Oct 25

Oct 25 Four for Four

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

When I headed to Chicago’s Ukrainian Community’s September 27, 2026 demonstration outside the Wrigley Building, I learned that it was the first of four planned consecutive Sunday afternoon demonstrations. At the time, Putin’s atrocities in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky loomed large. Oleshky has continued to dominate the latest round of Ukrainian demonstrations, as was evident from the signage at today’s 1:00 PM demonstration in the Wrigley Building plaza.

The Ukrainians are no different than other groups when it comes to weekly demonstrations, which was evident today. Asking people to show up week after week is a big ask. The turnout inevitably drops off. Kids have sports events; adults have anniversary celebrations; and weekend chores can’t be deferred indefinitely—although I would take a demonstration over cleaning the toilet any day of the week, particularly on a Sunday following a Saturday night of heavy drinking.

Today, only 50 or so stalwarts showed up, which represents a 150-person decline from last Sunday’s rally in front of the Wrigley Building. Nobody spoke, chanted, or marched. The silent sentries stood with their signs and flags, hoping those walking along Michigan Avenue on a beautiful autumn afternoon would take notice. Some did, as was obvious when one or two cars honked and several pedestrians let out supportive war cries.

Those Ukrainian community members who did not turn out could not lay the blame on the Chicago Bears this weekend. No game today. Maybe they opted for the Green Bay Packers, who were playing the Detroit Lions. Shame!

But rather than focusing on those who did not attend, I should focus on those Ukrainians who did show up. It has been almost five years since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked war against Ukraine—actually a land grab. Had events proceeded as expected at the time, Putin would have declared victory after just four or five days. Ukraine and its people, however, turned out to be the “Little Engine that Could,” holding the line against Putin.

Those standing on Michigan Avenue today both honored and reflected that tenacity as they stood silently for just over an hour. They had done their duty by not allowing the American people to forget the struggle against Putin’s dreams to replace Peter the Great in the Russian pantheon. In the Age of Donald J. Trump, we all owe them our gratitude because if Ukraine falls, Finland and Estonia are not far behind. Unless checked, Putin’s aggression will eventually plunge the world into World War III, with the specter of a nuclear conflagration looming large.

Ironically, given the war, Ukraine now stands as a bulwark for peace. We owe the Ukrainian people a debt of gratitude for their sacrifice.

And for that certain member of Chicago’s Ukrainian community who surely had a good excuse for not turning out today, Zoryana Smozhany enjoyed the lemon pistachio donut from Stan’s that I brought.

Next weekend: the Village Halloween Parade in New York City.

Note: The Ukrainians deferred the second demonstration a week due to the Chicago Marathon.

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