Small Elgin protest joins 'Strike4Democracy'

About 20 people took part in protest Friday in Elgin generally aimed at supporting democratic principles and showing displeasure with President Donald Trump's policies.

The "Elgin Strike4Democracy" protest, held along Kimball Street across from Gail Borden Public Library, included people chanting slogans and holding signs that read "Resist," "Hands Off Medicare," "We Need a Leader, Not a Tweeter," and "Love Trumps Hate."

Organizer Katie Wood-Thurnau said she wanted the Elgin community to get involved with the "Strike4Democracy" initiative, consisting of locally organized protests in communities across the nation.

The initiative dubbed Friday as "National Day of Action to Push Back Against Assaults on Democratic Principles" and strikes are planned March 8, which is International Women's Day, and on May Day, according to the website.

The long-term goal is to reclaim a Democratic majority in Congress with an eye toward the 2018 election, Wood-Thurnau said. "It's not just a fiasco in the White House, it's the Republican Congress," she said.

Most of the Elgin participants said they had the day off, were scheduled to work later in the day, or have retired from working. A Palatine man who declined to give his full name said he told his bosses he'd be using a personal day.

Parth Patel of Bartlett said he attended because he believes in "inclusive, pluralist democracy."

Edward Hanson, an Elgin firefighter who serves on the political education committee of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, said he objected to the recent travel ban, later blocked by a court ruling, against immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.

State Rep. Anna Moeller, a Democrat from Elgin, said she came to show her support. People are afraid about the Trump administration's policies on health care, women's reproductive rights, environmental issues and more, she said.

"We are standing against that and standing up for people that are feeling threatened," Moeller said.