Aug 18

Aug 18 DNC Dispatch 3

Chicago, Demonstrations, Protest, Public Declarations, Street

“And if my thought-dreams could be seen, They’d probably put my head in a guillotine.”

— It's All Right Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), Bob Dylan, from Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

At 5:00 PM today, organizations advocating for women’s, abortion, and LGBQT rights held a rally and march—referred to as Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws. The rally took place on upper Wacker Drive, just to the east of Michigan Avenue. When the demonstrators departed, they marched south on Michigan Avenue to 9th Street, where a statue of General John Logan sits atop a hill that saw some of the most violent street battles during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The choice to end the march at the Logan statue was highly symbolic, because why not recall the civil disorder that likely played a significant role in Richard Nixon’s defeat of Hubert Humphrey? The Republican versus the Democrat; the hawk versus the dove.

I spoke with one of the organizers, who viewed the rally and demonstration as a success. I differ with him significantly, as do many of the members of the press who I spoke with during the four-hour rally and march.

Before arriving at the rally’s site, I stopped by the Park Hyatt and the Omni to see how security prep was going. The crews were just about finished. Jane Byrne Plaza, which is located adjacent to the Park Hyatt, was no longer open to pedestrians because Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to arrive a short time later. The Omni’s security perimeter was also almost complete.

As I walked south on Michigan Avenue, I ran into a group of Russian émigrés in front of the Wrigley Building demonstrating against Vladimir Putin. Being just a block away from the rally site for the Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws event, the Russians most likely hoped to share some of the nearby spotlight.

Logistically, the Bodies Outside Unjust Laws rally and march were poorly staged. The speeches, which were interminable, could barely be heard. As far as I could tell, there was not an elevated platform that the demonstrators could gather around to see and hear the speakers. I might be wrong about that because I never attempted to wade into the crowd of people milling about. Instead I drifted over to the intersection at Upper Wacker and Michigan, where many reporters and photographers positioned themselves for the start of the march. I found myself in discussions with photographers about the pros and cons of various lens and cameras—something that never happens at other demonstrations, which probably reflects the level of boredom among the working press.

The organizers also committed malpractice in terms of the timing; the march should have started at least two hours earlier. We are now in mid-August, so the sunlight begins to slip away much earlier in the day. One of the purposes of any demonstration is to produce imagery that is flashed around the world. A group of demonstrators standing largely in shadow does not produce arresting visuals.

As for the march, I have never seen demonstrators move so slowly. Both members of the press and the Chicago Police Department were annoyed at the ridiculously slow pace. The annoyance had nothing to do with differences over viewpoint. We were witnessing the “March of the Turtles.” Everyone simply grew tired of waiting for the marchers to reach the next intersection.

When the march kicked off, there were so many photographers in front of the lead banner that I simply couldn’t make an even so-so image. Two blocks later, I had no problem. The many photographers and reporters leading the marchers found themselves positioned one, two, or even three blocks ahead of the marchers. Any energy that the marchers had at the start was long gone.

Turning to more substantive matters: I was shocked at the low turnout. This was the first demonstration of a week-long series of demonstrations during the 2024 Democratic National Convention. I estimated no more than 1,000 demonstrators. The Chicago Tribune reported that the number was in the hundreds. In June, over one million people gathered in Lakeview for the annual celebration of LGBTQ rights. Where were all those people tonight?

Early in the Trump Administration a series of women’s marches turned out, if I recall correctly, at least 10,000 people participated. Where were all those people tonight?

But the demonstration suffered the most in messaging. Carrying the moniker Bodies Under Unjust Laws, the march’s speeches, chants, and lead banners were hijacked by the Palestinian cause. It wasn’t just me. One reporter for a local television station said that by end of the march, it was a pro-Palestinian demonstration, which should be no surprise. If the organizers were focused on “bodily” rights, why did they invite a member of Jewish Voice for Peace to speak? Why did the lead banner read “Free Palestine” printed in large block lettering, with “Feminists and LGBTQ+ People For A” written in much smaller type above the headline—almost as an afterthought? Why did the banner’s color scheme reflect the Palestinian flag’s now familiar color scheme rather than the rainbow colors associated with the Gay Rights movement? Why did I see several people carrying the banner who I had seen carrying banners at other pro-Palestinian demonstrations?

To equate reproductive rights and Palestinian rights requires either a contortionist or a simpleton, but that’s exactly what at least two speakers did. Leena Odeh, from the Palestinian Feminist Collective, according to the Tribune, told the demonstrators, “Reproductive genocide, my comrades and friends, is the eradication and destruction of life-giving and life-sustaining resources such as food, such as water, such as medicine, such as medical care.” Scott Bratt, with Jewish Voice for Peace, claimed that “Palestinian liberation is reproductive justice.” Yes, and elephants are mice.

Using the high level of generality offered by the oppressor-oppressed paradigm, someone might be able to link Palestinian liberation with reproductive justice. But back in the day, asserting such linkage would earn a student a deserved ‘F’ on a term paper.

If I were a woman who had been subjected to a “Me Too” movement or a gay man who had been denied employment because of my orientation, I would have been even more offended by the hijacking of a march supposedly focused on my rights.

The plight of the Palestinians is an important and highly charged issue, but it is not the only issue. Tomorrow’s 12:00 PM demonstration at Union Park is focused on the Palestinian issue, as is a demonstration to be held late Wednesday afternoon. The Left and Progressive groups behind today’s and tomorrow’s demonstrations need to do a much better job staying focused on the advertised message. At this point, I should note that those behind today’s demonstration were not what I refer to as the heritage Palestinians who live in Bridgeview and surrounding suburbs. I saw none of their leaders present.

To everyone’s credit, the demonstration and march were peaceful. I know of no arrests. Credit also goes to the Chicago Police Department. While I did not count heads, a good case can be made that they out-numbered the demonstrators, as did members of the media. What seemed like hundreds, cops on bicycles covered the demonstrators’ flank, protecting them from oncoming traffic in Michigan Avenue’s northbound lanes. Hundreds of cops in green fluorescent vests lined the sidewalk, presumably ensuring that there were no smashed windows and that the sidewalks remained passable.

I arrived at 9th Street long before the demonstrators did. The police had transformed themselves into a funnel, in an effort to prevent the demonstrators from charging the hill that saw so much violence in 1968. In fact, the hill was surrounded by police barricades. I suspect those directing the some 100+ officers at the march’s terminus were holding their collective breadths as the marchers made their way into Grant Park for more speeches.

Once the demonstrators were in position for the speeches, I headed north, returning a phone call from my uncle as I looked for a bathroom. After relieving myself, I sat for a few minutes drinking a Diet Coke. As I gazed out the window, I saw bicycle cops heading north, together with a few demonstrators. Apparently, I had missed nothing after my strategic retreat.

One question lingers. Would the demonstrators have been more effective today by heading to Wisconsin to register voters? Vice President Harris has been a staunch advocate for bodily rights. Granted, the Biden Administration could have done more for the Palestinians in Gaza, but Harris is more sympathetic toward the Palestinians than President Biden. So why spoil her party with an unfocused demonstration? As she said when interrupted by a pro-Palestinian demonstrator during a recent speech, “I am speaking now. You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say it. Otherwise, I’m speaking.” I have my differences with the Vice President, but there is a lot of practical wisdom in that quote.

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