Jan 24

Jan 24 The Intrepid

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

Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef called on Chicagoans to join him in shutting down Lake Shore Drive Saturday morning at 11:00 AM. He hoped the effort would lead to the U.S. Immigration Control and Enforcement (“ICE”) agents leaving Chicago. With the temperature at -1° Fahrenheit (without accounting for windchill), I had very low expectations for this demonstration, but curiosity got the better of me: How many people would show up?

When I arrived shortly before 11:00 AM, Rabbi Michael was in the Congress Plaza, together with one woman videoing the proceedings on her iPhone. When anyone threatens to shut down Lake Shore Drive, the CPD turns out in force. Today, I counted at least 20 CPD vehicles nearby, with police officers ready to spring into action should Rabbi Michael and the woman make good on the Rabbi’s threat. What a colossal waste of city resources.

Rabbi Michael acknowledged that with all the police around, he would not be shutting down Lake Shore Drive.

As I left the demonstration, I saw a small group of people standing closer to Michigan Avenue, but on the Grant Park side of the street. They were members of Chicago’s Iranian Community, calling for regime change in Iran.

As of late, the Iranians have been highly visible on Chicago’s streets. Today’s demonstration was the fourth or fifth “Iranian Regime Change” demonstration during the last two weeks. I listened to the speeches and chants for five minutes. Despite the cold, everyone was very enthusiastic.

I asked the group whether things had settled down in Iran since all the killings ten days ago. One of the men asked a woman to respond to my question. She spoke quickly and fluently, putting out a stream of statistics. She claimed that the news reports were wrong: Over 40,000 people had been killed and 300,000 people injured, She might be right, but the news media certainly hasn’t been reporting numbers. anywhere near those numbers.

As a whole, the group seemed highly confident that regime change was just around the corner. I wished them good luck, and then departed.

As I was walking north on Michigan Avenue, I saw Rabbi Michael still in position. I saw a second person listening to him. A minute or two later, I looked back toward where Rabbi Michael had been standing. He had packed up his mic and flag, and now was heading south on Michigan Avenue.

One thing is for sure: I give much credit to anyone who demonstrates in extreme cold.

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