Hundreds march in protest after Trump sworn in as president again
CHICAGO - Hundreds of people opposed to the new president's policies braved bitterly cold weather to rally and march in downtown Chicago.
They said much of what Donald Trump laid out in his inaugural speech Monday is anti-immigrant and unconstitutional.
"We fought against Trump's first administration, and we are here to fight now," said one protester.
‘Not our first rodeo’
Local perspective:
On a brutally cold morning, with temperatures hovering just above zero, about a thousand people gathered in Federal Plaza at the same time Trump was being sworn in for a second term in Washington.
"This is not our first rodeo," said Muhammad Sankari of the Arab American Action Network. "We all remember what the first Trump administration looked like. We remember the racist attacks against so many communities."
Monday’s anti-Trump rally comprised about 80 organizations representing education, women's rights, and Palestinian support.
"I'm here to stand up for the people who can't stand up for themselves," said protester Sara Beck.
But the overriding immediate concern, they say, is the threat by the new president to carry out deportation raids in big blue cities like Chicago that have promised to protect immigrant communities.
"So to Donald Trump today we say as a city, he threatened the city with raids only to backtrack," said Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th Ward). "That's what he will continue to do, threaten cities like Chicago. And what he's going to find here is dignity and integrity and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr."
‘We’re going to fight'
What's next:
The protesters said their voices will continue to be heard not just on inauguration day, but as Trump rolls out his executive orders.
"We're going to fight like we're doing today out in the streets. Rain, snow or shine. Hot or damn cold like today," said protester Faayani Aboma Mijani. "We will hit these streets in mass numbers as much and as long as we need to fight for our rights."
After the rally in Federal Plaza, protesters marched north on Dearborn, while Chicago police blocked traffic, to finish their rally across the river from Trump Tower.
"It can feel easy to become frustrated, mortified, depressed and shocked. But I remind you that we have done this before and we will survive it again," said Dr. Diane Castro of the Chicago Teacher’s Union.