Jun 20

Jun 20 Juneteenth

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

On Friday, the country commemorated Juneteenth, but Chicago’s annual Juneteenth rally was held today in Federal Plaza at noon. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger read General Orders No. 3 in Galveston, Texas declaring that 250,000 Texas slaves had been emancipated. Although President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier, the Confederate states had refused to abide by it.

How quickly people take Federal holidays for granted. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation into law officially designating June 19th as a Federal holiday. When I headed out this morning, I assumed at least 500 people would attend the noon rally. I was shocked when I arrived at Federal Plaza shortly before the noon start time. Except for a few organizers, the plaza was largely empty.

Toward the end of the rally, I did a quick headcount. I put the at somewhere around 70, which included the speakers and members of the media. I find that number to be particularly puzzling in light of the attendance at much larger social justice demonstrations in January and February, when the temperatures were often in the teens. I guess everyone was at the their beach homes today basking in the glorious sunshine.

Today’s featured speaker was Mayor Brandon Johnson. He arrived in his black SUV as Omar Flores was finishing his speech. Johnson took the mic after Flores finished, speaking for just under four minutes. Johnson’s speech explains in large part why so many candidates have already thrown their hats in to the ring to replace him. To his credit, Johnson is a dynamic speaker, explaining at least in part how he won the last election—but he speaks in “we-they” terms, pitting corporations against the people. Johnson told the group,

Then finally these folks are working overtime to not just move a fascist agenda, but to ensure that interests corporations are placed over the interests of working people. But in Chicago we are taking a different direction, and we have had enough for the interest of corporates over the interests of everyday people.

Ironically, Johnson was standing within eyesight of Citadel’s former headquarters at 131 South Dearborn. The skyscraper once housed over 1,100 of the hedge fund’s employees, but in 2022, founder Ken Griffin moved Citadel’s headquarters to Miami, thereby reducing Citadel’s Chicago workforce to somewhere around 200 people. What Johnson forgets is that the “corporates” provide much of the revenue for Chicago’s and Cook County’s woefully inadequate social services programs. In 2024, the property taxes imposed on commercial properties in the Loop fell by $129 million due to increasing property vacancies. At the same time, Chicago homeowners were asked to foot an additional $469.4 million in property taxes. While Johnson’s “we versus they” rant drew applause, it failed to recognize fiscal reality and the importance of those “corporates” to Chicago’s health and vitality.

Following his speech, Mayor Johnson stopped to speak briefly with longtime civil rights activist Frank Chapman, who is the executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and a civil rights icon.

A number of other people spoke, including Chapman. One recurring theme was voting rights, which should come as no surprise because the critical midterm elections loom just over the horizon.

I was particularly intrigued when two incarcerated speakers spoke by telephone from prison. One of the prisoners was in the hospital at the Menard Correctional Facility. Serving a 30-year sentence, this man has some sort of severe skin condition and also suffered a heart attack. He did not make Menard sound very appealing.

Another speaker listed all of the politicians that have to go. She stopped short of including Mayor Johnson, who had already departed in his black SUV.

Before the demonstration started, I asked whether there would be a march. I was told “No,” presumably because the turnout was so anemic.

The demonstration lasted 90 minutes, at which time, I headed to the gym. Overall, I viewed the event as a victory for Donald J. Trump. The number of demonstrations in Chicago is way down. Apathy and a sense of helplessness have apparently set in.

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