Jul 9

Jul 9 The Invasion

Street, Public Declarations, Protest, Performance, Demonstrations

“The waitress he was handsome, he wore a powder blue cape
I ordered some Suzette, I said “could you please make that Crepe?”
Just then the whole kitchen exploded from boilin’ fat
Food was flyin’ everywhere, I left without my hat”

— Bob Dylan, 115th Dream, Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

“The pump don’t work ‘cause the vandals took the handles”

— Bob Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues, from the eponymously-named album (1965)

Over the years, I have photographed many demonstrations in the Loop, Grant Park, and other parts of Chicago’s downtown. Most have a decidedly Left or Progressive bent to them, which should come as no surprise given the Democratic Party’s decades-old lock on Chicago. With few exceptions, Chicago demonstrations do not draw counter demonstrators.

So when a Pro-Life group announced several weeks back that it had obtained a permit for a rally in Federal Plaza for July 9th, I knew that today would be the exception to the rule on two counts. First, a Right or Conservative group would be demonstrating in the Loop. Second, given the uproar over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic, there would be counter-demonstrators galore.

The turnout on the Right was pathetic—a few hundred people, at most. On the other hand, the Left brought high energy to their game, with three or four times as many demonstrators showing up. The Pro-Lifers were all smiles, and why shouldn’t they be? Two weeks earlier they had won a victory that was 50 years in the making. Those on the Left were angry and at times antagonistic.

Outwardly, the two sides are as different as night and day. No tattoos or piercings in Federal Plaza. Nor were there catchy signs or obscenities. I suspect most were highly religious. Across the street, there were no babies or children in strollers. Gender was occasionally fluid. The demonstrators were much louder.

Inwardly, the two sides share much in common. Neither one is willing to compromise, discuss, or seek common ground. Both groups are strident in their beliefs and intolerant.

Most importantly for the rest of us, both sides are equally responsible for the divisive nature of our politics, as well as the inability of our representatives to craft solutions to problems that if left unresolved, will destroy the United States.

I am a bit surprised that nobody on the Left was arrested. There were a group of woman who “rode into town” on large motorbikes, making quite a racket as the sounds of supercharged engines echoed through the Loop’s concrete-lined canyons. The police tried to restrict their movement, which resulted in a heated, ten-minute standoff at the corner of .Adams and Dearborn. As the Pro-Lifers marched, several Lefties challenged them. At one point, a cop decided to intervene, literally corralling one guy with something approximating a bearhug, and then moving him from the middle of Dearborn to the sidewalk. I suspect this guy realized just how lucky he was not be wearing handcuffs, which might explain why he remained on the sidewalk once the cop released him. Someone else went so far as to vandalize one of the Pro-Life banners, placing green abortion-rights stickers on the banner’s baby-blue colored face.

I have no problem with counter demonstrations, but in my book, several on the Left crossed the line today. While I personally support abortion rights, I do recognize that there are people who oppose abortion based on deeply-held convictions, which is why the issue will always pose an intractable problem for judges and legislators. The Pro-Lifers, however, had obtained a lawful permit, which is why I find the person who defaced a Pro-Life banner and the several individuals who tried to disrupt the march offensively boorish. The First Amendment protects everyone’s rights.

Not much news came out of the main event unfolding under the ever watchful eyes of Alexander Calder’s Flamingo, eyes which have seen it all. A large trapezoid comprised of black bicycle racks surrounded the stage. The enclosed area was largely empty, only serving to create a huge gulf between the speakers and their audience. Visually, the setup was a disaster, punctuating the poor turnout. As for the speakers, they largely had nothing new to say. One woman talked about her abortion—I believe 47 years earlier—lamenting her decision to “kill” her grandchildren that day. Another speaker linked abortion to income inequality. He also danced around Black genocide. No surprise: Several speakers praised the U.S. Supreme Court, hoping that Congress would go further, banning abortion nationally. Disappointingly, Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey did not make an appearance. Although he is unlikely to receive widespread support in Chicago, his advisors most likely told him to stay above the fray.

Earlier in the day, I listened at Daley Plaza as the abortion-rights activists rallied the troops before heading to Federal Plaza—many activists skipped the pre-game warmup, instead choosing to head directly to Federal Plaza. The speaker was a far more polished orator than any of her counterparts in Federal Plaza, but she also regurgitated the Left’s unrealistic and extreme proposals that only serve to alienate those who reside in the middle between the Left and the Right. She or someone else also raised the income-inequality trope, demonstrating that when the level of generality is high, both sides can claim ownership.

After the Pro-Lifers had completed their march, I spoke briefly with a couple of them. I asked one college-aged woman whether they were going to grab a bite to eat, a hamburger maybe. To paraphrase her response: “Nope, I have too much work to do protecting babies.” Maybe sincere, but humorless nevertheless. I did kiddingly thank the young preppie who had been smiling as he walked during the march as part of the group holding the lead banner: “You guys sure created some commotion today, which makes for interesting photographs.”

I then headed north, stopping in Daley Plaza as the abortion-rights activists milled about, assessing the day’s events. I soon found myself in a 15-minute conversation with one of the speakers, who was friendlier and more rational than I expected. She has been in the streets since the late Sixties when not working a day job. She told me that I would see more demonstrators from the Right in the Loop because these groups are targeting Chicago. We shall see. When I mentioned the Planned Parenthood demonstration in D.C. immediately following the Alito leak, she was quite clear: She had no use for Planned Parenthood. According to her, Planned Parenthood knows nothing about street politics or advocacy.

One thing she and I agreed upon: In all likelihood Mayor Lightfoot was one of the reasons there were no arrests. We both assumed that the CPD had been told to exercise extreme restraint.

And so, over this past week we have seen the two central issues of our time play on our streets. In the Loop, it is abortion. In Highland Park, it is guns.

For those who are interested, I will be in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to photograph the delegation from Highland Park that will be advocating for a ban on assault weapons and other laws designed to end gun violence.

America is in the midst of a hot summer, and it is only getting hotter.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It]