DeKalb residents rally for impeachment

Demonstrators took to Memorial Park in downtown DeKalb Tuesday evening to show support for President Donald Trump’s impeachment.

The rally took place along with a number of demonstrations planned across the country ahead of Wednesday’s historic House vote.

Last week, two articles of impeachment against Trump were unveiled. The articles of impeachment accuse the president of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

DeKalb resident Cynthia De Seife said she felt compelled to take part in the rally.

“I feel like we have facts and evidence that are available for us to look at logically and rationally, but there’s also a very strange, unsupportable false narrative that’s being presented by people in positions of really serious responsibility,” she said. “I just feel it’s really important for those of us who recognize that as the false narrative to come out.”

De Seife said she is concerned with the state of the nation under Trump and his administration.

“If we don’t hold him accountable, there’s a very real possibility that he literally runs away with the democracy and we don’t have a democracy anymore,” she said. “I just think it’s important that we protect our democracy, that we protect the constitution and that we hold elected officials accountable.”

DeKalb resident Pat Vary shared that sentiment.

“I am afraid for our democracy,” she said. “I’m afraid that if we don’t have the Congress stand up to the Executive Branch and if we don’t have a Supreme Court, we’ve got to stop this president from what he’s doing,” she said.

Vary said she believes the president is setting a dangerous example for young persons.

“I’m worried about the later generations,” she said. “I have five grandchildren and two children. This is happening fast. I had not realized how fragile our democracy is. We have got to stop it.”

Not everyone in downtown DeKalb took to the streets in support of the president’s impeachment, however.

One man stood hoisting a flag displaying his support of Trump and his agenda.

Sycamore resident Kenneth Matykiewicz said the turnout for the rally looked good.

“You hear people honking their horns, and you can see the other side of the equation there,” he said. “They’re not very supportive.”

Matykiewicz said he’s concerned for the state of the nation, and said “what’s going on now scares me.”

“I don’t think [democracy] is lost, but I think it’s in danger,” he said. “That’s why I say people got to get up.”

Steward resident Kim Gatz, who is a constituent of U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s Illinois 16th Congressional District, said it’s important that elected officials listen to their constituents ahead of the historic House vote.

According to a Dec. 10 statement, Kinzinger is not supportive of the articles of impeachment against the president filed by the House Democrats last week.

“I believe that Adam Kinzinger will vote to not impeach the president because that’s the way he votes,” Gatz said. “I believe that Adam Kinzinger needs to hold some town hall meetings, so that he knows what his constituents believe in this area. I think that he should realize things are changing in this area. He needs to be more representative of the people that he is representing, and he is not doing that. He needs to hold more meetings with his people.”

Gatz said she believes the country is a bit lost and is hopeful there’s a way to fix it.

“I feel like democracy can be saved,” she said. “I feel like we’re resilient people. I feel that we can move the country in a better direction. I think with the next election this will happen.”