Jan 19

Jan 19 MLK Day

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

Today, the country celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life as it has done for the last 40 years on the third Monday in January. Donald J. Trump did not honor MLK with an official presidential proclamation this year, something even he did during each year during his first term. [Postscript: Trump issued a presidential proclamation after the fact, essentially shamed into doing so.]

In December, the National Park Service announced it would no longer offer free admission on MLK Day or Juneteenth to national parks and other sites under its jurisdiction, but that admission would be free on Flag Day and Trump’s birthday. None of this should come as a surprise. When interviewed recently by the New York Times, Trump said that the Civil Rights movement and the resulting legislation had resulted in white people being “very badly treated.”

Some 60 groups held a rally today at 1:00 PM today in Jane Byrne Plaza (the site of the water tower that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871) in honor of King. The dangerous windchill presented a challenge for the organizers and those who attended the celebration. In total, 150 to 200 people turned out for the speeches and the march. An exact count is difficult because people came and went.

During the rally, I dealt with the cold by twice taking refuge in the shopping mall across the street. After six or seven minutes, when I could feel my fingers again, I returned to the rally. I also dressed appropriately for conditions, wearing an Elmer Fudd-style fur hat with flaps over my thick, black earmuffs.

By taking those precautions, I did not hear most of the speeches. While the Party for Socialism and Liberation distributed MLK-branded signage, most of the other signs referenced Renee Nicole Good, the woman who was shot to death in Minneapolis by ICE Agent Jonathan Ross, the war in Gaza, Trump’s military action in Venezuela, income inequality, and abolishing the Department of U.S. Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE).

Personally, I would have preferred more focus on Dr. King’s legacy. Why didn’t the lead banner reference Dr. King?

I do know from newspaper accounts that several speakers mentioned Dr. King, but my impression—admittedly handicapped by my efforts to avoid frostbite—was that this was just another anti-Trump rally. If asked, Dr. King would undoubtedly applaud the emphasis on the sorts of social justice issues that he addressed during his short life. Today, I am astonished when I recall that he was only 39-years-old when he was gunned down at Memphis’ Lorraine Hotel on April 4, 1968. He seemed so much older back in 1968 as I watched his funeral on television through my 7th grade eyes.

Following the rally, the demonstrators marched south on Michigan Avenue. I has assumed that they would cross the river, ending the march on Upper Wacker Drive within eyesight of the Trump Tower. Organizers routinely end marches using the Trump Tower as the backdrop.

Chicago organizer and activist Andy Thayer told me at the rally that I would be surprised by how the march would end. I had my first inkling of what he meant when the marchers arrived at the intersection of Michigan and Ontario, where they turned right, heading westward, instead of continuing south on Michigan Avenue.

The City no longer allows demonstrations on Wabash outside the Trump Tower’s entrance because it is a residential building, which explains why when the marchers reached the intersection at Ontario and Wabash CPD had blocked access to Wabash. For a moment, I wondered whether the marchers might make an end run, but no one did, presumably because there were not enough demonstrators and it was just too cold.

Instead the marches headed south on Clark Street, and then they turned eastward onto Kinzie. CPD officers had barricaded the portion of Kinzie passing under Wabash, which meant the marchers were able to see Trump Tower if they looked up from basement level, but were unable to access it.

Thayer or whoever decided on the route had certainly come up with a novel deviation from the norm. Gazing down from Wabash at the marchers below, I couldn’t help but think of the parade that the Deltas sabotaged in the Eighties classic film, Animal House. The marching band was led astray, eventually marching into a brick wall, bringing a smile to Bluto’s face.

I don’t know how long the group stood on the street. Given the frigid weather, I departed after I had snapped my shots from the overlook. By my estimate, at least half the marchers were already gone when I headed home. Those demonstrators who went the distance deserve lots of credit and kudos given the weather conditions. They are dedicated lot.

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