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QuickTake:
Hundreds gathered outside Springfield City Hall on Saturday, March 28, for a peaceful rally and more joined to march through the streets in protest of the Trump administration.
Bubbles wafted through the crowd and music filled the air as more than a thousand people marched in Springfield on Saturday, March 28, during a peaceful “No Kings” event to protest the Trump administration.
Following a rally on the steps of Springfield City Hall with speeches and music performances, the crowd walked down a closed Pioneer Parkway East before turning around at Centennial Boulevard and marching back on Pioneer Parkway West.
Community members lined the road at stretches, holding signs to support the cause.
“My one voice doesn’t have a whole lot to say,” said marcher Chris Kee, 35, who lives in Creswell. “But collectively, if we all are out here on the streets like we are, changing public perception and narrative … You see how many people are out here in the streets. This is really what the country wants.”
The event was organized by the Activist Coalition of Eugene Springfield in partnership with the Springfield Alliance for Equity and Respect.
The rally included speeches from Springfield residents about the impacts of Trump Administration policies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the community, and information about how community members can get involved in the movement.
Demonstrators began with live music on the steps of Springfield City Hall, including from the Raging Grannies, a fixture on the local protest scene, which led the crowd through a rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching in” with custom lyrics expressing support for immigrants.
“We are here united, because when our communities come together, there is power,” Lupe Andrade said to the crowd of people gathered before the march. “This is a very special moment, because this is the first time Springfield and Eugene are coming together for this movement.”
It was the third “No Kings” rally to take place in the community since Donald Trump began his second term as president last year. It was the first time the event had been held in Springfield.
Andrade, who hosts local Spanish language radio station La Que Buena, thanked the crowd for being there and supporting her community.
“I’m here for the children who come home from school to find an empty house because their parents were taken by ICE,” she said. “I’m here for the mother left without her husband taken on his way to work. I’m here for the farm workers who left home like any other day and never made it back. These are not just stories. This is reality. So let me ask you, are you ready to defend our democracy?”
Johanis Tadeo addressed the crowd, saying he has seen hate in the community and knows there are people who feel unsafe. He asked rally goers to look at the people around them.
“This is a Springfield we believe in, because we are here to show something different: the light, the love, the beauty of what our community truly is,” said Tadeo, an organizer with the Springfield Alliance for Equity and Respect. “Every single person here showed up because you believe in something better.”
The speakers encouraged attendees to speak up at City Council and school board meetings, get involved with local organizations and support locally-owned businesses.
“Don’t leave this energy here today,” Tadeo said. “Take it with you to every space.”