April 04, 2025
Shaw Local
NewsElection 2025SportsNewslettereNewspaperObituariesWeekend PlansEvent Calendar

DeKalb area activists to protest Trump, Musk policies Saturday

‘Hands Off!’ DeKalb protest part of planned nationwide demonstrations

By Megann Horstead
Candy Smith (left to right), Joan Lanning and Sue Willey hoist up signs Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, at Peace Corner in DeKalb in protest of the federal administration's immigration policies.

Shaw Local file photo – Candy Smith (left to right), Joan Lanning and Sue Willey hoist up signs Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, at Peace Corner in DeKalb in protest of the federal administration's immigration policies. (Megann Horstead)

DeKALB – Activists in DeKalb are planning a mass protest on Saturday to rally against the Trump administration over what they call a “brazen power grab” disrupting federal institutions and depriving working people of needed jobs and services.

Partisan and nonpartisan groups are expected to participate.

The demonstration, dubbed “Hands Off!” is part of a nationwide movement that could see upwards of 900 similar demonstrations across the country, organizer Meryl Greer Domina said.

Greer Domina said she hopes for a large turnout so federal Democratic lawmakers including Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, feel supported.

“We want a strong showing so our federal legislators ... know we are serious when we ask them to stand up to President Trump, to know that we have their backs,” Greer Domina said in a news release.

The event will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Memorial Park also known as “Peace Corner,” at First Street and Lincoln Highway in downtown DeKalb. The group will hear from multiple speakers, then walk west along Lincoln Highway to Normal Road and close with a final speaker.

Domina said speakers are expected to address how they believe federal policy is contributing to racism and a weakened economy, and negatively impacting farmers, veterans, low-income communities, seniors and immigrants.

The DeKalb demonstration is volunteer-organized with support provided by groups such as the Democratic Party of DeKalb County, REACT, the League of Women Voters of DeKalb County, 350Kishwaukee and Exploring Issues.

Similar events are expected to take place across northern Illinois, including in Lisle, Geneva, Joliet, Elgin, Bartlett, Ottawa, Kankakee, Rockford and Schaumburg.

Organizers said the protest is meant to help people channel their anger about Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency shuttering Social Security offices, firing federal workers, eliminating consumer protections and gutting Medicaid.

Organizers stressed that a core principle of their demonstrations is a commitment to nonviolent action, and ask that participants seek to deescalate any potential confrontation should it arise, according to the rally website.

Have a Question about this article?