Editor’s note: NBC Chicago’s Sky 5 helicopter is above the rally. Watch live in the player above.
Multiple streets were closed in downtown Chicago as a “No Kings” rally took place at Grant Park during nationwide demonstrations.
Video footage from NBC’s Sky 5 helicopter showed thousands gathered at the “Hands off Chicago” rally, a protest aimed at criticizing President Donald Trump and taking aim at his immigration stance amid an enhanced immigration crackdown in the city.
Street closures were reported in the area, as was heavy traffic.
Portions of Jackson Drive and Monroe Street were closed to vehicles, Google Maps showed. The rally was expected to continue with a march downtown, which would likely lead to more closures.
The protest mirrored demonstrations across the country, where people lined sidewalks and decried the president for an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.
Events were planned in more than 2,000 cities, with over 30 in the Chicago area, according to a map posted by organizers.
Some conservative politicians have condemned the protests as “Hate America” rallies, while others say that it represents a “patriotic” fight for First Amendment rights.
Chicago protest organizers, in an event page online, said the rally “This isn’t just politics. It’s democracy versus dictatorship.”
“We won’t accept a wannabe king, and we won’t back down in the face of chaos, corruption, and cruelty,” they stated.
Before noon, several thousand people had gathered in New York City’s Times Square, chanting “Trump must go now,” and waving sometimes-profane signs with slogans insulting the president and condemning his immigration crackdown. Some people carried American flags. Americans abroad held smaller rallies in major European cities, waving U.S. flags and chanting slogans.
from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/Vh4B1Jc
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