Bloomington-Normal residents gathered Saturday, Aug. 30, on the lawn of the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA) to protest the Trump administration in a rally titled ‘United We Stand — Say No to Hate.’
Starting at noon, an estimated 60 protestors held a variety of political signs and waved at passing traffic, encouraging drivers to honk in support. This peaceful rally lasted approximately an hour and included multiple political booths, a group of protest singers, and four speakers.
According to the rally flyer, activists gathered to “promote kindness and stand united." Protester, Bloomington-Normal resident, and parent of two LGBTQ+ children, Lynn Litwiller, shared her reasons for participating in the protest.
"I mean, we're out here to fight for democracy. We're out here to fight for human rights. I mean, even the immigrants, right? Everybody,” said Litwiller.
While holding a sign reading “Stop Trans Hate,” Litwiller cited her deep commitment to transgender rights as a driving force behind her decision to protest the administration.
“They're trying to persecute trans people ... They're putting out a false narrative that these young kids, you know, don't know what they're doing. I mean, you go through psychiatry, you go through your doctors, your parents, your doctor ... everybody needs access. It is a life-and-death situation,” said Litwiller.
“Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal,” a local activist group that aims to “eliminate bigotry, bullying, and hate in the Twin Cities,” and Bloomington-Normal 50501, the local chapter of the 50501 movement focused on “fighting to uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach,” have been two of the many organizations that have joined forces to organize these rallies, which now take place at least monthly. The ‘United We Stand — Say No to Hate’ rally was specifically organized in direct opposition to a planned Nazi march in Bloomington earlier that day, which ultimately did not take place.
President of Prairie Pride Coalition, Dave Bentlin, was one of the four protest speakers and provided some insight into the opposing march.
“The recent handbill with racist, threatening and hateful imagery and text, and the individuals who created that flyer seek to silence and erase not only our voices, but our power and the progress achieved on the federal, state and local levels that has improved equity and opportunities for the LGBTQIA+ community and other minority communities. The fact that a march didn't occur this morning does not negate the fact that, through their tactics, this small, infinitesimal group of people seeks to intimidate and silence us. We will not let that happen,” said Bentlin.
Along with Bentlin, the three other rally speakers included American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) speaker, Irving Epstein, a “Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal" speaker and sophomore history-social sciences teacher education major at Illinois State University, Andrew Franson.
First speaker of the day, Franson, delivered a talk on how students in the area stand in solidarity with the “fight against fascism.” Franson expressed hope for the future.
“I'm optimistic because look at the crowd. I mean, look at all of the people that we have out here. We have a lot of wonderful people ... So, I think there's a lot of hope,” said Franson.
The crowd was described to have a “very good turnout” by protesters and speakers. Litwiller spoke on the sense of unity she felt among fellow demonstrators.
“I love to read everybody's signs. But just like like-minded people, we're all here together fighting for the same cause,” said Litwiller.
