Oct 3

Oct 3 Broadview

Demonstrations, Donald J. Trump, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

Today, I earned the Boy Scout Merit Badge for Demonstration Photography by covering the ongoing demonstrations taking place outside the ICE Detention Center in Broadview, Illinois. I arrived at the site shortly before 3:00 PM. The drive took 90 minutes. Google maps had me driving westward on Roosevelt Road, then along Ogden Avenue, and finally on Cermak for seven miles. Earlier in the day, five demonstrators were arrested at the site, but according to the Chicago Tribune, no tear gas was released.

Before I arrived, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on hand for a photo op, taking to the detention center’s roof. Animal lovers will be pleased to know that Noem did not shoot any stray dogs, or for that matter, any stray demonstrators. During my five-hour visit, everyone was comfortably bored. No tear gas; no pepper bullets; and no arrests.

I was surprised by the largely vacant street in front of the rather small building housing the ICE Detention Center. I occasionally saw an ICE agent or two behind the temporary fencing, but otherwise, there was little ICE activity. ICE SUVs and vans sporadically pulled into the facility’s parking area, but the vehicles were quickly obscured by what appeared to be a large black tarp. Presumably ICE detainees are offloaded behind the tarp, out of the public’s sight.

The detention center is located on Beach Street, which is now bisected by temporary metal fencing to keep demonstrators at bey, preventing interference with ICE operations. When I first arrived, I walked down the center of Beach Street toward the temporary fencing, hoping for a closer look. Once I passed the two sets of concrete barriers running along the right and left sides of street, an Illinois State Police officer ordered me behind the concrete barriers. Not wanting to be arrested, I immediately complied, vacating what had become No Man’s Land.

I walked to my right, taking up a position behind one barrier. An older woman standing besides me was reciting what I assume was the Friday rosary. Not schooled as a Catholic, I am not entirely sure it was the Friday rosary, but God must have been pleased with what he heard. The woman repeated “Hail Mary” multiple times, which should be good enough. To her credit, she paused her recital, asking me whether she was obstructing my view.

As for the demonstrators: I saw no more than 40 or 50 demonstrators during my 5-hour visit. Fewer than 15 were assembled near the facility’s Beach Street entrance. Most were located at the entrance at the intersection of 25th and Harvard Streets. Concrete barriers lined both sides of the Harvard Street entranceway, creating a two-block long unobstructed roadway that led to the ICE Detention Center.

The local television station news crews had set up makeshift studios facing the 25th Street entranceway. The demonstrators stood immediately south of the entranceway. Several held signs while facing oncoming traffic along the busy 25th Street thoroughfare. Passing cars and trucks honked, signaling their support. Further south, the Illinois State Police had set up a staging area in the Broadview Missionary Baptist Church’s parking lot. There were somewhere between 20 and 30 police vehicles parked in the lot. The Illinois State Police far outnumbered the demonstrators.

While ANTIFA as an incorporated organization funded by George Soros exists only in Donald J. Trump’s mind, if Hollywood were producing a film rooted in Trump’s imagination, central casting would have offered up many of today’s demonstrators for roles in the film. They were: (i) young; (ii) often dressed in Nirvana-inspired attire; (iii) scruffy around the edges; and (iv) equipped with goggles, gas masks, and water bottles holding the vital fluid used to cleanse burning eyes following the release of tear gas. Unlike Trump’s conception, these kids were anything but violent, loud, or aggressive. Instead, they would best be described as docile, simply milling about like cattle in a large green pasture. When I was about to cross 25th Street, four of the youngsters (three clad in black) waited patiently for the Walk sign to light up, and as they crossed, they toed the painted lines. No jaywalking scofflaws here.

While I refer to the event as a demonstration, I heard no speeches, nor chants. Nobody snapped into formation for a march.

As has been widely reported, Friday of each week brings violence in the early morning hours outside the ICE Detention Center. The fencing bisecting Beach Street was put in place to minimize the violence. I was told that the concrete barriers now lining Beach Street were added within the last day. While a group of demonstrators could still charge the temporary fencing, my sense is that the fencing and the barriers greatly reduce the likelihood of violence.

Probably the most exciting event during my visit was when 20 Illinois State police officers took a walk along 25th Street, passing the demonstrators as they headed north. All were carrying large wooden batons, giving them a menacing vibe. Their mini-march struck me as a provocation, particularly because within a matter of three or four minutes they reversed course, passing the jeering demonstrators as the officers presumably returned to their staging area. Was this a provocation, or just a friendly reminder that the police are still ready to bust heads if the opportunity arises?

According to Governor J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois State Police are prohibited by the Illinois Trust Act from assisting ICE. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a statement earlier today reiterating that local law enforcement would not assist ICE, but would act to ensure public safety:

At the request of the Broadview Police Department, the Illinois State Police (ISP), Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies have combined to form a unified command to coordinate public safety measures in Broadview. I support the mission of the unified command to create a safe space for the exercise of First Amendment rights while also protecting businesses and access to nearby roads.

Even putting the most favorable spin on Pritzker’s and Raoul’s reasoning, both men strike me as hopelessly naive. While both most likely believe that they are protecting the demonstrators, based on the demeanor of the Illinois State Police, I suspect that most of the officers side with ICE. I would not be surprised if the Illinois State Police Department force has lost several officers who jumped at the $50,000 signing bonus that was offered to new ICE recruits. Hell, for $50,000, I thought about signing up.

Both Pritzker and Raoul apparently don’t recognize that by using the Illinois State Police for crowd control, they are freeing up ICE manpower to detain more people. Both men would likely counter that the Illinois State Police are less likely to respond to provocations from the demonstrators with violence. Once again, if that is Pritzker’s and Raoul’s assessment, both are naive.

Any demonstration draws at least one or two nut cases. Early on, I ran into a guy who seemed a bit crazed, but did tell me he hoped there wouldn’t be any problems, presumably referring to violence. I later ran into him standing near the staging tent manned by demonstrators as he proclaimed that his nipples were hard. He also pointed to his genitals, saying something to the effect that this was his favorite body part. He slowly removed his shirt, presumably to show the world his hard nipples. He approached several women working in or near the tent, making similar crude comments.

To their credit, the women didn’t take the bait, instead choosing to ignore the man. Later, I saw three Illinois State Police officers speaking with him, but they did not take him into custody. Donald J. Trump apparently has yet to issue an executive order making it illegal to make an ass out of yourself, which makes sense because Trump would be the first one prosecuted under such an order.

Throughout the afternoon, I ping ponged between the 25th Street entranceway and the Beach Street designated-protest area. When I first arrived at the designated protest area, I encountered an attorney standing behind the concrete barriers who said she had a client inside the facility. I knew she was an attorney because she had her Illinois State Bar identification card on her clipboard.

Two hours later, I watched her approach a Cook County Sheriff’s car, handing one of the officers inside a piece of paper. She was then permitted to approach the temporary fencing, where she repeatedly shouted requests for admission to see her client. Her shouts were tinged with bits of humor, like over emphasizing the world “please”—apparently an acknowledgement that her effort would prove futile. From my vantage point, I couldn’t tell whether any ICE agents responded to her, but I don’t think so, which is highly problematic.

Immigration law is said to be almost as complex as tax law, but certain aspects of it are clear. Specifically, an immigrant who has been living in the U.S. and who is detained has the right to legal counsel, but because immigration removal hearings are civil rather than criminal, immigrants do not have the right to a court-appointed lawyer except under very limited circumstances. See, Trump v. J.G. G., 604 U.S. __ (2025); and Flores v. Reno, 507 U.S. 292 (1993). So, ICE’s apparent refusal to allow this lawyer to meet with her client places into question whether her client has been effectively denied his or her right to a lawyer. A lawyer is of little value to a client if the two cannot confer.

I have no idea whether that question has been litigated. No matter. What I was witnessing was the exercise of raw governmental power that raises fundamental due process issues under the Fifth Amendment. Unfortunately, we can expect to see the Trump Administration continuing to challenge people’s Fifth Amendment rights in matters that have nothing to do with immigration.

During my visit to the ICE Broadview Detention Center, I had one recurring thought: I was witnessing Kabuki theater. Both sides are very much aware of the media’s presence. Trump wants cruelty. The ICE agents who have been seen laughing as they roughed people up are honoring Trump’s wishes.

But the demonstrators are also engaged in performance. Most, if not all of those who were arrested at the Democratic National Convention did not serve prison time. CWBChicago identified 81 arrests, with 43 of those cases being dismissed by prosecutors or not pursued. Eight defendants were found not guilty, with 25 people pleading guilty. In May, the Chicago Sun-Times published the results of its investigation, reporting:

Most of the 18 plea deals the city has reached have been settled with no fine and court supervision that was immediately terminated, according to the lawyers guild.

In total, 62 cases fell under the city’s purview, with about a dozen others being prosecuted by the state. About half of those were dismissed before trial, primarily because an officer failed to show up for court, or there wasn’t body-worn camera footage relevant to the arrest, the lawyers guild said. Of the cases that went to trial, the city hasn’t won any. It lost seven, the lawyers guild said, and five others were dismissed on the day of trial. Four city cases are pending.

Given those statistics, a demonstrator who decides he or she can up his or her street cred with an arrest doesn’t seem to be risking his freedom, particularly if the demonstrator doesn’t resist the arrest by striking an officer—that should not be taken as legal advice or a guarantee. My legal advice: don’t put yourself in a position that will lead to your arrest. What the demonstrators likely fail to take into account is just how much legal representation costs. And importantly, other judges may not be as lenient as the ones who handled the cases arising from the DNC arrests.

While I enjoyed my time outside the Broadview Detention Center, it did not produce the sort of arresting imagery that comes with tear gas, pepper bullets, and wood batons smashing heads. From a societal point of view, my failure to capture violent arrests is a good thing. Despite the absence of a Money Shot (aka “Violence Porn),” I hope my images prove enlightening.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]