pouring rain but everybody is staying here and just keeps coming,” Hughes said. “There’s lots of car horns out in the street as people pass by, so there is really a lot of support for resisting Trump and all the things that are going on in this country.”
The demonstration comes shortly after a string of nationwide protests against billionaire Elon Musk, Trump’s senior advisor, and his Department of Government Efficiency. A “Tesla Takedown” campaign sparked demonstrations at Musk’s manufacturing facilities in Seattle and Miami.
The group ended the rally with a march around Lincoln Square Mall.
Trump’s policies have already made an impact in Central Illinois. The administration recently closed the Soybean Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois, which oversaw research into developing soybean production in African countries. Thirty employees were laid off as a result.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently canceled two programs that give states, tribal governments, schools and food banks money to buy local food from farmers.