Today’s pro-Palestinian demonstration drew only 100 to 200 participants, evidence that the Saturday pro-Palestinian demonstrations have become normalized. Here are my thoughts about and images from the rally and march.
All in Demonstrations
OKHMATDYT Bombing
Chicago’s Ukrainian Community gathered in the Wrigley Building Plaza just hours after Russia bombed Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital—about as close to a just-in-time demonstration as can you can get. It was an impressive showing. Here are my thoughts about and images from the rally and subsequent march that drew over 500 people on a muggy summer evening.
Red and Blue
The Chicago Firefighters Union held a march today to coincide with the NASCAR race in Grant Park. They were demanding a contract from the City after three years of not having one. Here are my thoughts about and images from the event.
GAYestinian Pride
Today, Chicago’s LGBQT+ Community staged the 54th Annual Gay Pride Parade. In keeping with my activity over the last nine months, I decided to focus on the pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had obtained a coveted slot in the parade’s abbreviated lineup. It was the right decision, because it permitted me to photograph their efforts, as well as the colorful characters lining the parade route, as I walked the route with the pro-Palestinian forces from the start to the finish line.
Opposing Putin
Members of Chicago’s Russian émigré community came together Saturday to celebrate Ilya Yashin’s 41st birthday. Yashin is a Russian dissident who spoke out against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. A close associate of the late Alexei Navalny, Yeshin is now serving a prison sentence in a Siberian prison. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration—one of the many coordinated demonstrations around the world.
Calling Out Mondelēz
Members of Chicago’s Ukrainian Community held a rally outside the Wrigley Building on May 18, 2024, the location of Mondelēz International’s offices. The company is the maker of Oreo Cookies and Ritz Crackers, among other well-know snack foods. They continue to operate inside Russia, which is why the Ukrainians were demanding that Mondelēz put humanitarian concerns above profits. Here are my thoughts about and images from the rally and subsequent march.
DePaul U Aftermath
Today, I headed over to DePaul University after the Chicago Police Department cleared the Gaza Solidarity encampment in the Fullerton Avenue Quad. Here are my observations about and images from the event.
Flag Raising (Israeli)
On Tuesday, members of Chicago’s Jewish Community celebrated the 76th anniversary of Israel’s birth by raising the Israeli flag in Daley Plaza. Here are my thoughts about and images from the event.
Civility Breaks Out
On Sunday afternoon, the pro-Palestinian students in DePaul University’s Fullerton Avenue Quad still occupied their Gaza Solidarity encampment. Five block to the east, a group of Jewish students and community members held their own gathering at the corner of Fullerton, Lincoln and Halstead. Here are my thoughts about and images from the competing events.
Flag Raising (Palestinian)
The Palestinian Community held a ceremonial flag raising in Daley Plaza on Saturday. Here are my thoughts about and images from the event.
Ukrainian Moms Speak
Chicago’s Ukrainian community commemorated Mother’s Day with a rally in Jane Byrne Park (location of the historic water tower). The moms were out with their kids, handing out flowers to shoppers on Michigan Avenue while pleading Ukraine’s case. Here are my thoughts about and images from the day.
Divesture at U. of C.
University of Chicago students and others constructed a Gaza Solidarity encampment in front of the Edward H. Levi Hall. Here are my thoughts about and images from my two visits to the encampment.
Cosplaying at DePaul
No surprise here. When I returned from New York, I had to focus on Gaza Solidarity encampments at DePaul and the University of Chicago. Here are my thoughts about and images from my visit on Wednesday and Thursday to the DePaul encampment.
Captivity Kills
A small, but potent group of Ukrainians took to the streets today, as they have done two other times during the last month or so. Loud chants of “Thank You USA” could be heard as those holding Ukrainian flags and signs celebrated the House approval of the $60 billion Ukrainian aid package. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration.
CPD Permits March
On Saturday, April 20, 2024, pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied and then staged a march on Michigan Avenue, followed by a symbolic sit-in at the intersection of Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue. Unlike this past Monday, the Chicago Police Department permitted the march to proceed. For my thoughts about the demonstration and my images, click on the image below.
Finally
On Thursday, April 18, 2024, I attended a pro-Israeli demonstration outside the Tribune Tower adjacent to the river. The group was spirited. Surprisingly, there was not a single counter-demonstrator. Here are my further thoughts about and images from the demonstration.
DNC Preview?
During Monday’s pro-Palestinian rally, the Chicago Police Department changed the rules of the game in a likely precursor to August’s Democratic National Convention. There were arrests. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration.
Biden Meet and Greet
President Joe Biden came to Chicago today for a fundraiser just off North Michigan Avenue. No surprise: pro-Palestinian demonstrators showed up, as did I. Here are my thoughts about and photographs from the demonstration.
Six Months In
Today, I attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration marking the six-month anniversary of the war between Israel and Hamas that began on October 7, 2024. Here are my thoughts about and images from today’s demonstration.
Way of the Cross
Chicago’s Daley Plaza was served as the first station for the annual Way of the Cross processional through the streets of Chicago on Good Friday ending at Holy Name Cathedral. Here are my thoughts from and images from what was an uplifting event—even for nonbelievers.