Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – A crowd which the Secretary of State’s office estimated at 1,000 gathered in front of the Lincoln statue at the Capitol for a “No Kings” rally Saturday.

The rally was one of more than 2,000 around the country. Participants say they believe President Trump fancies himself a monarch or dictator, rather than the leader of a democracy.

“I will not be complicit, because what is happening in this country is a gross injustice,” said activist Kristi Poole. “And history will remember what side we stood on.”

Poole went on, describing her travels around the Chicago area: “We didn’t find war zones. We saw families, workers, moms and pops setting up their food carts just before dawn. Children playing,” Poole said. “And then we saw (Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem and her ICE agents harassing a father and his two-year-old son in a park. That’s not law enforcement. That’s terror.”