Oct 12

Oct 12 Off-Key Messaging

Chicago, Demonstrations, Protest, Public Declarations

Tonight, 75 or so members of Chicago’s Jewish Community gathered in Daley Plaza to show their support for Israel. After 25 minutes, the group marched to Millennium Park, and then turned northward, heading toward Pioneer Court—a plaza that separates the Tribune Tower from the Apple store. When the group arrived at the plaza. they sang joyous songs, at one point pogoing as they waved signs and Israeli flags.

At 6:52 PM, there was a disturbance. I was kneeling while photographing rally participants, when suddenly a shadow burst into my line of a sight, rapidly moving through the crowd. I thought I heard the man yell something, but I could not make out what he said (if anything) because I was wearing earplugs, and the participants were singing loudly.

Some in the group surged toward Michigan Avenue. Knowing that my view would be obstructed as the crowd closed ranks, I moved to my left, toward the DuSable Michigan Avenue Bridge. I then witnessed a police officer escorting a lone man toward the bridge, with an officer blocking one demonstrator’s apparent effort to interact with that man. Within seconds, the man was no longer visible. The rally concluded minutes later, at exactly 7:00 PM.

While this incident might normally have been today’s lede, there is a more important one: inappropriate tone. So at the end of this post I will return to the man who appeared out of thin air.

I first learned of the rally through a website that tracks demonstration activity in the Loop. Unfortunately, I found myself stuck in a massive traffic jam on DuSable Lake Shore Drive at 5:25 PM, so I arrived about 10 minutes after the announced 6:00 PM start time. A fellow photographer told me I missed the first speaker, so I don’t know whether the rally began with a prayer, an acknowledgment that over 1,000 Israelis were slaughtered last Saturday, a condemnation of Hamas, or some other statement or action. Tefillin, or phylacteries, rested on the base of the Picasso statue, so somebody in the group had most likely prayed.

What quickly became apparent was that tonight’s effort was an ill-conceived one. The organizers would have done more for their cause had they never called for a demonstration in one of Chicago’s largest plazas, which has been the site of countless notable gatherings sponsored a wide variety of activists and groups.

When I arrived, two men dressed in the black hats associated with highly observant Orthodox Jews were leading those assembled in some sort of prayer or hymn. From what I could ascertain, those present were reading the text of a prayer or hymn displayed on their screens, which presumably meant better engagement. Then another man made some brief remarks before asking if anyone else wanted to speak. One woman stepped forward, briefly revealing her understandable concerns for people she knew in Israel. I didn’t see any tears, but her voice wavered at times.

Another man began his remarks with the phrase, “In the beginning,” which caused one person to interject, nervously asking where this was headed. Someone from the crowd shouted out, and I am paraphrasing, “I know where he is going with this; it will be fine.” After the man who was quoting from Genesis had his say, someone else stepped forward, telling the group that he initially hesitated to attend a public event, but that not doing so would have been a mistake.

After several minutes, one of the organizers proposed that the group march to Millennium Park, specifically mentioning the presence of the police, apparently to reassure reluctant members that they would be safe.

The group then spontaneously surged forward, flanked by a brigade of CPD bicycle cops. Some of the marchers sang or chanted as they walked. Once the group reached Millennium Park, they turned north, and crossed the River over the DuSable Bridge. When the marchers regrouped in Pioneer Court, many in attendance broke into joyous song.

Afterward, I approached one of the organizers to ask whether I was “reading the room” correctly. I don’t speak Hebrew, so I couldn’t determine whether the words carried joyous connotations, but the voices and body language certainly projected a joyous vibe. He told me that my observation was correct. He believed that the Jewish Community must show the world that terrorism will not keep them down, so exhibiting joyfulness is an appropriate response.

There is little doubt that the communal songfest made the participants feel connected, but the demonstrators could have had the same cathartic experience in the community room of a synagogue. Instead, the organizers chose the streets of Chicago and two highly visible public plazas. When any group exercises its First Amendment rights to assemble in public, it has entered a conversation with the public-at-large. Context matters.

What message were these demonstrators projecting to passersby and bystanders? For the last six days, the public has been deluged with an onslaught of media coverage rivaling that which followed JFK’s assassination, President Nixon’s resignation, and the 9/11 attacks. How does the public reconcile joyous singing with the blurred images of dead babies, teenagers, and families that have become a cable-news staple since last Saturday?

Hava Nagila! (Come Let Us Be Glad!)? Thousands of people are already dead and injured. A brutal response, by IDF forces, however warranted, is already underway. Come let us be glad?

If joy is a predicate to healing, a private setting would have been far more appropriate than what became the equivalent of an Irish wake. This display was inconsistent with and undermines the solemn tone that Israeli and U.S. officials are now trying to convey to the world.

In discussing Wednesday night’s pro-Palestinian rally and march, I noted the incongruities in the Chicago Palestinian messaging. Tonight, the organizers of the pro-Israel rally produced their own incongruity. I suspect this occurred largely because the organizers had no real plan or program; they just felt the need to improvise to fill time.

As people sang in the plaza, I could only picture a bride and groom at a Jewish wedding being hoisted into the air on chairs as the guests carried them around the banquet hall. That becomes a jarring image when juxtaposed against the photograph I saw earlier this week of a child’s blood-spattered bedroom.

If the organizers desired to show Jewish resolve, they should have invited someone to recount the many incidents when Jewish people stood up to attacks by adversaries and haters. This speaker could have started by recounting the story giving rise to Hanukkah, moved forward to the pogroms in Eastern Europe, continued by recalling the Holocaust, spoken about the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the rescue at Entebbe, and described the day that Nazi wannabes marched in Skokie. Recounting the journey out of Egypt would also have been appropriate.

Striking the proper tone was not the only problem with tonight’s demonstration. Others included poorly delivered remarks; a haphazardly-planned and virtually non-existent program; the absence of politicians; no sound system—not even a bullhorn; no printed information for the media; no predetermined march route; no lead banner; no professionally-produced signage; and no media savvy.

I subsequently learned that a group in my neighborhood held a vigil tonight on the parkland adjacent to Belmont Harbor. The participants lit candles, prayed for the dead, whether Israeli or innocent Palestinian citizens, and called on both sides to end the violence. The organizers of that vigil struck the right tone.

As one of the largest Jewish communities in the nation, the Chicago-area Jewish Community can exert significant influence on U.S. support for Israel while also shaping the narrative, which is why I am shocked that major Chicago Jewish organizations have failed to take the initiative. I do not say that as a partisan, but as someone who has now observed numerous groups make their case in public.

Chicago’s Jewish Community should look to Chicago’s Ukrainian community for the template. Over the last 18 months, local Ukrainian leaders have shown themselves to be masters of street theater, staging demonstration after demonstration that attract hundreds, if not thousands of participants. The organizers utilize highly impactful signage, theatrics, and props to educate the public-at-large about the ‘righteousness’ of their cause.

Chicago’s Palestinian community is not as adept as the Ukrainians, but along a continuum the Palestinians are much closer to the Ukrainian end of the spectrum than is Chicago’s Jewish community—at least based on last night’s effort.

Now, returning to the shadow that caught my eye last night: I don’t know what that man’s intentions were. He could have been a Palestinian trying to make a statement, an anti-semite, someone with an unrelated grievance, someone who just craved attention, or just a person who happened to be in the vicinity who suffers from some sort of mental infirmity. Who knows?

Nor do I know whether the police arrested him, held him for questioning, or just escorted him for his own safety out of the eyesight of those gathered in Pioneer Court. I did see the officer who escorted him over the bridge return within moments, which suggests that he was not placed in police custody.

While this man may not have been a threat, he brought to mind the threats that now lurk whenever people publicly address controversial and divisive issues in public settings. The Israel-Hamas War has created a highly volatile environment throughout the world, but particularly in what is a fractured United States. That was apparent when one of the police officers waved off one of the Jewish demonstrators who seemingly wanted to interact with the lone man. If I heard correctly, the officer firmly said, “We will handle this,” or something to that effect. So those who are wary of attending demonstrations unfortunately have legitimate concerns about their safety. At any time, a shadow can emerge from the crowd, potentially with sinister and deadly consequences. Fortunately, nothing tragic happened tonight.

I would be remiss if I did not single out CPD’s professionalism, which was on full display tonight. At most demonstrations, the police officers take a hands-off approach, except when they are directing the marchers and traffic flow. Then, their goal is quite simple: keep everyone safe and minimize the inconvenience to motorists who find themselves stuck in traffic.

Tonight, the circumstances called for a rapid response. The police officers reacted quickly and professionally, de-escalating what might have become an explosive situation. I should note that the Ukrainians and other groups very vocally thank CPD at the end of their rallies and demonstrations: a best and appropriate practice for any group.

Given the seriousness of what transpired last Saturday in Israel and the heated emotions throughout the world, I will close by offering the same admonition to tonight’s demonstrators that I offered to Chicago’s Palestinian Community in my Wednesday post. “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco.” This is Life During Wartime. Strike the proper tone.

[Update]. Today (October 15, 2023] I had the opportunity to speak with one of the police officers involved in the incident that occurred in Pioneer Court this past Thursday night. Like me, he did not hear what the man said. In fact, he didn’t hear the man. I asked him whether the man was placed under arrest. Nope. The officer told me that even if the man had yelled something, there was no basis for arresting him given the man’s rights. According to this officer, the police were only interested in seeing that the man (and everyone else) was safe, which is why I saw a police officer escorting him in the direction of the DuSable Michigan Avenue Bridge.

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