Yesterday, I received a text carrying the heading “Urgent Rally.” I had anxiously been waiting for this notification since midday Friday. After what transpired earlier in the Oval Office, I knew Chicago’s Ukrainian Community would take to the streets before the weekend was over: 2:00 PM Sunday in Jane Bryne Plaza (the site of Chicago’s signature Water Tower), followed by a march.

When President Donald J. Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, telling him he had no cards to play and would spark World War III, the two Republicans (in name only) finally said what everyone already knew: They were aligned with Russia and Vladimir Putin— the United States was ceding Europe to Russia.

When Zelensky exited his black SUV in front of the White House’s north portico, Trump greeted him with a handshake and a snide remark about Zelensky’s dress. Zelensky, a wartime president who has held the Russians at bay for the last three years, is a world-class hero, on par with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Nobody took issue when Churchill showed up to a wartime meeting at the White House with Franklin D. Roosevelt wearing battle fatigues. Trump, however, who has no respect for anything, feigned offense when Zelensky came sans business attire. Later, following Trump’s lead, several Republican lackeys took Trump’s cue, dressing Zelensky down for his ‘disrespectful’ informality, conveniently forgetting the pudgy slob who heads DOGE (contrary to the now befouled Justice Department’s claims in court filings)

Nobody should be surprised by any of this, given Trump desire to trash alliances that have for 80 years produced peace and prosperity. All Trump wants is a deep fraternal socialist kiss from Putin, his puppet master. Following recent revelations, I should be referring to Trump as Krasnoff?

For the last several months Ukrainian community organizer Liliia Popovych has been rightly focused on her newborn daughter, but the Oval Office debacle saw her return to the streets of Chicago. Nobody knows how to orchestrate street theater better than Popovych, which is why President Zelensky personally presented her with a medal for her efforts on behalf of Ukraine during a visit to Kiev.

Wrapped in a Ukrainian flag and wearing a black Ukrainian papkha, Popovych was a visible force today, grasping a large white and bullhorn, her finger ready to engage. I suspect she was the one behind today’s clever visuals—women wearing business suits while holding signs that read, “Will Russia Stop Killing Ukrainians If We All Wear Suits?”

As I approached Jane Bryne Plaza, I knew the crowd would be large. By the time the demonstrators overpowered Michigan Avenue, I knew just how large.

I’ve been to dozens of demonstrations in the plaza, but I’ve never seen it so packed. Arriving early, I was kneeling in front of the television news cameras. Normally, I photograph the first several speakers, and then weave my way through the crowd, photographing signs, demonstrators, and movement. Today, the crush of people prevented any movement. It literally was crunch time. The Ukrainian Community did itself proud, with the help of many non-Ukrainians who will protest anything Trump.

After last week’s advocacy effort in Washington, D.C., I was not surprised to see Illinois’ congressional delegation out in force. Senator Richard Durbin, Representative Michael Quigley, and Representative Delia Ramirez each spoke. Quigley was passionate as usual, but the normally circumspect Durbin was firing on all cylinders—angry, emphatic, and passionate as he repeatedly thrust his fingers into the air.

The Ukrainians also gave Trump and Putin something to think about. Particularly notable were remarks by Dr. Dr. Mariya Dmytriv-Kapeniak, President of the Illinois Division of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Zoryana Smozhanyk, who took part in last week’s D.C. lobbying effort, and the aforementioned Liliia Popovych. As usual, Olha Tsvyntarna sang both the American and Ukrainian national anthems, clearly enunciating each word with her sonorous voice.

Just before the speeches concluded, I managed to push my way through the crowd—occasional crawling— so that I would be on the street as the lead banner began its procession south on Michigan Avenue toward Daley Plaza, today’s final destination. Approaching the street, I saw one senior CPD officer talking with one of the Ukrainian organizers. I only caught bits and pieces of the conversation, but I thought I heard the officer telling the organizer that today the police would clear a pathway for the Ukrainians in the southbound lane of Michigan Avenue. The Ukrainians, not wanting to be disruptive, have always marched on the sidewalk, but the today’s crowd apparently would have overwhelmed the narrower pathway.

Sometimes drivers are understandably perturbed when demonstrators force street closures during a march. Not today. More than a few drivers in the northbound land showed their support by honking their car horns approvingly.

Later, I heard one of the organizers object when someone from the media offered a crowd estimate. “At least 4,000,” she countered. The Chicago Police Department no longer gives estimates, but one officer casually asked me, “Think 1,500 today?” Nope, I responded, “Higher, somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000.”

In October 2023, I asked a very senior CPD official the same question during one of the early Palestinian demonstrations. He said, “Figure 1,000 people per block if they are packed tightly.” While today’s march stretched over at least eight blocks, for some reason, the marchers spread themselves out, creating noticeable gaps in the formation. Going forward—unfortunately, there will be more marches in the coming weeks as Trump and Vance continue to sellout the Ukrainians and our European allies—the organizers should work on compressing the marches, thereby creating more visually arresting imagery. The Ukrainians need a version of the Japanese “People Pushers” who make sure that each subway car is filled beyond capacity.

Once all the demonstrators arrived in Daley Plaza, there were some very brief speeches, followed by what I assume was another Ukrainian patriotic song. And then the crowd dispersed.

Chicago’s Ukrainian Community had made their point; they were not going to take any of Trump and Vance’s crap without speaking out.

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

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