Signs, singing, support showcased at Dixon’s No Kings protest

A grandmother concerned about her grandchildren’s future.

A young man fearing for children’s safety.

A woman worried about whether due process has been denied to detainees.

Protestors stood along Galena Avenue and sat in chairs on the Old Lee County Courthouse lawn on Saturday during a No Kings protest in Dixon. (Charlene Bielema)

All three were among a couple of hundred people who gathered on the lawn outside the Old Lee County Courthouse in Dixon on Saturday, a day in which millions of people took to the streets nationwide for No Kings protests.

The Dixon protest brought in people of all ages who carried signs and waved to Galena Avenue traffic, which brought with it horn honks of support.

Frank Slowinski of Dixon holds a sign during a No Kings protest Saturday along Galena Avenue in Dixon. (Charlene Bielema)

“We’re here because the country needs to get back on its feet and get someone in charge who will take care of the people and not be lying to us,” said Frank Slowinski of Dixon, who, with his wife, Denise, attended the Dixon protest. ”I don’t like the way this country is going right now. So we got to change a lot of things."

His wife echoed those sentiments.

“I hate what’s going on in this world right now,” she said. “We shouldn’t be at war. The prices. the tariffs. The injustice for the poor people that have not had their say in court. What’s been done to them is an atrocity. I don’t believe what’s going on. It’s truly disheartening.”

As protestors stood with signs, Linda Robertson of Franklin Grove made her voice heard – literally – by singing along with protest songs played over a speaker on the courthouse steps.

Protestors lined the sidewalk in front of her from one end of the block to the other, and in some places were several rows deep.

A group of protestors holds up signs while under the Dixon Arch on Saturday afternoon outside of the Old Lee County Courthouse. (Charlene Bielema)

Carrying a sign that read “Only You Can Resist Fascist Liars”, Carol Bearman of Dixon said she was at the protest – the fourth or fifth she had attended – because she is worried about her grandkids’ future.

Carol Bearman of Dixon waves to traffic Saturday during a No Kings protest along Galena Avenue in Dixon. (Charlene Bielema)

“I want to do my part in the community to help bring awareness to what we can all do no matter how old we are,” she said.

U.S. organizers have estimated that the first two rounds of No Kings rallies drew more than 5 million people in June and 7 million in October. This week, they told reporters they expected 9 million participants on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

Organizers said more than 3,100 events were registered in all 50 states.