Politics & Government
Patriots Drawn To Orland Park's ‘Hate America’ Rally
Commentary: This is what I saw at my local "No Kings Day" celebration. Photos & Video.
Were they antifa? Radical left lunatics? Hamas sympathizers? People who love to hate America?
The president and his feckless lapdogs would have you believe this, but I saw none of that on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, the day of the No Kings rallies across the nation.
I saw proud Americans. Grandmas and grandpas. Families with kids, and loyal pups tagging along for the fun. Wrinkled faces of wizened elders and fresh faces of hopeful youth.
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Black faces and brown faces and lots of white faces.
I saw wheelchairs and walkers. I saw children holding the hands of their moms and dads.
Find out what's happening in Orland Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
I saw grizzled, tattooed, bearded men clad in flannel shirts and work boots, and dudes in their weekend casual duds.
I saw veterans, teachers, and healthcare workers.
I saw a man who drove by in a pickup truck offer the crowd a frown and a thumbs-down. A family waved and shouted back: “We love you. Love, love, love. … We’re doing this for you.”
The air was filled with the sound of car horns. A chorus of beeps and honks, met by hopeful, friendly cheers and waving American flags.
The rally crowd on LaGrange Road in Orland Park, organized by South Suburban Relentless, was far bigger than I anticipated, estimated at almost 3,000 strong and stretching for blocks, a resolute flock in a reddish suburb of the deep-blue city of Chicago.
Theirs was one of more than 2,500 protests across the country that drew more than 7 million people into the streets.
They wore bright outfits and carried clever signs. So many signs.
If not for these protest placards, the Orland Park protest, like so many others in small towns and suburbs, would resemble any Fourth of July parade crowd.
“This is what democracy looks like,” they cried out in defiance of a government that seems hellbent on greatly diminishing what democracy looks like in this country.
I saw joy and a gritty determination not to let that happen.
I saw American patriots, a virtual cross-section of America, gathered in solidarity to make a stand against the darkness conspiring to roll over us.
I saw people — who believe in all that’s good about America — refusing to capitulate.
Standing up, together, for however long it takes.
See For Yourself
Bring your voice and your vision for a stronger democracy to the next rally.
- Day: Saturday, Nov. 1
- Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Location: 147th Street and LaGrange Road, Orland Park
