Jan 31

Jan 31 Mayor Johnson Breaks Tie

Protest, Public Declarations, Demonstrations, Chicago

Today, the Chicago City Council took up the controversial resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The resolution passed 24-23 , with Mayor Johnson casting the tie-breaking vote. Afterwards joyful pro-Palestinian demonstrators celebrated in Daley Plaza as three alderpersons and other proponents of the resolution spoke. Several speakers were quick to note that Chicago is the largest city in the country to have passed a ceasefire resolution.

When I arrive at 9:50 AM, the lobby in city hall was filled with somewhere around 250 demonstrators. Dozens of police officers were visible throughout the cavernous halls, thereby assuring that members of the public with city and county business had unimpeded access. Notably, groups of bicycle cops were stationed at several interior locations with their bicycles in toe. The demonstrators were peaceful, but loud, in part due to the high ceilings and marble walls that amplified their chants, which included a new one (at least for me): “We will honor all our martyrs; Long live our sons and daughters.”

Many of the demonstrators lined the long hallway waiting for admission to the city council’s chambers, hoping to witness the much anticipated debate and vote. The police permitted an initial group of demonstrators into the council’s second-floor chambers, but one police officer told me the chambers were not filled to capacity.

Unlike other recent demonstrations, one man engaged in some theatrics. Standing in the middle of the otherwise pro-Palestinian crowd, this pro-Israeli demonstrator baited the Palestinians as he argued, laughed, and displayed an Israeli flag. A police officer helped me out by opening the barriers so that I could wade into the thick of the crowd to capture some images of the interactions. While the man with the flag clearly irked some pro-Palestinian demonstrators, for the most part, I think many were somewhat amused. Standing in a line for hours quickly becomes boring no matter what you believe or how much you chant.

Both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times reported that several demonstrators created a ruckus in the council chambers, shouting down Alderwoman Debra Silverstein, the council’s single Jewish member, as she spoke. At one point, a man yelled, “Wadea was murdered because of your lies”—Wadea being Wadea Al-Fayoume, a six-year-old Muslim boy who was stabbed to death in Plainfield, Illinois on October 14th of last year, a week after the October 7th attack by Hamas. Wadea’s mother was critically injured, but survived in what the police characterized as a hate crime.

Following the man’s rant about Wadea, other demonstrators started chanting, “Cease-fire now,” forcing Johnson to clear the chambers and adjourn the meeting for an hour.

I spent about 70 minutes in the lobby before I headed to the gym for a workout. I returned shortly after 1:00 PM. The demonstrators were now engaged in what one characterized as a sit-in. Presumably many of these people were there earlier in the day, so not surprisingly, they were less than energetic, which was evident as their heads were bowed before their screens.

On the other side of the elevator banks, people were gathered around a man holding a bullhorn. One person held his phone next to the mic in an effort to relay a live broadcast of the council proceedings taking place on the second floor.

To pass the time, I read a book detailing the history of Palestinian refugees. When the crowd began chanting “One more,” implying that only one more vote was needed for passage, I moved into position. As might be expected, cheers from the crowd erupted when Mayor Johnson broke the tie.

While I was killing time, I spoke briefly with one senior police official standing on the street. When he offered his greeting, I responded, “Whether you agree with the resolution or not, I bet you are hoping for passage so things remain peaceful. ” He concurred, and then in a somewhat exasperated tone, pointed out that the demonstrations and street shutdowns would continue.

I also briefly spoke with one of the Palestinian community leaders who was standing in proximity to an entranceway. Looking out of the corner of my eye as we spoke, I could see the now familiar maroon Dodge RAM pickup truck parked in the middle of LaSalle Street, with audio speakers already in position.

Interestingly, the organizer and a compatriot stood apart from the demonstrators, clearly detached from the somewhat chaotic scene in the lobby. At first, I was surprised, but then I realized these two were there to lead the demonstrators to Daley Plaza for an after-the-vote demonstration that would either be a jubilant celebration or an anger-fueled denunciation. Neither had time to chant. Both were all business, speaking with the police, texting, monitoring, and planning.

On cue, the demonstrators headed to Daley Plaza after they received word that the resolution had passed. Police officers stood guard in front of the Picasso and the entrance to the Richard J. Daley Center.

Before the speeches began, several people hoisted Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez onto the shoulders of one man. The man slowly spun around with Sigcho-Lopez wildly grinning as those nearby cheered, I immediately thought of the groom at a Jewish wedding—probably not the visual that the alderman hoped to convey. Mazel Tov. One by one, the anointed dignitaries stepped up to the mic, culminating with Sigcho-Lopez, who was greeted by his adoring fans like a rock star.

As for the merits of the resolution: The city council just wasted a day’s worth of valuable time. The resolution will have no impact on the tragic situation unfolding in Gaza, which should come as no surprise because the effort was nothing but a masturbatory exercise in virtue signaling.

Now that the resolution is the ‘law’ of Chicago, will Mayor Johnson head to capitals in the Middle East to negotiate a peace treaty? Doing so may be far more difficult than the upcoming negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union, where Mayor Johnson will effectively be sitting on both sides of the bargaining table.

During his victory lap, Alderman Sigcho-Lopez briefly referenced crime in Chicago. Some 90 minutes later, three Senn High School students were shot just three blocks east of their north-side high school in the Edgewater neighborhood. One 16-year-old died from a gunshot to the chest; another 16-year-old is in grave condition after suffering bullet wounds to his jaw, arm and chest; and a 15-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to his leg. One eyewitness reported that those doing the shooting were most likely teenagers.

Today’s shooting follows in the wake of last Friday afternoon’s shooting outside of a high school in the Loop, resulting in the deaths two students—one 16-years old and another 17-years old. During a press briefing following the shootings, Mayor Johnson said, “This kind of violence, it has to end.” He then added, “The harm and the chaos, and the trauma that’s being caused by individuals who do not value life—the full force of government will be used to bring those individuals to justice.”

Unfortunately, today the full force of government was focused on a feckless resolution that will change nothing. Valuable police resources were wasted.

The Mayor and Alderman Sigcho-Lopez are worried about the children of Gaza, as we all should be. Yet, both engaged in grandstanding today rather than using the ‘full force’ of the city council to address ongoing violence in Chicago. Notably, today Mayor Johnson indicated that he was opposed to police details in Chicago schools.

Instead of worrying about events 6,000 miles away, perhaps the mayor could have led a discussion at today’s meeting addressing continued police presence in schools. Despite his belief to the contrary, the two recent incidents resulting in the deaths of three Chicago high school students in close proximity to their high schools are proof that police presence in the high schools may make a lot of sense.

And Mayor Johnson and the city council apparently forgot that each day the Venezuelan migrants cost the city $1.5 million, or $548 million per year, with more migrants streaming into the city daily. The city is already cash strapped and the mayor is unable to deliver on campaign promises pertaining to affordable housing and mental health services. Yet, the Mayor and his city council allies thought a symbolic resolution took precedent over the city’s budgetary issues and the migrants’ needs. Only a guy who was arrears on his personal water and sewer charges would elevate foreign policy concerns over the city’s budgetary crisis.

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