Jun 21

Jun 21 Too Hot

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

Call me a grumpy old man, but it was just too damn hot and humid to be out demonstrating today. Both the Iranians and Ukrainians should have called an audible, canceling their demonstrations this afternoon.

Even setting aside the heat, I don’t understand why the Ukrainians scheduled a demonstration for 5:00 PM on a Saturday in June. People are headed out to dinner, at weddings, or grilling in the backyard then.

Because I was already downtown, I headed to the plaza adjacent to the Wrigley Building. As I expected, the Ukrainian demonstrators were few and far between—maybe 20 or 30 people. Kudos must be extended to the dedicated souls who took to the street.

When I arrived, the Ukrainians were moving north on Michigan Avenue. A talented and heavily amplified soul singer apparently had taken up residency in the plaza before the Ukrainians arrived. Being an accommodating group, the Ukrainians vacated the plaza.

I initially wondered whether the group was marching to Jane Byrne Plaza, on the north end of Michigan Avenue, but I was told there was no intention to march today. Instead, the group split into two lines, one standing next to the storefronts lining Michigan Avenue and the other standing with their backs to the street.

Nobody can blame these folks for coming out today. President Volodymyr Zelensky and his countrymen face a huge problem. The war between Israel and Iran, as well as the Israeli occupation of Gaza, have largely knocked Ukraine off the front pages. More importantly, the Trump Administration is hardly rushing military aid, including Patriot defense missiles, to Kyiv. Yet, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his relentless drone, missile, and artillery attacks, which have been largely aimed at Ukraine’s civilian population.

Given the backdrop, who can blame this small group of people from Chicago’s Ukrainian Community for coming out to keep hope alive?

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