May 18

May 18 Sunday Sermon

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

“Tonight I’ll be on that hill, ‘cause I can’t stop
I’ll be on that hill with everything I got
Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost
I’ll be there on time and I’ll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town”

— Bruce Springsteen, Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)

It is hard to believe, but Vladimir Putin’s army first crossed into Ukrainian territory over three years ago. Of course, the three-year number ignores Putin’s 2014 incursion into eastern Ukraine, which was followed by the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Regrettably, Putin’s adventurism has become background noise for most Americans.

The Trump Show continually churns out one or two distractions per day. Although each one is largely superfluous nonsense, the stories dominate the 24-hour news cycle, pushing the truly important news off the front pages. Today, for example, we are learning that Trump will be issuing an executive order calling for the investigation of Bruce Springsteen, who dared to make highly unflattering remarks about Trump while performing in Manchester, England. It should be interesting to see what happens when the Boss passes through Immigration Control on his return to the U.S.

For those who are still paying attention to the tragedy in Ukraine, the last several days have been deeply disturbing. Putin was supposed to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul this past Thursday for peace talks, but Putin was nowhere to be found. Trump hinted that he would have join the talks on his return from the Middle East if Putin did take part. As usual, Putin’s anticipated participation was just another one of his many ruses.

The peace talks went forward, but without the principals. No meaningful progress toward peace, but the two sides did agree to a prisoner swap. One thousand Ukrainian prisoners will be swapped for 1,000 Russian prisoners. The timing is indeterminate, so nobody in Ukraine should celebrate yet.

Last night, despite claiming he wants peace, no-show Putin launched the largest drone attack against Ukraine since the war began, sending 273 Shahed drones into the Ukrainian skies, targeting the central Kyiv region. In terms of the human toll, a 28-year-old woman was killed, and three others were wounded, including a 4-year-old child. Putin’s primary focus, however, was not on killing or maiming Ukrainians, but rather, on overwhelming Ukraine’s air defenses, hoping to deplete its already dwindling supply of defensive missiles. Is Trump paying attention, or is he distracted by his own manufactured distractions?

Tomorrow, Trump is scheduled to speak by telephone with Putin about ending the war, so we can only imagine what Putin has in store for Ukraine tonight. As for Trump: nice job ending the war within 24 hours of taking office on January 20th.

Trump had better drop his transactional bullshit. Earlier this week, satellite imagery revealed that Putin is amassing troops along the 830-mile border separating Russia and Finland—a military buildup similar to the one that preceded Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If Trump knows anything about geography, he should recognize that Estonia and Latvia, both located immediately south of Finland, share borders with Russia. Putin looks to be on a roll. As was true in the case of both World War I and World War II, a large ocean between America and Europe does not insulate the U.S. from war in Europe.

Against this grim background, Chicago’s Ukrainian community once again took to the streets today in a valiant effort to keep the Ukrainian plight front and center in the American public’s consciousness. For the last year, a group of community members, led by a Roman Hlyva, a youthful blond-haired Ukrainian, has held demonstrations at strategic intersections throughout Chicago at 12:00 PM on Sundays. I’ve been to two at the intersection of Broadway, Clark, and Diversey Parkway. I unfortunately missed several at the intersection of Damen, North, and Milwaukee Avenue.

Today, Hlyva took the show to the Wrigley Building Plaza. Joining him were 50 others. The focus was on the Ukrainians who defended the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works during the Russian siege of Mariupol in March 2022. Some 3,000 Ukrainians defended the complex, which is roughly twice the size of Midtown Manhattan. Holed up in 36 Cold War era bomb shelters, the defenders sustained large numbers of casualties, but in doing so, they imposed heavy costs on the Russian forces who greatly outnumbered them.

The siege lasted until May 18, 2022—the timeline is a bit fuzzy. In total, over 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, close to 1,600 went missing, and over 800 were taken prisoner. Today, the Ukrainians in the streets of Chicago were demanding the release of those still held captive. The demonstrators, however, were not just speaking out on behalf of those who are imprisoned. During the siege, Russia committed some of the worst war crimes of the conflict, including attacks on the Donetsk Regional Drama Theater, where over 100 civilians were taking shelter, and an aerial bombing that destroyed Maternity Hospital Number 3, a children’s hospital and maternity ward.

As is typical of all demonstrations in the Wrigley Building Plaza, the demonstrators formed an arc, as Sunday shoppers and tourists continued on their way. Hlyva was firmly in charge. With a large black bullhorn, he spoke in both Ukrainian and English. The remarks in English were directed at the passersby, offering an explanation why the people with signs and flags were standing in the plaza.

After leading the group in chants, he ordered half his troops to line the westside of Michigan Avenue, directing the others to line the eastern side. Hlyva then took control of the median strip, where he paced back and forth like a caged tiger, making a series of pronouncements amplified by his bullhorn. He occasionally darted from one side of the street to the other, further energizing his troops.

I made a huge mistake when I decided to use Leica M rangefinder cameras to capture today’s demonstration. Rangefinders are manual focus cameras. I had trouble keeping Hlyva in focus, but with effort, I managed to snag some sharp images of his often-balletic performance, but it took over 300 attempts.

As noted, I’ve seen Hlyva lead several demonstrations. I always marvel at his voice, which is largely at fever pitch. He occasionally loses his composure, but he then quickly regains it, continuing with his full-throttle screed against Putin. Nobody is a more passionate advocate for Ukraine than Roman Hlyva.

After 45 minutes, he ordered his troops to snap into formation for a march north on Michigan Avenue to Jane Byrne Plaza. After two police officers on bikes cleared the sidewalk, the marchers headed out. Along the way, they passed the new Harry Potter store, but if one of the marchers snuck in, he or she must have been carrying an invisibility cloak purchased on a prior visit.

Upon arrival at the plaza, Hlyva took control of the steps in front of Chicago’s Old Water Tower, where he continued speaking. After 10 minutes, Hlyva led the group in a heartfelt rendition of the Ukrainian National Anthem. But before doing so, two men standing behind Hlyva lit flares, one spewing yellow smoke while the other laid down a patch of blue smoke. Nice touch.

Afterwards, I spoke briefly with Hlyva, noting that he seems to like late Sunday mornings or early Sunday afternoons for demonstrations. I don’t recall who said it—I think it was him—but we agreed these demonstrations were Sunday sermons.

And today’s award for best uniform goes to the woman wearing the dark sunglasses with “Free Azov” inscribed on each lens with white Sharpie ink .

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