‘Defend the Constitution’ - Nearly 400 people attend No Kings Day rally in Morris

The sidewalk along the stretch where U.S. Route 6 and Illinois Route 47 merge in Morris was filled with people of all ages Saturday protesting against President Donald Trump and his administration.

The protest drew people of all ages with varying concerns, though everyone’s concerns fell in line with what they saw as Trump’s abuses of power.

“The biggest issue is the fact that you have all these declarations of emergency,” said Jeff McWhorter, a protester from Morris. “He’s using these declarations of emergencies to do a lot of things that aren’t within the power of the presidency. I think whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, everyone can rally behind the idea that you should defend the Constitution. Basically, that is the foundation of our government, our society.”

McWhorter said Trump’s executive orders are eroding the power of the U.S. Constitution to destroy it. He held a giant flag at the corner in front of the Wendy’s restaurant that read “Defend the Constitution”.

The Morris rally was one of thousands of similar events happening around the country in a grassroots movement called No Kings Day.

The protests were happening on the same day, June 14, as the military parade Trump wanted in Washington, D.C., to recognize the 250th year of the U.S. armed forces. June 14 is celebrated as Flag Day across the county and it is also the president’s birthday.

Jessica Daggett of Morris was already losing her voice an hour into the protest. She’d been leading the crowd in chants of “This is what democracy looks like” and others and continued to do so once someone gave her a bullhorn.

She’s been trying to have her voice heard in more ways than just protesting. Daggett said she uses the Five Calls app that helps people record a message about an issue they care about to send to their local representatives.

Daggett, like many other people driven to protest Saturday, hasn’t received a response from her representatives.

That’s what Morris’s David Perry said he expected when he made the calls.

“That’s what I expect with the district I live in,” Perry said. “In redistricting, I was hoping to wind up in (Democrat) Lauren Underwood’s district, but we got (Republican) Darin LaHood and Jason Bunting. It’s not surprising they don’t return my calls.”

Perry said what he’d like to see in 2030 with the next census is removing the General Assembly from the redistricting process and give it to a nonpartisan board.

Carol Trewartha of Morris said she hasn’t heard much back from her representatives, either. Her way of protesting, other than Saturday, is sharing information on Facebook and making sure she’s talking to the people around her. She wants to ensure everyone knows what’s going on.

“What’s been going on in this country the last four or five months?” Trewartha said. “It’s just gonna get worse.”

Diana Mullins-Atkinson, who lives in Bradley but grew up in Mazon, and was in town visiting. She said she really wanted to be involved in a protest because she feels it’s important that people know not everyone believes what Trump is doing for best for the country.

Mullins-Atkinson said she spent a lot of time making phone calls talking to people, friends and family, and she uses her YouTube channel to talk about issues.

“We openly talk about it on the channel,” Mullins-Atkinson said. “I don’t feel like you should be ashamed to talk about what you actually believe. It’s what democracy is all about.”

Ashley Clinder of Minooka said she came out to the No Kings Day event because she cares about people and the planet.

“I believe in advocacy,” Clinder said. “I believe in telling everybody about what’s going on, what’s in the news, and how we can talk to our local representatives, how we can get out in public and vote.”