‘We need to show our solidarity,’: Springfield ‘No Kings’ protest
attracts over 1,000
[March 30, 2026]
By Jenna Schweikert and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR)
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.
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Protestors gather outside that Illinois State Capitol on March 28
for the third in a series of nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations
protesting the federal government. (Capitol News Illinois photo by
Jenna Schweikert)
 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. |
