I don’t shop on Black Friday, but I do recall being on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile several times over the years while hordes of people furiously hunted for bargains the day after Thanksgiving. Fifteen or so years ago, I perused the store windows on a day just like today—cloudy and cold. The Mag Mile and the stores were jammed. I don’t recall the retail vacancy rate, but it was nowhere near the current 33% rate. The Web was only just beginning to cut into in-store sales. Michigan Avenue now finds itself pushed back on its heels. Not a good look even when those are stylish Christian Louboutin heels.

Had a group decided to shut down Michigan Avenue in 2008, I suspect the Chicago Police Department would have been out in force, with plenty of arrests. In 2015, I remember photographing a protest that followed in the wake of Laquan McDonald’s death at the hands of CPD Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, who was convicted of second degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery. Both Reverend Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Congressman Bobby Rush took part in that protest. Some demonstrators attempted to disrupt the otherwise frenzied shoppers.

Earlier this week, the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine posted a notice for a ‘Black Friday’ rally on its Facebook page, stating:

This Friday, 11/24/2023, Americans spend their day shopping while our brothers and sisters in Gaza are being slaughtered. This is unacceptable! . . . We call on all supporters of freedom and justice to cancel Black Friday in the U.S. this year! As we SHUT DOWN Lake Shore Drive last Saturday, HELP US SHUT DOWN Michigan Avenue THIS FRIDAY!

Hashtag #CancelBlackFriday4Gaza.

Given the importance of Black Friday to the Michigan Avenue retailers, I wondered whether the City and CPD would be as tolerant today as they have been over the last seven weeks. Maybe there would be no arrests if there was just a march, but suppose some the demonstrators blocked retail entrances, overran stores or malls, or chained themselves to doors?

The police answered that question this afternoon when they permitted the marchers to flood into the street, and then march south to Illinois Street. There the police blocked the marchers from heading further south, causing the demonstrators to do a U-turn and head back to the starting point at Michigan Avenue and Pearson. There, though, the demonstrators were met by bicycle and other cops blocking further northward movement, stymying any attempt to shut down DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

The Initial Gathering. I arrived at Jane Byrne Plaza sometime around 10:30 AM, 30 minutes before the announced start time. Aside from several organizers, the area was empty, raising the question: Would cold weather finally put a damper on the large turnouts Chicago’s downtown has seen since October 7? One thing was sure, I had time to run to North Face to purchase a pair of gloves.

By the time I returned 20 minutes later, the crowd had grown considerably, with the organizers instructing everyone to congregate at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Pearson. I now knew that the organizers were going to stay true to their stated mission, shutting down Michigan Avenue. But before the growing crowd spilled out into the street, there were several speeches, and of course, plenty of chants.

The highlight was the prayer service, led by an Imam, who also offered an inspiring sermon about the current situation in Gaza. As I have previously noted, I enjoy seeing individual participants step aside from the demonstration to fulfill salat—praying five times a day. They add a much-needed dose of humanity to the otherwise often palpable anger, which is why today’s prayer service was a particularly noteworthy one. A large group of men lined up in neat rows, extending back toward the Water Tower, bent over on their knees, with the Park-Hyatt jutting upward in the background.

The March. The march was rather uneventful. By the time the group shut down Michigan Avenue, its number had grown to 1,500-2,000 people. After close to a dozen demonstrations since October 7, the organizers apparently decided to replace the somewhat worn lead banner with a new, more topical one, reading, “You Don’t Pause Genocide. You End It.” Later in the day, all the local television news stations combined their coverage of the Israeli-Hamas prisoner exchange with the demonstration, so the banner proved pitch-perfect. If you look closely when watching Chicago ABC News 7’s coverage, I momentarily am visible in front of the banner as the marchers headed south on Michigan Avenue.

Along the way, the marchers singled out Victoria’s Secret and Starbucks for special attention. Groups of demonstrators stood in front of the entrances, blocking access. Rather than removing the demonstrators blockading the entrance to the Victoria’s Secret, the police lined up to form a barrier between the demonstrators and the sidewalk.

Two women who wanted to enter Victoria’s Secret took issue with the blockade. I found myself standing face-to-face with them, several pro-Palestinian demonstrators, and the police. The two women demanded that the police protect their right to enter the store—you know, our inalienable rights to speak freely, practice our religion, own guns, and buy sexually-titillating undergarments. They couldn’t just go for a cup of coffee and return in 30 minutes.

I suspect the two women were pro-Israeli, but they most likely were not counter-demonstrators. Instead, they apparently stumbled upon the blockade, deciding to spice up their afternoon by engaging in some back and forth with the pro-Palestinian demonstrators. I am willing to bet that the two women have already told friends and relatives of their ‘daring’ stand.

Some might describe the back and forth between these two women and pro-Palestinian demonstrators as a heated exchange, particularly given some momentary physical contact. Standing within inches of the exchange, I did wonder whether this might turn into a melee.

But when reviewing my images afterwards, I was reminded of one of my favorite Frank Zappa quotes, “Everybody in this room is wearing a uniform, and don’t kid yourself.” Both sides were engaged in role play. Both would have been far better served had they adjourned to a quiet space for a civil discussion, but mutual understanding and respect is not what role-playing in the streets is all about.

At the point where things might have turned violent, the police were not the ones who intervened. Rather, a pro-Palestinian male demonstrator inserted himself between the two women and the handful of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, ending the confrontation.

Further down the street, the police had formed a barricade in front of the Starbucks flagship store located in the former Crate and Barrel building. No one was going in, and I didn’t see anyone come out, as the demonstrators yelled at the coffee drinkers looking out the second-floor windows. That scene was repeated a few minutes later when the demonstrators passed the Starbucks on the first floor of the Intercontinental Hotel. This time several demonstrators beat on the windows.

I have no doubt that the merchants along Michigan Avenue were unhappy about the march, or the possibility that their stores might be overrun. But aside from the Victoria’s Secret and Starbucks blockades, the demonstrators did not attempt to aggressively interfere with any retail businesses—at least as far as I could tell.

When the marchers arrived back at Michigan Avenue and Pearson, one of the organizers gave an emotional speech as he stood on the flatbed of the now familiar maroon Dodge RAM pickup truck. When he finished, the crowd disbursed, or so I thought. I went with a friend to Aster Hall on the Fifth Floor of 900 North Michigan for a cup of coffee.

The Second Shutdown

At 4:20 PM, I headed to the bus stop across from 900 North Michigan. The video board reported that a 146 would arrive in four minutes. Then it changed to 12 minutes before changing to 27 minutes. At that point, I decided to walk to Water Tower Place, where I could at least wait inside. Upon arrival, I saw that Michigan Avenue was closed because some demonstrators were sitting across both the northbound and southbound lanes.

Naturally, I dashed to the scene. The pro-Palestinian leaders were nowhere in sight. Nor were most of demonstrators. I was looking at the dead-enders. I can’t say for sure, but the people seated on the asphalt and milling about looked like the kind of college students who have attracted so much attention since October 7, although some of them may have been young people of Palestinian origin.

I was witnessing a standoff between the police and the dead-enders. As time passed, more police and three police transport wagons arrived. There was a police photographer and a police videographer on scene, plus each officer wore a body camera. (When one of the officers I’ve gotten to know engaged me in conversation, he warned me that his camera was rolling.) One demonstrator also had a video camera that she used to record interactions between the dead-enders and the police. Several representatives from the National Lawyers Guild were also present.

I was certain there would be arrests if the dead-enders did not vacate Michigan Avenue. But this is not Old Man Daley’s police force. Eighteenth District Commander John Hein was on the seen, as was Glen Brooks, Jr., Director of the Office of Community Policing.

During the next 20 minutes, Commander Hein pleaded with the demonstrators to leave. As he did several weeks back when demonstrators shut down the entrance to the Eisenhower Expressway, Hein figuratively donned a ‘Mr. Rogers’ mask, first telling the dead-enders that they were free to continue demonstrating in Jane Byrne Plaza. I then heard him tell the demonstrators that arrest was just not worth it. He essentially was acting as a father-figure—in loco parentis.

As he pleaded with the dead-enders, several did stand up, and then they walked over to sidewalk, but several remained. As Commander Hein and others continued pleading with them, the cadre of police officers standing to the east and the bicycle cops lining the north end of the street slowly closed in, tightening the proverbial noose. In a brilliantly choreographed ballet, the police were using their collective mass to subtly move the demonstrators toward the sidewalk. In Old Man Daley’s days, batons would have come down hard on heads, but those days are long gone.

Eventually, two-dead enders remained, refusing to vacate the street, and they were taken into custody. When the street appeared clear, one of the dead-enders off to the side ran into the street, with Commander Hein being one of the officers who subdued her. She joined the other two dead-enders in the back of the transport wagon.

The wagon doors hadn’t even closed before northbound traffic had resumed. I then caught the 146 and headed home.

Two Interesting Conversations. Toward the end of the day, I had two interesting conversations. The first was with a woman who approached me while I was photographing the arrests, telling me that “You should photograph every one of them.” When I asked why, she responded, “For when they come after us.” I took that to mean that she was Jewish, and assumed I was a Jewish.

I suspect she was a shopper rather than a counter-demonstrator. Her paranoia strikes me not only as sad, but as also exhibiting the fallacious belief that all Palestinians/Muslims are anti-Semitic. The woman offered more proof that the inhumanity Hamas exhibited on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent over-reaction opened up many otherwise festering wounds on both sides.

The second conversation involved two college-age students who wanted to know my media affiliation. After I explained what I was doing and gave them my card, they asked me what I thought of the media’s coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas.

I avoided a direct answer because I sensed that they wanted me to condemn the mainstream media. I said I hoped that they were reading Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. As we continued to talk, I could tell that they were not getting their news from the mainstream media. When I got home, I fact-checked two of their statements. Although there were elements of truth underlying them, their sources had greatly colored the purported facts to support the pro-Palestinian position.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the exchange. Both were well-intentioned and friendly. Next time I have a similar encounter, I may suggest grabbing a cup of coffee and an extended conversation.

The Dead-Enders. If it is unclear, my use of the pejorative term “dead-enders” was intentional. I found the people blocking Michigan Avenue after the demonstration concluded to be self-centered egotists. The City of Chicago permitted a demonstration on Michigan Avenue during the middle of the busiest shopping day of the year. Chicago’s Palestinian Community had the opportunity to deliver its message to thousands of people, many of whom may have been ensconced in the suburbs, meaning that over the last seven weeks, they missed the ten or more pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

At some point, free-speech rights give way to other people’s right. At least half-a-dozen bus lines run through the Michigan Avenue corridor. People have a right to move freely throughout the city. Moreover, the Northwestern Hospital system is in proximity to Michigan Avenue, so the dead-enders selfish actions potentially hampered ambulance and other emergency vehicles.

Perhaps of greater relevance: No matter how much the dead-enders may believe otherwise, their effort provided no direct relief to those in Gaza. The three who chose arrest would have better served their cause had they opted to leave, and then donated an amount equal to their legal fees, lost wages, and fines to an international relief organization. Yes, there is value in sending a message to President Joe Biden, but given the earlier march, there was no additional value in these misguided acts of civil disobedience.

Notably, Commander Hein offered the dead-enders access to Jane Byrne Park to continue their demonstration. That strikes me as buttressing what already was a reasonable time, manner, and place restriction on First Amendment activity.

Finally, as for the demonstrators who earlier in the day stood on a corner uttering chants equating the Chicago Police Department with the KKK, they were totally out-of-line. The police have been extraordinarily accommodating to the pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Their main objective is and has been to keep everyone safe. The chanters should also recognize that many of the officers on the street most likely were working overtime, forgoing time with their families on a holiday weekend.

Copyright 2023, Jack B. Siegel, All Rights Reserved. Do Not Alter, Copy, Download, Display, Distribute, or Reproduce Without the Prior Written Consent of the Copyright Holder.