For the third time in under a year, thousands of protesters across the Chicago area joined nationwide marches Saturday to make their voices heard regarding President Donald Trump and his policies.An escalating conflict with Iran that has led to inflated gas prices and a lingering government shutdown that prompted Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence at various airports earlier this week are among the more recent developments drawing widespread criticism that brought protesters to the streets as part of the latest “No Kings” demonstrations. The protest in Chicago’s Grant Park kicked off Saturday afternoon with a powerful rendition of “A Change Is Gonna Come,” and an original song called, “In This America,” by local artist Melody Angel. Thousands march through the Loop Saturday as part of the “No Kings” nationwide protest movement against the Trump administration.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times She wrote the song in memory of Trayvon Martin, whose killing in 2012 galvanized the Black Lives Matter movement. She now dedicates the song to her niece and nephew."This is not the world I want for them, and I will change it," Angel said from the stage.By 1:30 p.m., thousands gathered at Butler Field in Grant Park. Attendees held “Abolish Ice” and “No Kings Since 1776” signs as songs like “Fight the Power” and “I Will Survive” blared through the speakers. By 3 p.m., the crowd marched through the Loop holding large signs including, “ICE OUT,” before ending peacefully without any major incidents at 4:30 p.m.The rally is part of a nationwide movement, dubbed “No Kings,” to protest the Trump administration’s policies including mass deportations, the rollback of transgender rights and the war in Iran. The first No Kings protests, which took place last June, were planned to counter a military parade in Washington to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 79th birthday.The Loop rally was organized by the Hands Off Chicago Coalition, which includes Chicago Federation of Labor, Equality Illinois, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Indivisible Chicago Alliance and more, as well as the ACLU of Illinois. Volunteers said a crowd of 250,000 to 300,000 was expected, though the crowd appeared smaller than the one from last fall. In October, tens of thousands of people attended similar protests across the Chicago region. Republicans had described protests as the “Hate America Rally.”Reflecting on the progression of the “No Kings” protests over the last year, Laura Tanner, of Indivisible Chicago, said the resistance movement keeps growing.“More and more people are horrified and activated, and just want to be a part of these mass demonstrations,” she said. Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks Saturday during a rally in Grant Park before protesters march through the Loop as part of the “No Kings” nationwide protest movement against the Trump administration.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Mayor Brandon Johnson, who took the stage in Grant Park briefly, called for an end to the endless “assault” on immigrants and working people. He also announced a forthcoming day of action on May 1 to pressure the “ultra-rich” to “pay their fair share in taxes.”“Look around,” he said. “Our movement is bigger. Our resolve is stronger. And we’re sending a message: No kings in America.”Natanael Hosen, of South Barrington, came to the United States from Argentina when he was 19 and “accomplished the American Dream.”Hosen, 37, started his company and is raising five children, but he and his family have faced threats of deportation since the beginning of Trump’s immigration enforcement operations.“I feel like I’m doing something wrong just by existing,” Hosen said. “I can’t go to airports. I can’t travel.”Hosen, who feels “at risk” for the first time in his 18 years in the United States, said it was the bombing of Iran that was the “tipping point” for him to attend a rally.“I have friends in the other countries, and they’re laughing at us,” Hosen said. “We just take whatever they give us, and this at some point has got to stop.” By 1:30 p.m. Saturday, thousands of people began gathering in Grant Park in Chicago to kick off the “No Kings” rally and march.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times Linda Tucker, 70, of Kenwood, said she showed up to voice many grievances, including that a disproportionate number of Black women were pushed out of the workforce since Trump started his second term.She said she was discouraged by the makeup of the crowd.“There are so many people of my generation here and not enough young people,” she said. “My generation experienced assassinations, the Vietnam War, [Richard] Nixon and [Ronald] Reagan, and we know how hard it was to get what we had. There is no reason to take it for granted.”Across the Chicago area Saturday, many participants took their children to the rallies, pointing to the importance of teaching them to speak out. Although many expressed frustration with Trump, some said they took comfort in the solidarity surrounding them.Organizers said more than 3,100 events — 500 more than in October — were registered, in all 50 states, with protests also taking place in Europe, the AP reported. The Grant Park protest was expected to be the biggest in Chicago, but smaller ones took place in Lincoln Square and Irving Park. Outside of the city, other rallies took place in Cicero, Oak Park and Highland Park.‘We’ve been here before’As Joanne Bertalan sat in her wheelchair during Evanston’s “No Kings” rally Saturday morning, she thought back to the civil rights protests she attended as a college student at Bradley University in 1964.“We’ve been here before,” said Bertalan, 77. “These people have all lived through a lot of stuff and wars. It’s got a lot of veterans here and they’re done with this.” Cheree Bertalan (left) sits next to her mother, Joanne Bertalan, during Saturday’s “No Kings” rally in Dawes Park in Evanston. The mother and daughter walked with their church to join the protest. Leigh Giangreco/For the Sun-Times The suburban rally also included Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, the recent winner of the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat, who took the stage around 10:45 a.m.“Things have gotten worse,” Biss said. “There is a war, an unjust, illegal, deranged war. We endured a violent federal occupation in our streets, here in Evanston and across the Chicago area throughout the fall, and then they went on to Minneapolis, where they just started shooting people,“ he said, referencing Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were fatally shot by federal agents in Minnesota.Fighting for rights ‘no matter what’ in CiceroOutside of Cicero Town Hall, a crowd of 60 people gathered Saturday.“No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” they shouted at one point, as cars on West Cermak Road honked in approval.A U.S. Marines veteran, who identified himself as Jose Manuel, spoke out at the rally about the amount of money Trump has spent on the war in Iran and the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.“When we ask for investments here at home for schools, housing and mental health care, we’re told there isn’t enough,” said the 38-year-old. “But there is always enough money for war.” Protesters hold up signs and chant Saturday during a No Kings rally outside of Cicero Town Hall.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times Children join Lincoln Square rallyAround 100 people, including children, gathered earlier Saturday in Welles Park in Lincoln Square. People brought their kids and dogs, and used chalk to write messages like “Choose love” and “Love thy neighbor.” The group sang, “This is for our people who are locked inside, together we will abolish ICE,” before marching the perimeter of the park.Brenna O’Brien, a local parent who organized the protest as an alternative to the Grant Park rally, addressed the group before the march.“We’re not loyal to a mad king trying to take over the country,” she said to cheers. “Chicagoans take care of each other and we will not let him take over this city.” Meagan Moore, of Lincoln Square, took her two children, Ada and Theo, to Saturday’s smaller protest in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. She said it was important to show her children that their opinions matter. “They see what’s going on. [I want to] let them know that they can use their voice and say when things aren’t going how they’re supposed to,” she said. Mary Norkol/Sun-Times ...read more read less