A collection of young and old lined the fence along the front of Community Park, some bearing signs or carrying flags, as Jacksonville joined other locations across the nation in protest against President Donald Trump’s administration and its policies.
The crowd waved at those driving by on the city’s busiest thoroughfare as the sounds of horns honking in support punctuated their own cheers.
Occasionally, a megaphone-amplified voice called out “Show me what democracy looks like” and drew the response, “This is what democracy looks like.”
It was not the first time Jacksonville has taken part in protests against Trump administration policies — about two dozen people turned out at the same location in July as part of the “Good Trouble Lives On” rally — but Saturday’s crowd was significantly larger, estimated at a little more than 200 people.
While there were a few jeers from passers-by, it was a largely undisturbed two-hour gathering. Police were called about midway through the event about three trucks driving past and using megaphones to harass protesters and blowing black smoke into the crowd, according to a police report. The trucks left before officers arrived.
The event was organized by Morgan County Democrats and Indivisible Jacksonville as part of the third No Kings National Day of Nonviolent Action. There were more than 3,100 events scheduled Saturday across the nation and expected to draw more than 9 million people.
Rallies in Quincy and Alton also drew several hundred people, and more than 1,000 people gathered outside the state Capitol in Springfield. Organizers estimate attendance at a Chicago No Kings protest was about 300,000.
The White House said the protests had little public support and were the creation of “leftist funding networks.”
“[The] only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.