(NewsNation) — Protesters gathered Wednesday outside a Chicago Hilton hotel where Republican nominee for president Donald Trump was expected to speak at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention.

A heavy law enforcement presence, including Secret Service agents and Chicago police officers, could be seen throughout the area. Various flags were flown, including one representing Palestine, and people carried signs calling for “Peace, Justice, and Equity for All.” Some played tubas and saxophones, playing a cover of rapper Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us,” changing the lyrics to “Trump’s Not Like Us.” A few cars passing by Michigan Avenue honked their horns.

“The Coalition to March on the DNC,” which is made up of 150-plus organizations with various causes and concerns, planned the protests. Before the NABJ’s noon event was slated to begin, activists chanted, “Racist, sexist, anti-gay — Donald Trump, go away.”

Some protesters Wednesday said their ire wasn’t only directed at Trump. Instead, they said, their No. 1 cause is to try to end the genocide that’s happening in the Middle East — and to activists, neither side is doing enough.

“If there was to be an end to the wars, the Democrats and the Republicans have shown that they won’t be the source of that,” protest organizer Faayani Aboma Mijana said in an interview with NewsNation. “We believe that the way to end war is to build a mass movement that puts enough pressure on these politicians to end these wars and steer money into actually making life livable for people in this country.” 

Another protestor NewsNation spoke to, Andrew Grotowsai, said Trump is “faltering” with not only the Black community but “all the communities.”

During his 2016 campaign, Trump canceled a rally in Chicago over safety concerns after protesters packed the arena where he was scheduled to speak.

Wednesday’s protests were peaceful, with only a few counter-protestors in Trump T-shirts, as well as one speaking against abortion.

One person, Shelby Thurmond, questioned why people were protesting Trump.

“Why would you protest (Trump) trying to come talk to Black people? Why not educate Black people about what you want to do for them?” Thurmond asked, adding that he supported the former president speaking. “Nobody’s offering us any resources or policies. So why not have a conversation with him?”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.