All in Chicago
On Saturday, January 24, 2026, Indivisible Chicago called for an emergency rally in Logan Square at the Illinois Centennial Memorial following the killing earlier in the day of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. Over 500 people turned out for the rally and the subsequent march despite frigid temperatures. Here are my thoughts about and images from the event
Saturday, January 24, 2026 proved to be another cold day in Chicago, with temperatures hovering near 0° F. Nevertheless, Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef and another demonstrator staged a rally at Congress Plaza in Grant Park demanding that ICE be abolished. Nearby six or seven members of Chicago’s Iranian Community held a demonstration calling for regime change in Iran. Here are my thoughts about an images from the two events.
On January 19, 2026, over 60 groups held a rally in Jane Byrne Park (site of the Old Water that survived the 1871 Great Chicago Fire). Ostensibly, the demonstration was a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, but the focus was on abolishing ICE, ending the war on Venezuela, removing Donald J. Trump from office, income inequality, and events unfolding in Minneapolis. Here are my thoughts about and images from the day.
Despite extremely cold, somewhere between 50 and 75 Iranians held a rally in Jane M. Byrne Plaza on January 17, 2026. They were calling for regime change in Iran. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration.
On Saturday, January 10, 2025, members of Chicago’s Far Left community held a rally in Jane Byrne Plaza (location of the Old Water Tower) against Donald J. Trump’s war on Venezuela. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration.
Donald J. Trump invaded Venezuela early this morning. By late afternoon, Chicago activists had 400 people on the streets demonstrating against Trump’s lawless imperialism. Here are my thoughts about and images from the rally and the subsequent march to Trump Tower.
On Sunday, December 7, 2025, 15 Christmas carolers could be seen on the sidewalk adjacent to Daley Plaza, where the City’s annual Christkindlmarket is located. They hoped their songs would highlight what many believe is a genocide unfolding in Gaza. The melodies were familiar, but the words to the Christmas songs had been changed to highlight the death and destruction that the Palestinian People have been experienced during the last two years. Here are my thoughts about and images from this holiday demonstration.
On Black Friday, November 29, 2025, demonstrators staged two rallies on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. The first addressed a wide variety of issues, best summed up as the Trump agenda. The demonstrators were urging consumers to boycott Amazon.com, Home Depot, and Target. The second demonstration addressed animal rights and the trade in fur. Both events drew sparse attendance. Here are my thoughts about and images from both demonstrations.
Today, November 25, 2025, Chicago’s Ukrainian Community held a rally at the Wrigley Building Plaza, which was followed by a memorial service at Holy Name Cathedral so that the community could properly honor the victims of Holodomor. Here are my thoughts about and images from the day’s events.
Billy Branch brought his Sons of the Blues to the Logan Center Friday night. The SOBs were larger than normal, with a horn section and three backup singers. Branch was launching his new album, The Blues is My Biography. The band the music was terrific. Here are my thoughts about and images from the evening.
On November 20, 2025, 75 demonstrators held a rally in Chicago’s Federal Plaza objecting to Donald J. Trump’s efforts to topple Venezuela strongman Nicolás Maduro’s regime, possibly through U.S. military intervention. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration.
Chicago-area veterans held a rally at Chicago’s Vietnam War Memorial along the Chicago Riverwalk to commemorate Veterans Day 2025. Given all the chaos created by Donald J. Trump, several speakers went far afield in their remarks, thereby overshadowing the stated theme—opposition to all war. Here are my thoughts about and images from the rally
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators, a lone anti-Trump demonstrator, and a group of motorcyclists all took to the streets on Saturday, October 4, 20025. Their paths crossed on Upper Wacker Drive, just to the west of Michigan Avenue. Here are my thoughts about and images from the three gatherings.
On September 20, 2025, Chicago’s pro-Palestinian and “Trump-Out-of-Chicago” forces joined together what turned into a joint rally and march. Several hundred demonstrations castigated Trump, condemned ICE, and demanded that Israel cease military operations in Gaza. Here are my thoughts about and images from the rally and subsequent march.
On Sunday, September 14, 2025, Chicago’s Mexican Community celebrated Mexican Independence Day with a parade in Little Village. Here are my thoughts about and images from the afternoon celebration.
On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, the Coalition Against Trump staged an emergency demonstration at 5:00 PM in the Congress Gardens Plaza just off Michigan Avenue. Here are my thoughts about and images from the event.
Late Saturday afternoon, I covered a rally demanding that Donald J. Trump keep the military and ICE agents out of Chicago. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration and subsequent march.
On Saturday, September 7, 2025, 100 people demonstrated outside Naval Base Great Lakes in Waukegan, Illinois in opposition to Donald J. Trump’s immigration policies and his willingness to deploy the National Guard and the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement purposes. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration and subsequent march.
September has arrived, which means Labor Day weekend. Today, several thousand Chicagoans took to the streets in the West Loop and Fulton Market for a protest march against the Trump Administration. Here are my thoughts about and images from the event
The second day of the 2025 Chicago Jazz Festival brought a variety of jazz styles to Chicago’s Millennium Park. Hands down, pianist Patricia Barber outdid everyone with her lyrical wordplay rooted in the Beat poets and her piano work, but her band was also outstanding because it maintained a consistency musical line throughout Barber’s performance. Here are my thoughts about and images from the day.
