Indivisible NWI organizers in Highland had much to be proud about during the No Kings protest at Indianapolis Boulevard and Ridge Road Saturday afternoon.
With at least 700 people lining three of that intersection’s four corners in what had to be the largest protest that area has seen in years, Highland Police, while present, were able to stay largely in the background because protestors were more interested in waving their signs than causing calamity. The group also pulled together a 10-person “Safety Team” who went around with cold bottled water and snacks for the crowd, Indivisible NWI Organizer Kim Eldridge said.
More important than the snacks, however, were the signs Safety Team members held that said “Stay back. Stay Safe.” They came in handy during a particularly tense moment with some passersby.
“There were some people in a car that started saying stuff, and there were some of our people who were ready to respond back,” Eldridge said. “We got in front of them and held up the signs telling them to stay back, and then they caught themselves because we do not want to engage in any of that.”
Another Safety Team member had an even trickier situation: An older man with a gun on his hip walking through the crowd, she said. The team member went to talk to the man.
“(The team member) is a big guy, so he took it upon himself to talk to the man, and he told (the team member) he was a Trump supporter and wanted to see what we were doing,” Eldridge said. “We’re one of the totally nonviolent groups, and our guy was able to diffuse the situation and told him, ‘I understand that Indiana is an Open Carry state, so that’s why I’m not going to go to the police,’ and the man thanked him.
“The Safety Team worked great! Now, we just have to start clearing people out so we don’t overstay our welcome.”
Eldridge remembers that not so long ago, they would have a call out for a protest or rally, and if 30 people signed up, maybe 10 would show. At least for now, those days seem to be gone, as Indivisible had 500 people respond that they would be there Saturday.
“Not anymore,” she said. “We’ll have 40 people come to a meeting, and then 100 people will show up to a protest. It’s been amazing.”
Jason Kirk, a former steelworker from Gary, chatted with Hammond Councilman Scott Rakos, D-6 about the goings-on. Rakos said he was out there because he wants people to know he cares a great deal about what’s happening in the country.
“This president is horrible, and what upsets me the most is that there are intelligent people who I’ve known for years who’re buying into him,” Rakos said. “I’m out here because we need more people involved.”
“The last five months feel like it’s been five years,” Kirk added. “Being a union member, once you get a momentum going, the group follows. When people get mad enough, they’ll start coming out; let’s just hope it’s not too late by then.”
The Rev. Mark Kurowski, who founded The Church of St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Apostolic Church in Hammond, ran tirelessly around the crowd with a megaphone. For him, protesting is fighting for the country’s very soul.
“I’ve been worried about us getting taken over by Christian Nationalists since Reagan,” Kurowski said. “Trump claimed to be a Christian, but I don’t see a servant in Trump, someone who would sacrifice themselves for the good of the people, so I have a responsibility to call him out.
“We ought not ever cozy up to power and money.”
While some people brought levity by serenading the crowd with music, one couple brought along a pinata made in Trump’s likeness. The man — who asked that his and his wife’s names not be used for fear of retaliation — said he got it in a Chicago Mexican candy store that was selling pinatas of the president and ICE agents.
“I’m the son of an immigrant who worked on a farm, and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her sacrifices,” the man said. “We’re a land of immigrants, and she came here for a better life.”
His wife looked over at a group of three Hispanic Trump supporters traipsing through the crowd and shook her head.
“I don’t understand these people,” she said of the group. “My parents are first-generation Mexican, and they’re Trump supporters, but they were lucky they were able to become citizens. These people get everything they want and then turn their backs on everyone else.”
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.