Nov 12

Nov 12 "Shut It Down"

Chicago, Demonstrations, Public Declarations, Protest

[I normally write these articles as if written on the day of the event, which often is the case. I am making an exception with this one. I attended this pro-Palestinian rally a week ago Sunday (November 12), and then left for Washington, D.C. early Monday morning for the March for Israel (November 14). Consequently, I simply did not have time to write about that Sunday’s rally contemporaneously. Since then, a lot has happened that is relevant to this post.]

The Ukrainian Community has staged many rallies during the last 18 months in Jane Byrne Plaza, where Chicago’s famed Water Tower is located. Chicago’s Palestinian Community prefers the small plaza at Ida B. Wells Drive and Michigan Avenue, so their choice of Jane Byrne Plaza a week ago Sunday (November 12) was very much out of sync with past practice.

I was also puzzled when rather than using the steps leading to the Water Tower as the focal point, the pro-Palestinian leaders headed to the corner of Michigan Avenue and Pearson. As the growing crowd congregated on the corner, the demonstrators first overflowed onto Pearson. The police initially did a good job of keeping the crowd from obstructing the flow of traffic along Michigan Avenue, but they eventually lost the battle, with demonstrators spilling into the southbound lanes.

Nobody explicitly spoke the words out loud, but I would bet that the organizers intended to shutdown Michigan Avenue, which is exactly what happened.

During the first hour, I captured plenty of images, but Michigan Avenue was growing darker as the afternoon sun began its descent. Once the demonstrators started what turned into a slow procession toward the DuSable Michigan Avenue bridge, I raced ahead, remembering that at the Wrigley Building, the street is brightly lit because the afternoon sunlight is unimpeded by surrounding buildings as it rushes toward Lake Michigan over the Chicago River. I wanted to get into position to capture the flags and faces brightly illuminated by the that sunlight.

I spent at least 20 minutes waiting for the demonstrators to arrive at the bridge. During that time, I noticed large salt trucks with attached blades parked on the bridge. When the marchers were two or three blocks away, the police repositioned the trucks, moving them across the roadway so that their hulking bodies blocked access to the bridge. Then police officers formed a line running from one side of the bridge to the other, further blocking access. Eventually, a cadre of bicycle cops showed up, adding a third barrier.

When the marchers hit the now fading patch of sunlight, they came to a halt, turning toward the Wrigley Building. Then they stood frozen in place. Would there be a confrontation? The police were far outnumbered.

After 20 minutes, I noticed people streaming across the bridge. While my back had been turned, the salt trucks had been moved. The demonstrators had prevailed.

Fast forward to this past Saturday (November 18). The pro-Palestinian organizers sent out a notice indicating that Buckingham Fountain would be the site for what has become the weekly weekend rally since October 14. This was the first pro-Palestinian rally I skipped—I was tired and these rallies had become formulaic.

Buckingham Fountain rather than the usual nearby plaza at Ida B. Wells and Michigan Avenue? Once again, I don’t know what the organizers intended, but at some point, the demonstrators moved eastward, shutting down Lake Shore Drive. Newspaper accounts indicate that there was a confrontation between the police and the demonstrators, but apparently there were no arrests, with the police eventually ceding Lake Shore Drive to those who laid claim to it.

Unfortunately, I was on the plane to Washington, D.C. when a pro-Palestinian Jewish group decided to block the escalators in the Ogilvie Transportation Center a week ago Monday (November 13). The sidewalk across from the Center was the scene of the first pro-Palestinian demonstration following the October 7 attack by Hamas. The building houses the Metra train platforms, as well as the Chicago Office of the Consulate General of Israel. This time the police were not as forgiving. The newspapers reported that there were over 100 arrests, presumably for trespassing.

The trend line is apparent. The organizers behind the pro-Palestinian demonstrations initially were satisfied with organized marches that the police had no problem with. Apparently not any more. The organizers or the participants apparently desire to shut something down, going beyond the mere exercise of their First Amendment rights; choosing to inconvenience members of the general public.

The first one of these ‘shut downs’ that I witnessed was sponsored by IfNotNow, Never Again Action, and Jewish Voice for Peace, three Jewish groups that are sympathetic to the Palestinian plight. On October 23, members of these groups blocked the roadway leading to the Eisenhower Expressway during evening rush hour, resulting in no arrests, but the issuance of over 70 administrative citations.

Admittedly, there is a certain logic underlying these efforts. Two weeks ago, I ran into a reporter for one of the local television stations. I asked whether I would see her at the already announced pro-Palestinian demonstration the next day. She responded, ‘probably not,’ indicating that the demonstrations were no longer all that newsworthy given their frequency.

Other media outlets apparently have reached the same conclusion. Early on, both the Tribune and the Sun-Times published articles featuring lots of imagery after each demonstration. When I checked these papers after learning of the demonstration at Buckingham Fountain, I saw that the Tribune had a short article with a couple of photographs. The Sun-Times apparently didn’t bother sending a photographer or reporter. For what was a cursory article about the shut down, the Sun-Times used a frame taken from a video ‘provided’ by one of the organizations behind the demonstration.

I have been surprised that the Chicago Police Department has chosen not to arrest demonstrators who take part in these shutdowns for trespassing or obstructing access to public roadways—the one exception being the arrests at the Ogilvie Transportation Center on November 13. I do, however, have a working hypothesis why the police have been so tolerant.

At both the Michigan Avenue and Buckingham Fountain rallies, the demonstrators far out numbered the police, but it was the makeup of the crowd that most likely was the decisive factor in the decision not to clear the streets or arrest anyone. The pro-Palestinian demonstrators bring children to the rallies and marches. As noted, I was not at the Buckingham Fountain demonstration, but if it followed the formula, there would have been plenty of children present. The presence of children make any effort to forcibly remove a large group of people untenable from a public relations standpoint.

The police are in a difficult position. In addition to not wanting to place children at risk by precipitating a melee, I suspect the police are not the ones calling the shots, but rather someone in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office, if not the Mayor himself. In fact, a staff member in one alderman’s office told me that Johnson, as did his two predecessors, takes a very lenient position when it comes to demonstrations that close roadways. As a consequence, the City’s policy regarding the line between permissible and impermissible demonstrations has been muddled for some time.

Regardless of whether the Palestinian position is meritorious, Mayor Johnson and the police should be more active in detouring unsanctioned shutdowns of roadways, as well as public and private facilities. To be absolutely clear, I would take the same position if the demonstrators were pro-Israeli, pro-abortion rights, pro-life, pro-gun rights, or pro whatever the issue might be that concerns them.

Even when the City or the police have been informed by the organizers of a pending demonstration or march, it still disrupts automobile traffic and mass transit, resulting in members of the general public being inconvenienced. As a society, however, we strike a balance, accepting some degree of inconvenience because we collectively believe that people’s voices should be heard. In the case of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations, there has been plenty of disruption over the last six weeks, but the police have done an excellent job of keeping the demonstrators safe while minimizing disruptions.

But shutting down expressway entrances, thoroughfares, and transportation hubs infringes the rights of others when the primary purpose is to cause disturbances and inconvenience. Shutdowns should not be the cherry on top of the protest sundae. The police should give the protesters notice that they must cease and desist. If the protesters do not comply, the police should physically remove the protesters, using minimal force, and then arrest them for trespass or obstructing public right-of-ways, depending on the circumstances.

Shutdowns have no direct impact on the ongoing tragedy in Gaza. No money is raised to provide medical supplies or other forms of relief. While the cumulative impact of shutdowns may cause Congress or the President to act, in all likelihood, a legally sanctioned demonstration is just as effective. Politicians see a large group of people saying, “We don’t like your policy.”

Shutdowns are what historian Daniel Boorstin referred to as pseudo-events—events that have no intrinsic value except drawing media attention. There are, however, alternatives. If the sanctioned demonstrations are not sufficiently raising public awareness, then the organizers can buy ad time on radio and television, as well as mounting web-based ad campaigns. The demonstrators, however, do not have the right to make others pay the price of efforts that cross the line dividing legal from illegal efforts to garner public attention, which brings us to Black Friday.

Yesterday, I saw an announcement on the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine’s website for a demonstration at Water Tower Park (806 North Michigan Avenue)—Jane Bryne Plaza—on Black Friday at 11:00 AM. The announcement explicitly calls for a shutdown of Michigan Avenue, carrying the caption “No Business As Usual on #BlackFriday.” It also states, “Friday Prayer Will Be Part of the Program.”

There is a another website—shutdown4palestine.org— calling on people to “boycott, disrupt, & rally at commercial centers” on Black Friday. It lists a number of planned actions around the nation, but Chicago is not referenced.

If the organizers confine the demonstration to Jane Byrne Park, I certainly have no problem with their effort to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinian people. But if their intention is to create a major disruption, hampering shoppers and forcing stores to close, I do have a problem, as should Mayor Brandon Johnson. In Chicago, we have seen at least one similar disruption, which centered on the police shooting of Laquan McDonald. Hundreds of demonstrators clogged Michigan Avenue on Black Friday. Three people were arrested—two for disrupting traffic and one for battery.

According to the real estate brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield, Michigan Avenue’s retail space currently suffers from a 33% vacancy rate. In recent months, two restaurants catering to tourists have announced closings—the Signature Room (already closed) and Grand Lux Cafe (closing December 24).

As a Progressive, Mayor Johnson may support the Palestinian cause, but as he has already learned during the early months of his administration, economics and budgets dictate whether he can implement his Progressive agenda. Disrupting Black Friday means lost sales tax revenue, and could lead to further vacancies, which translates into lower property tax values. I note that in 2015, Michigan Avenue was a vibrant retail district; that is no longer the case.

Given these realities, Mayor Johnson would be well advised not to look the other way should Friday’s demonstration lead to illegal activity, although as noted, the line between legal and illegal is now muddled. Given former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s response in 2015, I will not be surprised if Mayor Johnson permits the demonstrators to close down Michigan Avenue. If the demonstrators do go further—for example staging sit-ins in malls or stores, chaining themselves to doors, or preventing shoppers from accessing stores, Mayor Johnson would be well advised to order the police to intervene.

Friday should be an interesting day.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It]