Oregon May Day rally leads off others planned for Saturday in Rock Falls, Sterling

OREGON – A plea for due process was among messages displayed on signs held by about 150 people Thursday as they stood along two sidewalks bordering the historic Ogle County Courthouse in a May Day rally to protest actions by President Donald Trump.

People carried signs critical of Trump’s policies and executive orders as they lined the north and east sidewalks of the courthouse square in downtown Oregon.

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May Day Rally attendees carry signs on Thursday, May 1, 2025 around the historic Ogle County Courthouse in Oregon. (Earleen Hinton)

The two-hour event was the third organized by Indivisible of Ogle County, the local chapter of the Indivisible Project network, a grassroots organization founded in 2016.

Two previous Hands Off rallies – one April 5 and the other April 19 – drew an estimated 400 and 250 attendees, respectively. Both of those events, which took place Saturday afternoons, were organized by Jan Buttron of Chana and Mae Furman of Rochelle.

Thursday’s event was held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Attendees at Thursday’s event held a variety of homemade signs criticizing Trump’s policies and recent executive orders on immigration and the elimination of programs and agencies that he has said are meant to reduce government waste.

Some of the signs read “Due Process for Everyone;” “Veteran for the Constitution;” “No One Wants a King;” “Save Democracy;” “Pro American, Anti Trump;” “Educated People Scare Trump;” “Hands Off Our Rights;” “Trump’s Economic Plan: Blame Biden;” and “MayDay Due Process is OverDue!”

The due process clause of the Fifth and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution was written to prevent state governments from depriving anyone of “life, liberty or property” without the due process of law, meaning certain procedures must be followed before officials can take actions that would affect those fundamental rights.

The Trump administration’s recent deportation of individuals – some to prisons in El Salvador – without allowing due process in the courts has sparked outcry from many Trump opponents.

Buttron said the signs reflect the concerns and outrage many have over Trump’s recent actions.

“I think all the various signs tell our position clearly. We’re all out here defending our constitutional republic, our representative democracy, from the dismantling of our government services and programs, vital departments, executive overreach and the data mining of our personal information,” Buttron said.

Motorists who traveled through the busy intersection of state Routes 64 and 2 in the city’s downtown were encouraged to honk their horns in support.

One large pickup truck buzzed by the rally twice, revving its engine as a passenger unfurled a Trump flag from the window.

Another rally is planned for June 14, Buttron said.

Before the first rally, Buttron met with officials from the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon Police Department, the Oregon Fire Protection District and the city of Oregon. She said those officials told her that rally attendees should stay off the grass and remain on the sidewalks.

The Oregon rally was one of several May 1 rallies that drew hundreds of thousands across the world and in the U.S.

Those protests targeted Trump’s agenda of aggressive tariffs that are stoking fears of global economic turmoil and his administration’s immigration crackdowns, The Associated Press reported.

More rallies Saturday

Sauk Valley residents once again will gather this weekend to protest the Trump administration. The demonstration begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 3, at RB&W District Park, 201 E. Second St. in Rock Falls, near the Holiday Inn parking lot, where participants will make protest signs.

At 9:45 a.m., the group will march across the First Avenue Bridge to the Grandon Civic Center, 304 Brinks Circle in Sterling. A lineup of speakers will address the crowd from the Grandon bandshell starting at 10:30 a.m., after which protestors will remain at the site to continue the demonstration.

Also Saturday, a May Day rally for democracy is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Hopkins Park, 1403 Sycamore Road, DeKalb.

Speakers will address the crowd from noon to 12:30, with a rally until 1:30 p.m., event planners have said. The crowd is asked to gather at the tennis courts. Participants also are welcome to bring lawn chairs, organizers said.

Saturday’s events are the next in a line of similar protests seen across the region and the nation since Trump was inaugurated to a second term in January.

Trump’s first 100 days in office have been met with significant public scrutiny. Public pushback has come after controversial executive orders that, among other things, have targeted immigration, Social Security, veterans, economic stability, higher education, elections and federal funding for social services.

Kelsey Rettke contributed to this story.