Mar 8

Mar 8 'Tesla Takedown'

Chicago, Donald J. Trump, Demonstrations, Parades, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

“There’s a great and a bloody fight
’round this whole world tonight
And the battle, the bombs and shrapnel reign
Hitler told the world around he would tear our union down
But our union’s gonna break them slavery chains
Our union’s gonna break them slavery chains”

— Woody Guthrie, Tear the Fascists Down (1944)

Following the International Women’s Day rally in Daley Plaza, some of the demonstrators headed to Jane Bryne Plaza (site of Chicago’s historic Water Tower), where a second rally—apparently one of what have been branded as “Tesla Takedowns”—had been scheduled for 2:00 PM. Its targets were DOGE (the Department of Governmental Efficiency), Elon Musk, Tesla, and Donald J. Trump.

Two hundred fifty people made the northbound trek up Michigan Avenue, filling large swaths of the park-like area in front of the Water Tower. One woman delivered lengthy remarks, which were followed by two enthusiastic young girls leading the adults in chants, one keeping the beat using two drumsticks. Both kids were cute, which is probably not a PC characterization despite being true.

The speaker launched into a harangue against the Chicago Police Department. It allegedly had threatened the demonstrators with arrest if they shut down traffic on Michigan Avenue by marching in the street. She answered the question that had raced through my mind while walking to Jane Bryne Plaza earlier: Why aren’t these people in the street?

The woman was particularly perturbed because CPD had permitted the Ukrainians to march in the southbound lane of Michigan Avenue last Sunday afternoon. She confirmed what I thought I had overheard while covering that demonstration. CPD had asked the Ukrainians to take to the street rather than march on the sidewalk, as they usually do.

The organizer also suggested that those who were gathered in the plaza would be arrested if they marched in the street to the Tesla store two blocks to the north on Rush Street. If that is what the organizers had been told, CPD must have called an audible. Shortly after the woman finished her speech, the marshals (wearing fluorescent lime green reflective vests) formed a line across Pearson Street, just north of the plaza. The demonstrators drifted into formation, and then the group marched the short distance to the Tesla store.

After the demonstrators arrived at the intersection of Rush and East Delaware, they stood on the corner across from the store, signs held in the air for about 15 minutes. They then marched east on Delaware, back to Michigan Avenue, where I last saw some of them headed in the direction of Jane Byrne Plaza. I assume the organizers reached an agreement with CPD about how long the group could occupy the intersection in front of the store.

Normally, I don’t expect violence at rallies or marches, but a demonstration outside of a Tesla store raises the specter of violence because Elon Musk has become a highly divisive figure. Will several demonstrators try to close the store down? Will someone throw a garbage can or a brick through one of one of the large plate-glass showroom windows? Or will someone set a Tesla ablaze? There have been recent reports of such incidents elsewhere. When talking with other photographers during the past few weeks, we have been in agreement: if there is going to be a violent incident during a Trump/Musk demonstration, it likely will happen outside of a Tesla store.

CPD probably instituted contingency plans when they first learned of the today’s planned event, but once the demographics of today’s demonstrators became apparent, CPD could lower its guard just tad. The event was anything but youthful. The group skewed old, with the average age of the participants probably exceeding 50, if not 60. CPD could count on buritis, arthritis, muscle atrophy, and the other ailments that come with old age to keep the crowd in check. Before tying yourself into knots, accusing me of elder bashing, keep in mind that I am 70.

But in all seriousness, today’s demographics don’t bode well for those hoping to mount an effective response to Trump, Musk, and DOGE. Where were the young people? It is their future that is most at stake.

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