By Madison Hamilton
Anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the Hilton Chicago convention center Wednesday morning ahead of former President Donald Trump’s appearance at the NABJ 2024 convention.
NABJ announced earlier this week that Trump had accepted an invitation to attend the convention. This announcement was met with immediate backlash, with many critics citing his mistreatment of Black journalists during his presidency, his disregard for truth, and his continued claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which culminated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
Nearly 100 protesters assembled in front of and across the street from the Hilton Chicago. Among the most active were members of the Chicago Alliance Against Racism & Political Repression, a local branch of the national alliance against racial and political repression, according to the organization’s website.
“Donald Trump is not welcome in this city,” said Kobe Guillory, a co-chair of the Chicago Alliance group. Guillory and other protesters chanted anti-Trump slogans, accusing the former president of racism, sexism, and imperialism. The organization also criticized NABJ for inviting Trump to speak at the convention.
Other protesters, who supported Vice President Kamala Harris, argued that Trump’s potential reelection would be harmful to the country.
“Trump’s a danger to our democracy,” said Andrew Gorcowski, a Chicago native who also expressed support for Harris.
Despite the large number of anti-Trump protesters, some supporters of the former president also made their presence known.
“When I heard they were coming down here to protest, I thought we needed some supporters here,” said Shelby Thurmand, another Chicago native who came out in support of Trump.
While several arguments occurred between protesters and Trump supporters, there were no reported physical altercations or arrests.
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