‘We’re this close to losing our democracy’: Hundreds line Dixon’s Peoria Avenue bridge for ‘No Kings’ protest

DIXON — As a high school student during the Vietnam War, Susan Brown woke each morning fearing her three brothers’ names might appear on the casualty reports.

Decades later, that same sense of dread came rushing back Saturday as she stood on the Peoria Avenue bridge in Dixon, protesting what she sees as an authoritarian shift in American leadership.

“We’d get up every morning and listen to the casualty reports, hoping we wouldn’t hear the name Olsen – and thank God we didn’t,” Brown said. “What had happened there back in the ’70s was truly horrifying to me. Getting involved with this again was like everything came rushing back. We’ve got to fight this.”

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Protesters in Dixon join a nationwide No Kings protest Saturday, June 14, 2025. The anti-Trump gathering lined both sides of the Peoria Avenue Bridge. This was just one of an estimated 2,000 rallies across the country. (Alex T. Paschal)

Brown joined more than 400 protesters in Dixon who gathered to denounce what they called the militarization of patriotism and the glorification of presidential power – a direct response to a multi-million dollar military parade President Donald Trump was holding in Washington, D.C. that same day to mark both his birthday and the Army’s 250th anniversary.

Brown said the parallels between that era and the current political climate are unsettling, describing the present moment as a critical inflection point.

“It’s the reality of what’s happening – we’re this close to losing our democracy,” Brown said. “It’s happening now with the immigrants and the ICE agents, and the handcuffing and shoving to the floor of our senators. It’s frightening everybody.”

Brown worries that many Americans have become desensitized to threats against democratic norms.

“Everybody is so used to and so complacent about democracy and freedom that they aren’t getting it,” Brown said. “This is major. Everybody out here, everybody across the country is showing their support for democracy and freedom – but it’s going to take more than that.”

As public demonstrations continue across the country, Brown fears they could take a darker turn.

“I’m worried that it’s going to start getting violent,” she said. “I’m worried at some point the guns are going to be drawn, and we’re going to get shot.”

In between chants of “No Kings” echoing across the bridge, protesters said Trump’s parade was less about honoring the military and more about elevating the image of a single political figure.

“I came here for the opportunity to protest,” protestor Mike Vandersnick said. “We’re here because of what this regime, this administration, is doing to destroy our civil rights and destroy the checks and balances that the founding fathers put in for the system of government.”

Vandersnick criticized the nature and timing of the military display in the nation’s capital, calling it deeply unAmerican.

“It is anti-American to have a Russian, Soviet-style military parade at all,” Vandersnick said. “There’s no reason to have a military parade for somebody. This is going to be a huge waste of money, and for what? Symbolism that satisfies somebody’s terrible ego.”

While Vandersnick acknowledged the significance of the Army’s 250th anniversary, he drew a clear line between celebrating military history and politicizing it.

“I understand celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Army, but what I don’t understand, and don’t support, is this heavy military parade in conjunction with a wannabe dictator’s birthday,” Vandersnick said. “I would never support it.”

For Vandersnick, the protest was not only about the parade –it was about what he saw as broader threats to democratic institutions.

“The voice of the people here isn’t being listened to,” Vandersnick said. “They’re doing it and then justifying it later by saying, ‘Well, we’ll just pay for it.’ They’re talking about trying to save money and fraud, waste, and corruption. It’s a typical example of what I consider a waste of money.”

Vandersnick said Saturday’s protest in Dixon was rooted in the core ideals of American democracy.

“Any politician is elected to serve the people – not himself, not to enrich himself, not to put himself over the law like a king did,” Vandersnick said. “We fought against kings. We created democracy over 250 years ago, and that’s what this protest is all about. Protesting against a tyrant, a dictator, an authoritarian.”

Among those lining the bridge in protest was Vaughn Maxfield of Morrison, who described himself as an independent voter but made clear his deep opposition to the president.

“I don’t lean one way or the other, but I’m absolutely anti-Trump,” Maxfield said, criticizing what he sees as the blind loyalty of the president’s base and expressing disbelief at Trump’s continued influence.

“It’s just amazing that people – millions of people – have fallen prey to this con man,” Maxfield said. “He’s a used car salesman. He’s been bankrupt six times. He says the right things, but he doesn’t deliver.”

Maxfield pointed to Trump’s handling of immigration reform as an example of what he called political sabotage.

“He talks about wanting to fix immigration, but he killed an immigration bill that could have reformed things with a phone call,” Maxfield said. “He got his guys to vote that down.”

Maxfield also took issue with Trump’s use of economic tools, particularly tariffs, arguing that they have been wielded recklessly.

“There’s a tool called tariffs, but he uses it like a weapon,” Maxfield said. “And you don’t do brain surgery with a sledgehammer.”

Maxfield compared Trump’s leadership style to that of authoritarian figures and expressed concern about the United States’ global reputation under his administration.

“[Trump] thinks that he can bully everybody around and act like a mafia boss,” Maxfield said. “Do you know any other world leaders like that? I have many friends overseas, and they laugh at his rhetoric. Whole nations are throwing up their shoulders and wondering when it’s going to fall.”

Maxfield’s fears extend beyond diplomacy to domestic concerns, particularly around the use of military force within the country.

“I fear him sending troops into cities for de-escalation,” Maxfield said. “He creates problems so that he can say he solved them.”

The Indivisible Sauk Valley group organized the protest, which had event marshals walking the demonstration lines in yellow shirts emblazoned with the group’s name. The protest was peaceful, and no one blocked traffic.