Oct 17

Oct 17 Demonstrations Galore

Chicago, Demonstrations, Parades, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

Anyone who wanted to demonstrate today had plenty of options. Indivisible Chicago was holding another “No Kings” day of action. Unlike the three prior ones, today’s demonstration did not have a centralized downtown location. Instead, Indivisible opted for multiple demonstrations in Chicago-area parks. For those living in the Loop, the only Indivisible option was lunch at the Berghoff, which strikes me as a rather odd place for a “demonstration” unless sauerkraut and bratwurst are now considered to be subversive.

By all accounts, Indivisible’s decision to fragment the “No-Kings” rally was a colossal tactical blunder. At the satellite location I considered covering, only 30 people showed up, according to one of my photo buddies who made the trek. The Chicago Tribune article recapping the “No Kings” gatherings spoke in terms of hundreds rather than thousands. The online photo slideshows showcased poorly attended events, with lots of space separating participants

People apparently want to participate in a large gathering, one which offers visual proof that each demonstrator is not alone in his or her opposition to the Trump Administration. Indivisible failed those people. It also failed itself in terms of generating widespread media coverage. While both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times covered the events, the resulting coverage did not lead the news.

Going forward, Indivisible faces the problem that all groups that hold repeated demonstrations encounter. Attendance at each successive demonstration drops off from the prior one. By not holding one centralized demonstration, Indivisible apparently tried to avoid highlighting that fact.

Chicago’s Pakistani and Indian Communities unintentionally helped fill the void with two afternoon demonstrations. The Pakistani’s scheduled a 2:00 PM rally in the plaza between the Tribune Tower and the Michigan Avenue Apple store. The group showed up an hour late. The 15 or so demonstrators arrived in a mobile home at 3:00 PM. They stood on the sidewalk lining the plaza, disrupting pedestrian traffic as they waved colorful flags. After 45 minutes, they marched south on Michigan Avenue to the offices of the Consulate General of Pakistan (333 North Michigan Avenue). When they arrived, they immediately turned around, returning to the plaza.

Aside from wanting former Prime Minister Imran Khan released from prison, I have no idea why the Pakistanis took to the streets today. The group spoke to itself, but it did not enunciate a clear message to passersby.

After I took an hour-long break for ice tea and a cookie, I headed to the NBC Tower for a protest by members of Chicago’s Indian Community who oppose Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Somewhere between 10 and 15 people turned out for this demonstration. To be blunt, I did not appreciate the organizer’s attitude. He told me and the other photojournalist that he didn’t want us photographing demonstrators who had not covered their faces. He also wanted to know who we were and why we were covering the event. He has a First Amendment right to demonstrate in public, but we have a First Amendment right to photograph in public.

Moreover, the organizer is either naive or stupid. The demonstration took place within eyesight of the officers of the Consulate General of India. He wanted us to limit our photographic efforts because he was concerned about retaliation by the Consulate officials. What he apparently failed to recognize is that someone inside the Consulate could have photographed the arrival of each demonstrator before the masks were in place. Moreover, the Covid-era masks probably didn’t hide people’s identities.

Like the Pakistani demonstration, this one was largely a failure because those encountering the demonstration didn’t leave with a better understanding of the demonstrators’ concerns. In short, the demonstrators wasted their time. They would have been better off heading to a restaurant, where they could have discussed the salient issues over dinner and planned a more effective demonstration. They might start by creating signage in English that lays out the issues.

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