As Joanne Bertalan sat in her wheelchair on a crisp and sunny morning during Evanston's "No Kings" rally, she thought back to the civil rights protests she attended as a college student at Bradley University in 1964. “We’ve been here before,” said Bertalan, 77. “These people have all lived through a lot of stuff and wars. It’s got a lot of veterans here and they're done with this.”She was among a few hundred people gathered Saturday in Evanston to kick off protests taking place across the country. The nationwide rallies, dubbed "No Kings," are protesting President Donald Trump's policies including immigration, mass deportation, the rollback of transgender rights and the war in Iran. Organizers expect more than 3,100 events to take place in the U.S., and protests also were planned for Europe, the AP reported. Rallies are planned Saturday for Grant Park, Lincoln Square and Irving Park in Chicago. Just outside of the city, other rallies will take place in Cicero, Oak Park, Forest Park and Evergreen Park.By 1:30 p.m., thousands were already gathered at Butler Field in Grant Park at the start of the larger rally. Attendees held “Abolish Ice” and “No Kings Since 1776” signs as songs like “Fight the Power” and “I Will Survive” blared through the speakers.The downtown rally was organized by the Hands Off Chicago Coalition, which includes Chicago Federation of Labor, Equality Illinois, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Indivisible Chicago Alliance and more, as well as the ACLU of Illinois. Volunteers said a crowd of 250,000 to 300,000 is expected at the event, which will include remarks by Mayor Brandon Johnson and other speakers. A march through downtown is also planned.Last fall, tens of thousands of people attended similar protests across the Chicago region. Republicans had branded the protests as the "Hate America Rally." Cheree Bertalan (left) sits next to her mother, Joanne Bertalan, during Saturday’s “No Kings” rally in Dawes Park in Evanston. The mother and daughter walked with their church to join the protest. Leigh Giangreco/For the Sun-Times In Evanston, the crowd skewed grayer, with demonstrators carrying not only posters but canes, walkers, beach chairs and wheelchairs. Bertalan attended the rally with her 57-year-old daughter, Cheree Bertalan. Both attended the No Kings rally last year and returned for the event, noting they appreciated the peaceful demonstration that brought out dogs, grandmothers and young children alike.Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who won the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat, took the stage around 10:45 a.m. to loud cheers.“Things have gotten worse,” Biss said. “ There is a war, an unjust, illegal, deranged war. We endured a violent federal occupation in our streets, here in Evanston and across the Chicago area throughout the fall, and then they went on to Minneapolis, where they just started shooting people.“Fighting for rights ‘no matter what’ in CiceroOutside of Cicero Town Hall, a crowd of 60 people gathered, holding signs stating, "Ice Out," "No Kings" and "Stop the War." “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” they shouted at one point, as cars on West Cermak Road honked in approval.The protest was organized by the Cicero Berwyn Community Web to galvanize the predominantly Latino community. Volunteers said they wanted to provide a welcoming, accessible and joyful way for people to protest, especially for those who can't make it to Grant Park. They provided snacks, chairs and decorations, including piñatas designed to resemble Trump and Cicero Town President Larry Dominick.Volunteer Melissa Mouritsen, who held an upside-down U.S. flag, said she was protesting authoritarianism and reflecting on nation’s forthcoming 250th anniversary.“They want us to be scared,” she said. “They want us to think their ICE agents at the airport are going to make us afraid to travel or live our lives, and we’re not going to do that. We’re the inheritors of the Declaration of Independence. We’re the inheritors of the rights and liberties, and we are going to fight for them no matter what. But we’re going to do it joyously.”A U.S. Marines veteran, who identified himself as Jose Manuel, spoke out at the rally about the amount of money Trump has spent on the war in Iran and the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza territory within Palestine. “When we ask for investments here at home for schools, housing and mental health care, we’re told there isn’t enough,” said the 38-year-old. “But there is always enough money for war.”Stickney resident Rae Disco, 46, and her two daughters, Lilith, 7, and Elly, 13, were among those in the crowd. “The easiest possible thing anybody can do to support this cause is to just make your voice heard,” Disco said. “So I’m training my two daughters not to blindly accept any government or authority. I want them to be autonomous, and part of that means that we have to fight for what is, constitutionally, our rights.”Disco said her primary concern was the rollback of reproductive rights, as well as Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Her daughter Elly said she felt like she was living in a dystopian novel.“It’s something that future generations are going to look back on and can’t believe is happening,” Elly said. Children join Lincoln Square rallyHours before thousands of people were expected to march downtown, a smaller but impassioned group gathered in Lincoln Square.Around 100 people, including children, gathered in Welles Park carrying signs opposing the president. People brought their kids and dogs, and used to chalk to write messages like "Choose love” and “Love thy neighbor."The group sang, "This is for our people who are locked inside, together we will abolish ICE," before marching the perimeter of the park.Brenna O’Brien, a local parent who organized the protest as an alternative to the Grant Park rally, addressed the group before the march.“We’re not loyal to a mad king trying to take over the country,” she said to cheers. “Chicagoans take care of each other and we will not let him take over this city.”Meagan Moore, of Lincoln Square, took her 6-year-old son, Theo, and 4-year-old daughter, Ada, to the protest. The children made their own signs, Moore said.“This is a picture of people fighting and I put an X over it,” Theo said, holding his sign that read, “No more wars.” Meagan Moore, of Lincoln Square, took her two children, Ada and Theo, to Saturday’s smaller protest in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. She said it was important to show her children that their opinions matter. “They see what’s going on. [I want to] let them know that they can use their voice and say when things aren’t going how they’re supposed to,” she said. Mary Norkol/Sun-Times Selena G., who declined to give her last name, brought her 6-year-old son to the Lincoln Square protest. Her parents weren’t politically involved, she said, and she wasn’t very informed until she was older. She wants to change that with her son. Selena said the intense immigration activity last year rocked her Albany Park community, and that was one of many reasons why she showed up to Saturday's protest. She's gotten involved in her community by helping walk other children to school and passing out whistles in public places so neighbors could alert one another about ICE activity. That has given her solace. “Sometimes it just feels good to know that everyone else is also upset,” she said. “I find that this is really uplifting even though everything else is kind of terrible.”Check back for updates. ...read more read less