Hundreds of people holding signs and American flags flocked to a pavilion in downtown Naperville Tuesday night to demand the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
At least 400 people gathered in the dark and cold to voice their opinions with chants like, “What do we want? Impeachment. When do we want it? Now,” and “Impeach, remove.”
A vote on impeachment in the House is expected Wednesday.
Naperville resident Bob Landolfi said he organized the event because he “had to do something.”
“It’s important Congress see if they’re not going to hold the president accountable, we will,” he said. “The president broke the law, he abused his power. He needs to be impeached.”
Landolfi said he hopes the rallies organized to occur Tuesday evening throughout the country put pressure on Washington to hold Trump accountable.
The Naperville rally was part of a larger group of “Nobody is above the law” events held in towns throughout the country.
Naperville resident Gloria Williams stood in the middle of the crowded pavilion bundled in winter gear and said she was there “for the Constitution.”
“I want things done the way they are supposed to be done,” Williams said. The president is supposed to be a good shepherd who ensures the people are fed and warm, she said.
Trump is working to undermine the country’s democracy, said Linda Lawrence, a Bolingbrook resident. “We must make sure he is held accountable. He is not above the law,” she said.
Warrenville resident Catherine Cox, holding a sign that read “white silence is violence,” said she attended the rally because “silence implies agreement.”
One of the rally speakers, Diane Hewitt of Indivisible Naperville, said she “is a fan of impeachment,” though she considers it a temporary bandage.
“We have to move on and vote Nov. 3,” Hewitt said. “We have to support whoever is going to win the primary on our side.”
After the 45-minute rally concluded about 6:15 p.m., more than 50 people marched east with their signs to a spot across the street from the downtown Nichols Public Library, where several cars honked in support. One man pumped his fist in the air honked continually as he drove by the group.
A group then walked south across the DuPage River to a corner near the Naperville Municipal Center, where a city council meeting was to begin at 7 p.m.
