A look at today’s No Kings protests : NPR

Debbie Elliott, Host:

While President Trump watches the military parade, demonstrations are planned in cities and towns around the country. They are invoiced as king protests. The organizers say that the Trump administration responds to what the growing authoritarianism calls and has recently followed the demonstrations triggered by federal migration raids. Protests are expected in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, where WBEZ correspondent Sarah Karp now joins us. Good morning Sarah.

Sarah Karp, Byline: Good morning.

Elliott: The protest in today’s Chicago is just one of the hundreds of hundreds of people that organizers say they plan. For most of the week, there are some shows in Chicago. What’s going on now?

Karp: So, you know, there have been rallies here since conflicts began in Los Angeles and invited to national guards. But even before that, as immigration agents appeared in court trials and regular immigration check-in, there was a lot of anger in the city. Tuesday night was the biggest show by drawing more than a thousand people this week.

Elliott: So, how do you think the non -king event will be different?

Karp: So this is quite different because it is planned for weeks and organizers say it is a family activity. Including some organizations – Chicago Teachers’ Association and Aclu. And another main organizer is a group called indivisible. Kathy Tholin says today’s message, which is indivisible, that authoritarianism will not be tolerated.

Kathy Tholin: For months, he saw policies that would harm the Americans and our democracy. We have federal agents who terrorized and kidnap our neighbors. I mean, our rally today is an opportunity to say no.

Elliott: Now President Trump often criticized Chicago for his status of a shelter city. Police would not help ice agents in the arrest. At the beginning of this week, the governor of Illinois JB Pritzker advocated the state’s sacred city status before the congress. So what do local authorities say in particular about today’s activity?

Karp: As you know, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is very progressive and locked with protesters on most issues. That was what he said about the protesters at a press conference this week.

(Press Conference Soundbite)

Brandon Johnson: I trust all Chicago at this moment because if the vulnerable group is targeted today, it will be the next group.

KARP: He and the police chief, the event expects to be very peaceful today, and the city has an experience of engaging in unjust mass demonstrations, he said. Illinois Governor Pritzker told the Congress that violence and protests were unacceptable this week, but most people who came to these things were very peaceful.

Elliott: If President Trump takes a similar measure to what we see, what steps did Chicago take?

Karp: Our partner Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Johnson administration has been reported to be reported by Federal immigration agencies about the weekend deployment to five major cities, including Chicago. And they were told that they might be tactical teams or mini tanks on the ground. But so far, we have not heard anything specific about the national guards or any real army.

Elliott: This is WBEZ’s Sarah Karp in Chicago. Thanks.

Karp: please.

(Soundbit of MF Doom’s “Red #40”)

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