Jun 23

Jun 23 Wash and Repeat

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

With CNN running a “Breaking News” chyron 24/7 since Donald J. Trump announced that B-2 bombers had dropped bunker-buster munitions (GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators) on Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow and Natanz, supposedly “obliterating” Iran’s efforts to develop a nuclear weapon, Chicago’s television news outlets have taken to the streets looking for the local angle. Late this afternoon, at least a half-dozen television cameras were in Federal Plaza. Anti-war groups were staging yet another demonstration in opposition Israel’s war on Iran and Trump’s support for Israel.

Since last Saturday, Chicago has been saturated with demonstrations opposing war with Iran. At 2:00 PM on Saturday, demonstrators gathered at the corner of Ida B. Wells and South Michigan Avenue for a Hands-Off Iran! demonstration. It was so poorly attended that the organizers merged their demonstration with the weekly pro-Palestinian rally and march. On Sunday, there were two demonstrations opposing Israel’s war with Iran: one at 5:30 PM in front of the Art Institute, and a second at 6:00 PM in Federal Plaza.

I attended Saturday’s demonstration, but skipped the two on Sunday. I’ve seen photographs of Sunday’s Federal Plaza demonstration. It was poorly attended.

While I assumed today’s demonstration would be driven by Chicago’s Iranian Community, which was active in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death on September 16, 2022 at the hands of the Iranian regime, the demonstration was largely driven by Chicago’s pro-Palestinian coalition, comprised of heritage Palestinians from Bridgeview and Leftist groups like Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Chicago’s SDS chapter. While the seemingly endless speeches touched on Iran, the focus was squarely on Israel and Gaza. In all fairness, I had never seen the two co-organizers before they spoke today, so they might have been associated with Chicago’s Iranian community.

The war in Iran is clearly related to the war in Gaza. Both the Iranians and Palestinians view the Israelis as mortal enemies. For years, the Iranians have been funding proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, as part of Iran’s ongoing effort to eradicate Israel. I obviously can’t determine people’s national heritages based on just visual inspection, but my impression is that the vast majority of people in attendance today were either members of the American Left, or heritage Palestinians. The sound system was the one that has been used at dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrations during the last 20 months. The march logistics were handled by the members of the heritage Palestinian leadership who turn out each week to lead pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

The rally and march followed a proven formula. Begin a few minutes late; use the speeches as a stalling tactic; march to Trump Tower; and then run through several chants while flipping the bird to the glass and steel stand-for Trump. As is often the case, the speakers did not stick to the stated script. Diluting their message, some speakers referred to Gay rights, Trump’s immigration policies, and a host of other Progressive causes.

The most dramatic moment of the day came when one of the people engaged in a hunger strike designed to illustrate the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza, particularly the children, was delivering remarks. The woman had risen from a wheelchair to take the mic on Day 8 of the strike. After speaking just a few sentences, she grew unsteady on her feet. Wobbling, she sat down on the stone bench immediately behind her. After several people rushed to her side, offering water, she continued speaking.

From an optics standpoint, today’s demonstration was a colossal public relations disaster. When NBC Chicago News 5 and ABC Chicago News 7 went live at 6:00 PM, the plaza was sparsely populated. Maybe 75 demonstrators at that point—the demonstrators eventually numbered 200 people. Can those who stayed home be blamed? I came because I had gone to the gym before the demonstration, but if not already in the vicinity, who in their right mind would come out after three days of almost 100º heat?

Before the speeches began, my fellow photographers were standing around. We quickly agreed that there are too many demonstrations. Everyone stayed to grab some photographs of the signs and speakers, but several didn’t bother sticking around for the march. The Lesson: Just because the demonstrators know how to schedule a demonstration doesn’t mean they must or should schedule one for each day of the week. Donald J. Trump’s corruption and reckless policies create the energy for and the need for a cathartic relief. But to be effective, the rallies and marches need be larger, which means there should be far fewer events.

The organizers also should up their creative game. Everyone is sick of Federal Plaza. When the temperatures near 100º, the organizers might consider North Avenue Beach as a spot for a demonstration. Imagine 1,000 protesters wading into the water, signs held overhead. Just don’t splash about while holding a mic. Although photographically, that would produce a truly electrifying image.

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