After I spent my lunchtime at a scheduled No Kings protest, I took the time out of my
afternoon and evening to head to Broadview to protest the ICE detention facility used to
kidnap and traffic people. From my location, this was a 20-30 minute drive.
I took an Uber, hopping out early so as not to put my Uber driver in any danger, as ICE has
been targeting Uber drivers. The location of the facility area is a maze. I saw a cop patrol
car standing right off the highway as I walked over, and it drove off immediately after seeing
me, which gave me weird vibes. I put on my protest gear before heading further. I had to
walk nearly 2 miles to get to the facility, as there was no good route. There are endless
dead ends and blocked off roads, making it super difficult to navigate. It didn’t help that
had I turned my phone off.
After a while of trekking in protest gear, sweaty and stinky, I arrived at 25th and Roosevelt,
down the street from the intersection leading to the facility. The sidewalks are encased by
large concrete barriers. I ran into three strangers as I approached, who let me hang out
with them for the duration of the event. They were really nice and college aged. It was
almost like they had met me before, nearly familiar with the way they spoke to me.
Walking down Lexington Street, we passed a tent with some friendly strangers passing out
all sorts of necessities. Free water, snacks, gear, and signs. You name it. Despite my notso-outward appearance, everyone was beyond nice. I grabbed some water and had a
snack. Jump Shepard, who is running for Senate, was there. He was a really cool dude, and
I was glad to talk to him briefly. Cars were parked along the drive, and I began to hear some
chanting as I approached Beach Street, the final intersection before the facility.
Beach Street is the ‘Free Speech Zone,’ open 9am – 6pm (because our rights have bedtimes
and designated areas). The street was once again filled with large concrete barriers
surrounding the sidewalks. Anti-car infrastructure was in place to prevent any cars from
ramming through. In the distance, snipers could be seen atop the facility roof, and
numerous large camera poles were parked behind fences, monitoring everyone. It was
quite dystopian. A few cops stood around, doing nothing.
At this point, it was around 4:30 pm, and around 100 – 150 protesters had gathered. A
passionate man was on a speaker, giving chants and speaking to the crowd. Others
brought their own loudspeakers to yell their chants and yell at the officers. The protesters
were very diverse, but mainly younger, but a good number of people over 40 were in
attendance. I’d guess the median age was around 25-30. A handful of people came in
inflatable suits, such as a frog identical to the Portland frog who was pepper-sprayed by
police. Many were filming or talking to the press. I opted to keep my phone away. There was
a lot of press around, and I felt it would be redundant to film anything, on top of the
concern about fake cell towers tracking people. A lot of the press were amateur, with
TikTok lives going on. A few of them wore press over their shirts and were clearly
identifiable, though not all. I couldn’t see any ‘official’ looking reporters, though I
overheard someone talking about speaking to an Al-Jazeera reporter.
There were a few people with pro-ICE signs, or seemingly were pro-ICE, provoking people
at times, but nothing too crazy. They mostly stayed to themselves, with an occasional
protester trying to talk to them, or calling them names. One right wing streamer attended
with a security detail, and he seemed to try to rage bait people, to no success. There
seemed to be a general consensus that they were only looking for attention, and in my
opinion, nothing was going to change their minds.
At the end of the ‘Free Speech Zone,’ a long distance from the actual facility, a few cops
stood to keep people from going past. No ICE agents were visible to me, beyond the
snipers. Most of the cops were Illinois State Police, not Feds. These are cops that are under
the control of our governor, Pritzker. From where I could see, around 20 cops had gathered.
At times, more would come by, standing a long way from the barrier.
At some point, police broke into the free speech zone, around 15 in strength, and looked
around the area, seemingly looking for something (a bomb was my thought?). They didn’t
seem to find anything, but then they went up to a man and detained him. They did not state
the reason for the detainment, and protesters began demanding the police to release him
and provide information. Around 30 cops formed a circle around a squad car at the
entrance of the zone, preventing access to where they were holding him. As we chanted,
two cops pointed at me, despite me just standing there. I retreated elsewhere to prevent
any issues, though I had done nothing. At some point, someone recommended I give my
contact to the National Lawyers’ Guild, who were present to monitor law enforcement and
their actions, as well as provide legal support to protesters. They wore distinct green
helmets and carried notes with them.
After a while of standing around chatting with strangers, the clock hit 6 p.m., and nothing
was happening. I regrouped with my people, and we stuck together. Around 6:15 p.m., the
Illinois State Police came out to demand that we leave the ‘free speech zone.’ I guess the
constitution was taking a nap and calling it a night…. They gave three warnings, each met
with boos and chants from protesters, rightfully calling this an infringement on our right to
protest, protected under the First Amendment. Many protesters would jeer at the cops,
calling them names or insulting them, but nothing threatening. Many would denounce their
actions as unconstitutional or immoral.
After the third warning, three Broadview Police officers came outside to push us back on
the right side of the street. They were just plain cops, nothing special. They threatened us
with arrest if we didn’t comply and eventually slowly cleared us to the intersection without
incident. The same began to happen on the other side of the street. This time, 30-40 Illinois
State Police came, armed with wooden batons and plastic shields to cover their faces. A
very bright, flashing strobe light was aimed at us, and a loud high-pitched siren played.
They had propagandists (presumably with ICE) filming as this happened. The ISP claimed
things were being thrown at them, which was a blatant falsehood. There was a woman who
threw flowers at the feet of police a minute prior, and it seemed they were twisting this as
justification to act with force. Perhaps I missed it, but I did not see anything thrown at
them. I believe if there was something like a rock being thrown, more immediate action
would have been taken. They once again slowly moved people, with increased resistance.
As the intersection approached behind the crowd, the police began to push people
violently, despite the protesters remaining entirely peaceful. Many times, people were
pushed into barriers or other objects on the roadside.
They pushed everyone to Lexington. A line of baton-armed police, maybe 40 wide and 2-3
deep, with even more behind them at a distance, encroached on us; a peaceful crowd
maybe 150 large, some wearing inflatable suits, many press or lawyers. Many prepared for
the potential of tear gas and donning gas masks. A few police had pepper ball guns, though
none were used. The press was filming in the ranks, and National Lawyers Guild members
stood intermixed with everyone. People shouted to interlock their arms and keep the line.
People who didn’t interlock were more prone to being grabbed by the police. People
continued to chant, but I began to run out of breath, and my safety goggles fogged up. I
opted to save energy.
Once again, they began pushing us, this time incredibly violently. They whipped batons at
people and pushed people over one another. At many points, I accidentally stepped on
people who had been forced to the ground. I and others were pushed into people’s cars,
and I worried that someone’s car could get damaged with how this was going. People were
dragged away into the army of police as they fell and lost the grip of their neighbors. A few
times, I had to physically prevent them from being arrested by grabbing them and bringing
them to safety. Many people screamed in pain, and others warned protesters of their
surroundings to ensure they remained safe. The scene was chaotic and disorienting,
especially with the gear I wore. A few times, I had been pushed violently in the chest and
knocked down, being in the front few rows. I felt cops grabbing at my arms and tugging at
me. Me and my new friends had to keep regrouping and helping one another stay safe.
Even strangers began joining up and linking arms to ensure their safety in the crowd.
Mind you, at no point protesters had been even remotely violent; inflatable costumed
protesters jumped around, press and NLG were documenting (many were assaulted!),
nothing was thrown, and no protesters were violent. At worst (and often), obscenities were
used, but that is protected speech, and no cause for this violence.
After three rounds or so of violent assaults, mixed with short breaks, seemingly to regroup
and move detained people out, the police had begun to kettle us. A group of 20 or so
officers had snuck around back and prepared to surround everyone in. Most of the crowd
retreated to the intersection at 25th and Lexington. The police had already blocked the
roadway. One person had joined our little group, and he told us his only friend with him had
been taken by the police. He offered to drive us home after.
At this point, things died down. It was around 7:00 p.m. The line of police slowly moved
protesters out of the intersection, into Maywood, where Broadview PD had no jurisdiction.
After a while, a few Maywood PD officers arrived. I noticed one of their cars had an anti-ICE
sign taped to the front window. We all stood on a residential block. Occasional PD sirens
rang out, and bright lights flashed. The crowd would yell at the ISP, but they stood where
they were in the street. They moved us beyond the border of Maywood, with many officers
and protesters on private property of residents. One man who seemed to be the owner
came out and began filming, he seemed to be in solidarity with protesters and chatted with
some. Once we were all out of the intersection, they opened the road up. At one point, an
ambulance arrived. They must have badly injured a protester. Many people shouted at ISP
in disgust.
It was around 7:15pm when I realized something. I am diabetic. I use an insulin pump and a
Dexcom continuous glucose monitor to monitor my blood sugar levels. I noticed my sensor
(not the pump) had gone kaput; it was seemingly broken. It stopped working at the same
time as I was assaulted by the police on Lexington Street. I had no way to read my levels
besides this and was pretty much left to drive blind. With adrenaline running high, I worried
I might be going low after the rigorous activity, especially considering my last reading
indicated I was on the way down. I ate some sugary snacks I packed, but I really couldn’t
tell what was happening. I asked around for help from people who might have had a way to
check it, but to no avail.
After 30 minutes, my sensor came back online. It read ‘LOW.’ Which essentially means <40
(very low, and life threatening). I was distrustful of this, as I suspected it could be
damaged, but I never had a sensor give false readings, so I played it as though it were true. I
ate some sugar but asked others around for help. A kind stranger ran to their car and had
some sugar packets. I gulped them down. I called my family to pick me up and waited. I
was very anxious, and I felt so disoriented. I couldn’t distinguish between anxiety,
adrenaline, and blood sugar symptoms. It was scary, especially not knowing anyone here. I
was at least comforted by the fact that people were eager to help me, and at worst if
something did happen, I would be able to get medical attention.
During this, my new friends went back down to Lexington Street, after the police had pretty
much left. A few officers remained and let people go back to get things or access cars. At
this point, fewer than 40 protesters were around, and more trickled out. They let them in to
get their stuff and access their cars. I never saw my friends again, which sucked because I
intended to get their contact.
Eventually, I was picked up and replaced my Dexcom sensor in the car. Low and behold
(pun intended), my sensor was broken. It lied to me! I have NEVER had that happen! I was
not low at all, but very high (which was frankly ideal to me). When I got home, I took it out,
and the needle was damaged and bent. I was lucky to ride home; who knows what could
have happened otherwise.
I leave the end for some editorializing. Quite frankly, this is a failure of our state. ICE is
beyond any doubt being aided by the Illinois State Police, which is in violation of the TRUST
Act. The police are protecting this facility, and they had propagandists filming them doing
this! The police were violent, despite at no point protesters behaving even remotely
violently. They lied about people throwing things and used it as justification to beat on
everyone. I saw older people thrown to the ground, press attacked, and people swatted
with batons. The scene was frightening. This is what our tax dollars do? Is this okay with our
governor!?
The cops themselves were predominantly white males. It certainly felt like many of these
people enjoyed beating on us. I saw many of them laughing between the rounds of
assaults. I have to wonder what they are like outside of work, how do they sleep at night?
What do they tell their wives and kids? “Hey honey, I am back from a long day of brutalizing
the press, old ladies, and college kids.” Perhaps now is a good time to remind people that
cops are more likely to be domestic abusers…
I am ashamed that the governor has allowed this to become our state. He claims to stand
up for us yet allows police he can control to do this to protesters?! At some point, his
showboating must end, and he must take a stand. Arrest ICE, identify these thugs
terrorizing our communities, and do not comply with these fascist oppressors. Stop saying
you’re “thinking” about arresting ICE agents and just DO IT!
I hope you all take away something from this. While the No-Kings protests were wonderful
in getting people out, it’s clear that more needs to happen. We must demand change from
local officials. Enough is enough. I hope that in the coming days our leaders take stronger
action. This is insane, and beyond scary!