“Beautiful people
You live in the same world as I do
But somehow I never noticed you before today
I’m ashamed to say”

— Melanie, Beautiful People, from Affectionately Melanie (1969)

““[The] only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them””

— Abigail Jackson, White House Spokesperson (March 28, 2026)

“Look what’s happening out in the streets
Got a revolution, got to revolution
Hey, I’m dancing down the street
Got a revolution, got to revolution
Ain’t it amazing all the people I meet
Got a revolution, got to revolution”

— Volunteers, the Jefferson Airplane, from Volunteers (1969)

Kudos to the 20,000 to 40,000 people who turned out for yesterday’s No Kings rally in Grant Park. Most notable were the signs, and in some cases, the costumes. Unfortunately, everything else about the outing had the feel of Me TV ‘s carousel of vintage television reruns—Gilligan’s Island, Hogan’s Heroes, I Love Lucy, and I Dream of Jeannie. While there were young people in the crowd, older, white women were the predominant demographic, many of whom probably were in Grant Park during the 1968 Democratic Convention and the subsequent anti-war demonstrations over the next five years.

Doubt me? Before the speeches began, DJ Sergio Fernandez played the soundtrack of their lives, including Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Going to Come (1964); Eddie Harris and Les McCann’s Compared to What (1969); Nina Simone’s Mississippi Goddam (1964); Bob Marley’s Get Up, Stand Up (1973); Bob Dylan’s The Times They are Changing (1964); Gil Scott-Heron’s The Revolution Will Not be Televised (1970); Common and John Legend’s Glory (2014); Black Sabbath’s War Pigs (1970); and Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name Of (1992). I also heard Woody Guthrie’s This Machine Kills Fascists (1943) in the mix. That’s right, only one song from the current century, and it was 20-years-old. When I headed to Columbus Drive to checkout what was happening, I lost track of what was streaming over the PA system.

The critical issue is why the playlist isn’t filled with protest some from the current era. Is the new generation fixated on Taylor Swift breakup songs, or are the organizers simply out of touch? No matter what the answer, the playlist offers some insight into why young people were not in the majority in what in large part was an anti-war and civil rights demonstration. Even Donald J. Trump isn’t going to draft 75-year-old woman to fight in Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, and who knows where else, although many in attendance today would not put it past him. So where in the words of Ed Sullivan “were the youngsters”?

Attendance. According to Block Club of Chicago, an Indivisible of Chicago spokesperson claimed that “an estimated 200,000 people” attended to today’s rally. Donald J. Trump has told more than his share of whoppers, but despite its ideological purity, Indivisible is not beyond gross exaggeration. Unfortunately, the City of Chicago no longer provides official crowd estimates, largely because such estimates are controversial. My rule of thumb: Take the organizer’s estimate and divide it by four. That formula would put today’s attendance at 50,000.

I spoke with several photographers who regularly cover demonstrations, as well as several other knowledgeable people. The consensus view was somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 people. One person noted that at the last No Kings rally, in October 2025, Columbus Drive ands East Jackson were filled with people. That clearly was not the case today.

Two years ago, I spoke with a consultant who provides crowd estimates. According to him, the first cut at estimating crowd size requires an aerial photograph. The estimator then lays a one-inch grid over the image; then counts the number of people in a representative square; and then multiplies that count by the number of squares. I used the aerial photograph that appeared on the Block Club of Chicago’s website. Because the image was very low resolution, I had trouble counting the exact number of heads, but I estimated that there were somewhere between 500 to 1,000 dots in a representative square, with 41 squares, which would put the number at 41,000 if I use the high end of the range. Even doubling that number puts the attendance at 82,000.

Charitably speaking, let’s just say that the Indivisible spokesperson’s estimate is fanciful. In fairness to the organizers, Indivisible held satellite rallies in over 20 communities surrounding Chicago, which likely diluted the size of the Chicago rally.

In term of demographics, for whatever reason, Indivisible Chicago’s effort is not attracting large numbers of Latinos or African-Americans. Both groups were underrepresented. Certainly there were plenty of college students in the crowd, but once again, given the number of colleges and universities in Chicago, the crowd should have included larger clusters of student-aged demonstrators.

Media. As the old English idiom goes, “third time’s a charm.” Not today. The national media is no longer enamored with the No Kings movement. The New York Times placed its coverage of the 3,000+ rallies below the digital fold. The Wall Street Journal did not even cover the events. Some might argue the Journal is a business publication that supports Trump, but that would be inaccurate. The Journal’s editorial page is a frequent Trump Administration critic. Its news coverage may be heavily business oriented, but it is considered highly objective when reporting the news. As for the Washington Post, it placed its coverage on the digital equivalent of Page Three. No surprise there, given Jeff Bezos’ ownership.

Locally, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and Block of Club of Chicago all gave “No Kings” prominence, as did the local television stations. Notably, however, the story did not dominate the headlines.

Program. When today’s No Kings program began, I was in the front row, at a slight angle to the speakers. I left shortly after Melody Angel performed A Change Is Going to Come and her self-penned In This America, a tribute to Trayvon Martin. Over the years, I’ve seen Angel countless times, always playing her purple and white Stratocaster, with a Jimi Hendrix sticker affixed to it.

Indivisible made an excellent choice with Angel as the opener, although I don’t know why she did not play the National Anthem. In the future, I would strongly recommend coordinating with the DJ who spins tunes before the speakers and performers hit the stage. The DJ rained on Angel’s parade by opening his set with A Change is Going to Come.

Following Angel, a group of volunteers took the stage. At that point, I headed back into the crowd, eventually circling Butler Field and returning to Columbus Drive. As a consequence, I missed the speakers. Photographically, I made the right decision. The dingy Petrillo Music Shell should have been torn down long ago. Today, there was no visible lighting, so the speakers were cast in gloomy shadow. Hardly inspirational, let along photogenic. Nobody should kid themselves: Rallies and marches are all about the visuals.

From what I can gather from the coverage and what I did hear, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton were the two headliners. While slotting Johnson into the program was probably mandatory—particularly given the need for city services to bring off the rally and march—he hardly warrants headliner status given his abysmal approval ratings, which hover in the low 30s. According to Chicago Magazine, his ratings at one point dipped into the teens.

Stratton closed out the program, with what was essentially a campaign speech for her U.S. Senate bid. In between Johnson and Stratton, others spoke, but I wasn’t paying much attention except to hear the stock phrases over the PA system when I was within earshot.

Minneapolis, on the other hand, had Joan Baez, Jane Fonda, Tom Morello, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, Maggie Rogers, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and Bruce Springsteen. Granted, Minneapolis was designated as the No Kings flagship city for today’s demonstrations, but its population when combined with St. Paul’s, makes it the 19th largest city in the U.S, with Chicago ranking third. Surely Indivisible Chicago could have enlisted more star power.

Yesterday afternoon, I saw Yo-Yo Ma at Symphony Center. His performance was originally scheduled for today, but was moved to Friday due to the anticipated No Kings crowds and traffic jams. Given that he performed at President Barack Obama’s first inauguration, he would have been a good choice. Did anyone ask him, particularly after he described dignity as the most important characteristic that a person can possess?

How about Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Kurt Elling, Jennifer Hudson, Liz Phair, Patti Smith, or Mavis Staples? What about Stephen Colbert, John Cusack, Rahm Emanuel, Harrison Ford, Jane Lynch, John Malkovich, David Mamet, Michelle Obama, Oprah, David Sedaris, or Gary Sinise, to name just a few famous people with Chicago connections? Did anyone extend an invitation to Pope Leo XIV, a native Chicagoan who has spoken out against the Trump Administration policies? If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Finally, no need to make demonstrations dour outings. We need to find a little joy, particularly in these trying times. Consequently, Indivisible should consider hiring Mario Abney and Chicago’s Second Line to lead the march. Nothing like adding the joyful sounds of a New Orleans funeral procession to the festivities.

CPD. As usual, the Chicago Police Department put in a stellar performance. The police are regulars at countless demonstrations, but today CPD went all out. As usual, the bicycle brigade managed rolling road closures with balleritic aplomb. The Big Brass was out in force, with Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and Chief of Police Jon Hein overseeing the overall effort. The commanders who regularly manage downtown demonstrations were also keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings, as were hundreds of line officers.

Access to Butler Field was limited to foot. Barricades and salt trucks had been strategically positioned to prevent anyone from driving a speeding car or truck into the crowd. The trees lining DuSable Lake Shore Drive provided an additional protective barriers.

Counter Demonstrators. During the seven hours I spent at the rally and the march, I only saw one counter-demonstrator, which I found surprising. I had expected to see at least one contingent from the collar counties on the street heckling the marchers.

The single counter-demonstrator, clad in a cheap, celadon green tracksuit, was nothing but a first-class asshole. Materializing shortly after the march began, he held an American flag and a sign cryptically supporting Trump’s invasion of Iran as he heckled those behind the lead banners.

CPD’s policy when it comes to counter-demonstrators is simple. Like the demonstrators, they have First Amendment rights. To avoid physical confrontations, CPD requires counter-demonstrators to keep their distance from the demonstrators, while allowing them to be within “sight and sound” of the demonstrators.

Today’s counter-demonstrator was taunting the demonstrators; he may have been hoping for a physical response, but nobody was taking the bait. Despite CPD’s warnings, the man kept trying for closer proximity to the marchers. Based on the man’s demeanor, I suspect CPD was more concerned that he would be the one who initiated physical contact.

As we marched north on Dearborn, the man kept pushing his luck. I only heard fragments of the exchange, but based on body language, I am pretty sure that CPD Director of Community Relations Glen Brooks issued the guy a warning. Then a number of police officers created a human barricade between him and the marchers.

Had I been Brooks, the guy would have been in handcuffs. The problem, however, is the Illinois Safety Act., which makes an arrest in these situations largely pointless. Thankfully, the march ended without a physical confrontation, although it would have made for better images.

The Trump Administration Response. In commenting on the over 3,000 No Kings rallies today, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “[The] only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them." This statement embodies why the Trump Administration is the single worst one in the country’s 250-year history. Put simply, Trump is the President of MAGA, not the United States. He rejects out of hand any debate and any viewpoint that he disagrees with or that challenges what he is doing. Such arrogance runs counter to our democratic norms.

Summing It All Up. Despite a slight chill in the air, the weather was beautiful. Those who turned out for the event had the opportunity to express themselves. Possibly of greater importance in these dark and lawless times, each demonstrator left knowing that he or she was not alone, but part of a much larger community resisting Trump’s attacks on American democratic institutions and norms.

Given the large crowd—even 50,000 people represents a large turnout—the media and elected officials took notice, but the effort is unlikely to produce immediate tangible changes.

As far as I could tell, Indivisible Chicago missed an important opportunity to build its movement. Specifically, I did not see anyone taking names and email addresses. Nor did I see any voter registration efforts.

Going forward, Indivisible Chicago might want to talk to representatives from Chicago’s Ukrainian community. Hands down, the Ukrainians are best demonstrators in the city because their efforts are highly theatrical, particularly in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion. While those attending today’s march significantly improved the visuals with clever homemade signage, the event lacked strong visuals except for aerial photographs and videos of the crowd. One thing is for sure: The next No Kings rally requires a much stronger speaker lineup.

Unless Indivisible departs from what is now a tired formula, crowd size will decline.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]