Maligning CPD
Apparently, members of Chicago’s far Left community were not satiated by Thursday’s rally in Union Park commemorating May Day and the labor movement. Today, the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda returned to Union Park for a rally on behalf of “Black and Brown People.” The groups that came together under the coalition’s umbrella included: (i) the Anti-War Committee Chicago; (ii) the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression; (iii) the Chicago Teachers Union; (iv) Freedom Road; (v) Mientras Haya Amor Haya Esperanza; (vi) Organizing Communities Against Deportation (OCAD); (vii) the Palestinian Youth Movement; (viii) the UIC Students for a Democratic Society; and (ix) the U.S. Palestinian Network.
Unlike the estimated 125 to 150 people who turned out for today’s demonstration, thousands of others who attended Thursday’s demonstration either had a scheduling conflict, or the earlier event had provided them with sufficient catharsis, at least for the time being. Despite the low turnout, the rally and march were a success. The speakers addressed many issues of interest to those gathered in the park; the signage was colorful; the chanters were enthusiastic; and the march, although short in length, was a visual feast.
One might also argue that the now almost daily demonstrations in the city kept the attendance down, but a far more likely reason could be the cold weather. We are past May 1, but winter just won’t quit.
As the speakers made their points, there was a nearby little league baseball game in progress. I have heard some of the speakers many times before. Even those speakers who were new to me repeated many familiar talking points, so I spent 15 minutes checking out the ball game, as did one Palestinian demonstrator who told me that he had played baseball for ten years. We were also joined by one perennial demonstrator who may not have been a baseball fan, but who took advantage of the bleacher-style seating to rest his weary legs.
The demonstrators once again maligned the Chicago Police Department. At the prior Union Park rallies, I have seen the demonstrators march either south on Ashland, or east on Washington. The southern route takes the marchers past many union halls, while the eastern route passes the Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge 7 (north side of the street) and the National Police Federal Credit Union (south side of the street). Today, when the marchers arrived at the lodge and credit union they chanted “CPD KKK,” an equation that is out of balance.
I was standing in front of the lead banner before the march commenced when I heard a police officer ask one of the rally’s organizers whether the group wanted to march on the sidewalk or in the street. Typically, the KKK doesn’t give their victims choices, as Billie Holiday related in her classic song, Strange Fruit. What I did not hear was any discussion of the route, but the police apparently knew that it would be east on Washington because there were seven or eight police SUVs pre-positioned in front of Lodge 7.
When the marchers arrived at the police union headquarters, Kobi Guillory, a longtime activist, brought the procession to a halt so that he could deliver what were incendiary remarks. During his screed, Guillory yelled, "The FOP is not a union . . . What they are is a mafia. What they are is a gang that opposes accountability.” Thanks to the Chicago Tribune for quoting this portion of Guillory’s remarks. I vividly recall the line, but did not record his exact words.
During the event, I heard once again about the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s subsequent refusal to release police body-cam footage. As the Black Lives Matter movement made clear four or five years ago, on more than a few occasions, police officers around the country have used unjustifiable force, failed to de-escalate when that was a viable option, or have overreacted, all leading to tragic consequences.
But let’s also be clear: the vast majority of cops arrive at work each day hoping to serve the public, and they do so by subjecting themselves to mortal risk every time they conduct a traffic stop. On August 7, 2021, by way of example, Chicago Police officer Ella French was gunned down by 24-year-old Emonte Morgan during one such stop.
Just this evening, a Chicago police officer saw a car driving erratically in the 4700 block of West Madison, resulting in the officer initiating a traffic stop. The driver tried to escape, striking and then dragging the officer. Fortunately, the officer is reported to be in good condition.
Police departments do have “rogue” officers, but all professions have bad actors within their ranks. When a bad police officer kills or seriously injures someone, you can bet that the majority of the police force is just as upset as the general public; maybe more so. The outlier’s actions make every other officer’s job more difficult.
As a practical matter, if the folks who gathered in Union Park today want to rid the country of Trump and MAGA, they need to rethink these over-the-top verbal assaults against the police. Following George Floyd’s murder, polling reflected a widespread consensus that the police treated Blacks differently than Whites. The public wanted police to wear body cameras and to end chokeholds, among other reforms.
But the cry by some activists to “defund the police” landed with a thud. A 2020 Harvard/Harris poll revealed that 72% of the public opposed the idea. Subsequent polling yielded similar results. In 2021, Pew Research conducted a poll revealing that 47% of all adults wanted police department funding increased, while only 15% wanted it decreased. As for African Americans, Pew reported,
The share of Black adults who say police spending in their area should be decreased has fallen 19 percentage points since last year (from 42% to 23%), including a 13-point decline in the share who say funding should be decreased a lot (from 22% to 9%).
Undoubtedly, Guillory and his acolytes enjoyed speaking their “truth” to power while standing in the 1400 block of West Washington Boulevard today. In doing so, they undermine their goal of “Stop[ping] the Trump Agenda.” Their extremism does not sit well with the middle 30% who last November 2024 shifted in Trump’s direction. In 2028, will those voters return to the middle, or will they be driven into JD Vance’s arms? Guillory’s rhetoric also maligns the vast majority of the dedicated public servants making up the Chicago Police Department.
Earlier, the speakers called out the billionaire class with justification. On Thursday morning, many of those in attendance today lauded ordinary folks who work for a living. No one should forget that police officers are also workers just trying to support their families. Nobody ever got rich being a cop.
As I have noted, unlike many other workers, police officers face the risk of being shot or severely injured every time they interact with a member of the public. A mentally unstable homeless person could pull a knife when an officer checks on the homeless person’s well-being. As a squad car rolls up to the scene, a member of a “crash and grab” crew could pull out a ghost weapon modified with a switch, thereby converting it into a rapid-fire automatic weapon. A driver pulled over to the side of the road could try to run an officer down with his car. The far Left should temper their legitimate concerns by putting down the overly broad brush that they use to paint all police officers as inherently evil beings.
For the record: every officer I saw today took the verbal abuse with grace, showing no outward signs of anger. Each officer was there to ensure that a speeding car did not slam into the marchers. Every officer was prepared to disarm the nutcase who pulls out a gun because he disagreed with the demonstrators, which is always a possibility, as I saw in Washington, D.C. last year when a mentally-disturbed individual pulled out a knife during a pro-Palestinian demonstration. In other words, every officer was doing exactly what CPD does at every demonstration that I cover. The police are issue agnostic.
[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]
Signs Laying on the Ground Ready to Go
Chicago Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez Speaking at a Pre-Rally Press Conference
Colorful
WGN's Angelica Sanchez Interviewing Faayani Aboma Mijana
Holding Up His DIY Signs
Coming Out Against Israel Bombs
A Banner Built for One Man with a Wide Reach
Kobi Guillory, One of the Demonstration's Organizers, Making his Stand
Still in the Box
Standing with Their Signs
Gathered Together
That's a Big Bullhorn that You Have
The Speaker and the Signer
Representative Sean Casten's Nemesis
Blowing Smoke
The Baby Offering a Tender Diversion
A Devout Thought in Psychedelic Lettering
Recording Four Videos of the Same Thing
One Foot Planted While Someone is Ranting a Few Hundred Feet Away (Unaffiliated with the Rally)
The Excitable Boy is Back
Frank Chapman, Veteran of the Sixities and Longstanding Community Organizer, Was in a Reflective Mood Today
A Swing and a Miss While Someone is Ranting a Few Hundred Feet Away (Unaffiliated with the Rally)
The Next Generation Standing with the Palestinian People in Gaza
Reading Her Remarks
Sliding into Third While Someone is Ranting a Few Hundred Feet Away (Unaffiliated with the Rally)
Fully Spread Out
Out in Front
Leading the Marchers in Chants
A Little Overwhelmed
More Chants
Stopped in Front of the National Police Federal Credit Union and the Fraternal Order of Police
Today's Most Memorable Quote: "The FOP is not a union . . . What they are is a mafia. What they are is a gang that opposes accountability.”
Standing Watch
Passing the Fraternal Order of Police
Preventing Further Forward Progress
Instructing the Marchers to Turn Around
Making the Turn
Heading Back to Union Park
"Keep Fighting"
Flashing the "Peace" or "Victory" Sign
Passing the National Police Federal Credit Union
Returning to the Starting Point
Keeping the Marchers Engergized as the March Comes to a Conclusion Back in Union Park
Brought His Own Transportation
Author, Author—ABC Chicago News 7
Copyright 2025, Jack B. Siegel (except the first two images in the post, which are copyrighted 2024). All Rights Reserved. Do Not Alter, Copy, Display, Distribute, Download, Duplicate, or Reproduce Without the Prior Written Consent of the Copyright Holder.
