Colorful signs and colorful language lit up the Strip in Carbondale on Saturday as thousands lined the sidewalks from Mill to Main Street, marching to the beat of snare drums, tubas and the honks of passersby.
Demonstrators gathered in both celebration of Pride Month and in protest of President Donald Trump, who was simultaneously hosting his own parade in Washington, D.C.
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“I’m here to show my support for my country and to protest against Donald Trump,” said Thomas Crosslin, who had been protesting in his hometown of Salem, Illinois earlier that morning.
“It’s been amazing,” he said. “This is the second protest I’ve been to today. We did one in Salem and then we came here to Carbondale.”
Former Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon stood among the crowd, firm in her place among the people she grew up with.
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“I’m here because I support the ‘NO KINGS’ day and because I am absolutely opposed to autocracy in the United States,” Simon said.
For some, the day felt like a homecoming – loud, joyful, angry and resolute.
“I love being around my community – anytime I get to be around us we’re acting like we’re at a family reunion,” said Carbondale City Councilwoman Clare Killman. “But also, I’m just not a proponent of federalism, of our federal government, and I often find myself on the opposite side of the line of fascism – that’s certainly a hard line in the sand that I personally draw.”
Killman didn’t mince words when describing what she believes is the state of the nation.
“It’s certainly one that’s fascistic and one that’s explicitly now targeting its residents – people who reside here – its own citizens – with military force,” she said. “And so, by definition, it is an authoritarian regime that we’re living under. Something that should and must be stood up to.
“At this point, it’s either all of us or none of us.”
Gary Shepherd, an SIU alum and former copy editor at the Daily Egyptian, echoed those fears.
“I am very worried about the direction our country is going,” he said. “If you’ve ever read the book ‘The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,’ that book is about exactly what’s happening right now – it’s the same kinds of things.”
Shepherd said protests like Saturday’s can be a reminder to people that they are not alone, and not without agency.
“Things like this will show people that they are not powerless,” he said. “That they have power, and that they can stop the way we are drifting.”
He said the crowd gave him hope.
“What’s really great is that there are so many young people in the crowd. I’ve been to demonstrations where it was just us old gray-haired hippies – but this is people of all ages from all places. I’ve met so many people who aren’t from Carbondale who came here specifically for this event. There’s easily a couple thousand people here.”
Some found themselves overcome by the moment.
“This is a small town and there’s a heck of a lot of people here,” said a protester named Margy. “It feels really good to be here. I’ve had a lot of tearing-up moments.”
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