SPRINGFIELD — A crowd of over a thousand gathered outside the Illinois state capitol on Saturday to attend the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations protesting the Trump administration.
As the demonstration began with a rendition of the National Anthem, dozens waved variety of colors from pocket-sized American flags to political banners. One man dressed in Revolution-era uniform held a large Betsy Ross flag that blew in the wind.
The demonstration featured speeches, musical artists and crowd chants, ending in a march down Capitol Ave.
Saturday’s was the third in the series of protests that began in June 2025 as a counterprotest to President Donald Trump’s D.C. birthday parade. The movement grew quickly, attracting millions in the series of nonviolent, community-based protests. This was the biggest No Kings protest in Springfield thus far, one attendee said. It was the first time local law enforcement blocked off the street. And due to donations, organizers were able to rent food trucks and purchase bandanas for the family-friendly event.
Springfield’s protest was organized by 50501 Springfield IL, Land of Lincoln Democratic Socialists and Capitol City Illinois Indivisible. The organizers encouraged attendees to get involved in their local communities and at the Statehouse to keep the protest momentum going.
Tricia Copeland and Kathy Slater, two attendees, said they came to show people they’re not alone, echoing the sentiments of the organizers who called for support of the disenfranchised and discriminated.
“We need to show our solidarity and the fact that we do not agree with what’s going on,” Copeland said. “We all need to do something where we are, the way we can, to make a difference.”
In the growing crowd on 2nd Street, several stopped to take pictures of a woman wearing a cardboard cutout of a bell that read “No king, it’s a USA thing.” A terrier, trotting along, wore a sign that said, “Bad DOGE.” A toddler blew bubbles and collected candy from people sitting along the curb, who waved American Civil Liberties Union signs and chanted with the organizers.
Some said it was their first time at a No Kings event, while others had been to all three. Many said they live in or close to Springfield, but others traveled from different areas in the state.
Amber Odell, a Decatur resident, said she came to Springfield because the event was bigger.
“I’m here to protect my neighbors. I’m here to protect our country,” Odell said. “I have never been so moved by the Star-Spangled Banner in my life as I am these days. I appreciate my country more because of what we’re going through.”
Kacie Dawson, a Springfield resident, said she’s been to each protest with her two friends. The three stayed up the night before making their signs, and her husband 3D printed earrings for them that said “No kings” over a yellow crown.
Over three thousand protests were scheduled across all 50 states and internationally on March 28, mirroring the October 18 protests that saw over seven million attendees in the nation. Illinois alone had over 100 planned beyond the Springfield No Kings event, from Chicago down to Carbondale.
“I think it’s important that we just keep showing up. We keep showing up and standing up for what we believe in,” Dawson said. “I feel like there’s a sense of unity when you come to these protests that you feel you know you’re not alone and you’re all standing for the same reason.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
