Mar 27

Mar 27 Sunflowers III

Chicago, Demonstrations, Protest, Street

Today’s demonstrators had little in common with the Russian soldiers stalled on the outskirts of Kiev, except for the cold weather. The low temperatures have dimmed the spirits of the Russian conscripts, but not the demonstrators who gathered in Chicago’s Water Tower Park. Let the sun shine in, as other anti-war demonstrators sang five decades ago in American cities.

I would bet that the group grew to somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 as the assembled marched along a rather circuitous route to Millennium Park—one news outlet placed the numbers at several hundred, while another put it at several thousand. Not bad given the weather and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. With the sun shining down, it was easy to forget the cold.

Once again, the crowd was treated to a group of dynamic speakers, including Senator Dick Durbin, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, the ever-present Congressman Mike Quigley, Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs, Cook County Treasurer, Maria Pappas, and Alderman Brain Hopkins, as well as a number of individuals associated with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America—Illinois Division and various consulates and other associations.

During the speeches, the crowd heard demands for a No-Fly Zone, shipments of more weapons, and boycotts of corporations still conducting business in Russia. My personal favorite came from Illinois Treasurer Frerichs, who said his office could not send money to Ukraine, but those in the crowd should check the Treasurer’s unclaimed property website to see whether anyone has unclaimed bank accounts that could be donated to the cause.

This is my third Ukrainian demonstration. Obviously I don’t speak to everyone in the crowd, but my impression is that the crowd is heavily Ukrainian, with a significant number of others tracing their roots to other Eastern European countries. The attendance is good, but there should be many more people in the streets given the non-stop 24/7 media coverage and the widespread popular support for Ukraine and its people.

The organizers need to do a better job of getting the word out and rallying the public. I now regularly check the Ukrainian Congress’s website for upcoming events, but most members of the public are unaware of the organization. Why aren’t the organizers posting notices to the “protest Chicago” web site? The organizers need to: (i) get some new speakers, preferably ones with high-name recognition, including musicians; (ii) engage in onsite fundraising; (iii) offer merchandise (e.g., flags, posters, and buttons) and provide demonstrators with pre-made signage; (iv) get advanced word out to the media about the demonstration or other event; and (v) provide the media with speaker names and profiles—just one piece of paper..

Unfortunately, my view is supported by today’s media coverage. As far as I could determine, the Chicago Tribune did not cover the demonstration; the Sun-Times did so on a significantly reduced basis, as did the local television news outlets. Having photographed dozens of demonstrations over the years, I have learned that demonstrations are visual events. Numbers matter.

As a final suggestion: The organizers of any demonstration should instruct the participants to keep their phones in their pockets unless they are taking a photograph. A visual image that shows people reviewing their Facebook feed while someone is given an impassioned speech undermines the efforts.

In short, the organizers might want to take a page of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s book (particularly the last several paragraphs of linked article).

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