Apr 8

Apr 8 Biden Meet and Greet

Demonstrations, Protest, Public Declarations

“And everything under the sun is in tune
but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.”

— Eclipse, Pink Floyd, from Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

“Forward he cried from the rear
and the front rank died.
And the general sat and the lines on the map
moved from side to side.”

— Us and Them, Pink Floyd from Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

I hopped on the 146 bus, headed to the southern end of Grant Park—1199 South Columbus Drive, to be precise. According to an update to the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine (“CCJP”) Facebook page two hours earlier, President Biden would be attending a 3:00 PM fundraiser at that address.

Meanwhile, the totality of the eclipse was less than an hour away. I had my ND glasses stashed in my back pocket, ready to go.

From the outset, I was skeptical about the location that the CCJP had posted on its Facebook page. Given who was hosting the Biden fundraiser, I had assumed the space would be a swanky Gold Coast mansion or condo with spectacular views and quarters for the servants.

As the bus approached the Oak Street exit to Michigan Avenue, I grew even more skeptical. Lining the curve were at least a dozen municipal salt trucks. Police vehicles were parked along the exit; metal bicycle racks lined both sides of the Michigan Avenue; Oak Street was closed to traffic; access to the Drake Hotel was blocked, with police cars and other vehicles parked in front of the hotel; and a police horse brigade stood at the intersection of Delaware and Michigan.

I exited the bus at 900 North Michigan Avenue, made my way to the little park just north of the Drake, and then joined civilians and police officers, as I put on my eclipse glasses. It was 2:07 PM—the moment of totality. Yep, there it was—the eclipse. I checked the box, and then headed to Jane Byrne Park. Let’s face it, I don’t share Ptolemy’s fascination with heavenly bodies.

According to a text I received from a friend, the organizers of the pro-Palestinian demonstration had posted an updated for the demonstration. People were instructed to head to Jane Byrne Park—just three blocks south of Oak Street. Two familiar faces greeted me upon my arrival. Standing on the maroon Dodge RAM that leads virtually every pro-Palestinian demonstration, the two were assembling the sound system.

I laughed. “Somebody threw you guys a curveball.” One of the organizers told me that the South Columbus address was the one they were given. So who knows whether the Palestinians were the victims of a White House diversionary tactic, or whether someone had simply made a mistaken calculated guess? At that point, the newspapers had yet to publish the fundraiser’s location, so President Biden’s schedulers obviously were trying to impede another of the many demonstrations that have shadowed Biden’s travels over the last several months.

The newspapers contained no routes for the motorcade. I had wondered whether some group might try to block the route, but that was unlikely given the logistics reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. Biden flew from Madison, Wisconsin to Chicago. I have seen no reports whether he landed at O’Hare, but he eventually made his way to a Soldier Field parking lot, where Marine One touched down. From there, Biden headed first to the Drake Hotel, where he met with members of his campaign, and then he headed around the block to a residence owned by Michael and Cari Sacks, who co-hosted the event with Laura Ricketts and her wife, Brooke. The residential properties on that block are some of the most expensive in the city.

Like Saturday’s demonstration, this one was notably small, particularly given the occasion. At its apex, the demonstration never exceeded 250 people. Given the pro-Palestinian turnout at a Biden fundraiser in November—somewhere between 500 and 1000 people in West Town—I was surprised by the low turnout, particularly because the weather today was spectacular and the voices condemning Israel throughout the world have gained the power of a speeding freight train.

Today’s demonstration adhered to the well-established playbook. There were three or four thankfully short speeches in Jane Byrne Park. The group then lined up behind the banners, marching the short distance to the intersection of Oak Street and Michigan Avenue, where a line of CPD bicycle cops penned them into the southbound lane of Michigan Avenue during the next two or so hours.

Looking east, I could see the white canopied tents that now regularly appear when President Biden attends an event. He can hop out of the “Beast,” taking advantage of protective shield as he makes his way inside. I did not see a similar set up at the Drake Hotel, but there was a very strong police presence.

The demonstrators may wonder whether the President hears their chants once he is inside the building. Later in the day, I saw CPD Near Northside Commander John Hein decked out in his dress uniform. When we spoke, the first thing I asked him was whether he had met the President. Yep, Hein told me he doesn’t always take advantage of the opportunity, but today he did. If I understood him correctly, he had his picture taken with Mr. Biden by one of the two photographers who were present. I then asked him whether they could hear the demonstrators outside. He said that the chants were clearly audible, which probably annoyed Biden’s hosts.

Once the demonstrators were positioned in the intersection at Oak Street and Michigan Avenue, the demonstration quickly grew monotonous. After 80 or so minutes, I told a journalist who I was speaking with that I would leave, “but you never know whether somebody is going to do something stupid, like rush the police lines.” She responded, “We are essentially babysitting at this point.”

At one point, one of the organizers announced that the demonstration would continue for at least 45 more minutes until the President left. A photographer with a long telephoto lens told me that the President had already left—the cars and other vehicles were gone.

At that point, I headed back to 900 North to procure a Diet Coke and RX Peanut Butter energy bar. When I looked out of the sixth-floor window, I could see the demonstrators, so I made a few photographs. For the record, the windows are coated with a material that greatly confused my camera’s autofocus system, but I persevered.

When I returned to the street, the crowd was gone. Had I missed an incident? Nope. Without the President’s presence, there was no point in continuing to chant.

As I headed south on Michigan Avenue to catch my bus, I ran into a photographer that I have come to know. I believe he is somewhat left leaning, but we don’t talk politics. To my surprise, he expressed some concern about the Palestinian effort to unseat Biden. This photographer is squarely in the Palestinian camp, but he fears a second Trump presidency because there are other important pressing issues confronting the country. We share the same concern. “Genocide Joe” may not have put his foot down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon enough, but in all likelihood, a President Trump would be more supportive of the Israelis than President Biden. Given that reality, I still can’t figure out the #AbandonBiden campaign. It may feel great, but tactically, it is just dumb.

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