Nov 29

Nov 29 A Star Is Born

Chicago, Chicago Tourism, Demonstrations, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

“While You’re Shopping, Bombs Are Dropping”

— Pro-Palestinian Chant During the Black Friday Demonstration on Michigan Avenue (November 29, 2024)

Like last year, Black Friday brought the pro-Palestinian forces to Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The organizers proclaimed, “While Your Shopping, Bombs Are Dropping.” The temperature hovered around 20°F, which explains, at least in part, why the rally drew only 150 demonstrators—a charitable estimate. Last year, the pro-Palestinian forces numbered between 1,500 to 2,000 people. Even had the temperatures been more temperate, the turnout probably would not been much higher. In recent months, attendance at the weekly pro-Palestinian demonstrations has dropped off sharply.

Shoppers didn’t acquit themselves any better. While not exactly empty, the sidewalks weren’t overflowing with people. Television news crews were present for the demonstration, but by 10 PM, the producers apparently had found more worthy news to fill their telecasts—not a mention of the pro-Palestinian forces. For Black Friday coverage, local news looked to suburban shopping malls, using dramatic overhead shots of crowded parking lots as the visual.

How cold was it? Two members of the CPD offered to go back to their squad cars to get me gloves or hand warmers. I declined—too hard to work two cameras and a strobe light. In a nice gesture, one of the pro-Palestine organizers offered photographers keffiyehs still sealed in cellophane wrappers as additional protection against the chill.

Everyone exhibited the appropriate holiday spirit. Several police officers asked me about my Thanksgiving. We joked about eating too much. I asked one heritage Palestinian whether the Palestinians celebrate Thanksgiving. “No,” was the answer, but according to him, everyone likes the food. For him, the sweet potatoes were the highlight.

The rally and demonstration came off without incident, although there were at least two counter protesters—who quickly moved on. One demonstrator did have what was an apparent heated exchange with a street preacher, but other demonstrators quickly separated the two. No arrests; no visible vandalism.

The organizers, in a bow to the frigid temperatures, kept the rally and march mercifully short. There were only two or three speeches, with a limited number of chants as the shivering crowd stood in Jane Byrne Plaza. The day’s highlight clearly was a passionate speech delivered by Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, a member of Neturei Karta, a sect of Orthodox Jews who believe there should not be a State of Israel. I first encountered Weiss and other members of the group a year ago shortly after October 7 in Brooklyn, New York at a massive pro-Palestinian demonstration. Since then, I have seen Weiss and others at other demonstrations at Columbia University and CCNY, and in Washington, D.C. Weiss and company were also in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention.

Although I have previously spoken with Weiss and stood off to the aside while he has given interviews to the media, I had not seen him speak to a group of demonstrators before. His remarks today were lengthy, forceful, and passionate. He described Zionists as selfish, and he recalled the time when Muslims and Jews lived in peace.

Members of the crowd were visibly taken aback when he took the mic attached to a large bullhorn. At the end of his speech, there was stunned silence, and then approving sounds. A star was born.

The demonstrators then assembled behind the lead banner, which still referenced Biden/Harris. One police officer said to me, “They need to update the banner.” To be clear, he was not taking sides, just jokingly noting the election’s outcome.

I was a bit surprised that CPD allowed such a small group of demonstrators to shutdown Michigan Avenue on what is the busiest shopping day of the year, but someone apparently higher up must have decided that an hour of predictable disruption was preferable to mass arrests.

On their way to the DuSable (Michigan Avenue) Bridge, the demonstrators stopped in front of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, calling out Starbucks for its alleged support of Israel. They then proceeded to the Wrigley Building, where they seemingly made the turn to head back to Jane Byrne Plaza. But rather than marching, the group stood in the street as several people delivered speeches.

Earlier in the day, a photographer told me that another group was going to stage a demonstration at the Apple Store. I looked, but I saw no demonstrators in the plaza. Turns out, a group of Palestinians apparently had entered the store earlier in the day. I saw them heading out the entranceway back to Michigan Avenue, with a phalanx of CPD officers shooing some laggards out of the store.

As far as I could tell, there were no arrests. It appears that everyone (except me) was in on this little bit of street theater. Probably the most interesting aspect of this incident came when one of the speakers called Apple out for exploiting cobalt mine workers in Africa.

After two brief speeches by people who presumably were in the store, the demonstration broke up, which I suspect everyone welcomed: they wouldn’t have to march back to Jane Byrne Plaza.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]