Chicago M20 report: Lots of good pictures of police, protesters, freepers

[prolesunited]

More than 5,000 people converged in downtown Chicago to tell the world that "Chicago Still Says No to War." The demonstration began with a rally at Pearson and Michigan, the site of massive arrests last year when thousands of protesters took over Lake Shore Drive and shut it down. Clearly, the location held a symbolic value for both sides.

Police were MORE than ready this time, coming out with an overwhelming show of force. Despite statements made in the media that we would not be allowed to gather at that location or march to the rally at Federal Plaza, for which organizers had a permit, thousands gathered at the location, which is at the tip of the Mag Mile, an upscale shopping district for the moneyed class.

As I approached the demonstration, I began seeing clusters of police scattered on both sides of the street, the numbers gradually increasing as I moved in closer. I was hardly prepared for what I saw when I arrived, though. Wall to wall police dressed in their robocop gear, complete with blue helmets and shields. Many had batons pulled and on the ready.

Buses parked end to end were used to block Michigan Avenue to keep protesters from impeding shoppers. I was alone and I had my game plan for the day. Since I wanted to get lots of pics, I dress nondescriptly and didn't carry any sign or wear buttons. Because of that, I was able to move pretty freely in and out of the police lines. (If you're obviously a protester, they won't let you cross the line.) And, I'm not one to provoke anything although I had goggles, a bandana and water in my backpack.

Nonetheless, approaching the massive show of police force was intimidating to say the least. At one point I was thinking, what kind of fool am I for willingly walking into this situation? But, then you remember how important our fight is and what's at stake and it all seems worthwhile.

Both sides made concessions and marchers moved down Clark Street, which denied them the visibility that they had wanted. Side streets were all blocked to keep splinter groups from breaking off. There were helicopters in the sky and police boats near the bridge where marchers crossed the Chicago River.

That said, the police and protesters were amazingly well-behaved for what looked to be a violent confrontation in the making. Last reports I heard, only three arrests were made and nothing too serious. I did see one confrontation between police and a black bloc group that tried to break away. There was some shouting, but it was so obvious they weren't going to get anywhere, the splinter group backed off. Everyone there had a job to do and there was some sort of tacit agreement to abide by expected boundaries.

Although rain had been predicted, the skies turned bright blue and the temperature reached nearly 60, which is warm by comparison to the weather here lately. I heard one onlooker comment, "It's such a nice day. Why do these people have to ruin it by doing this?"


To me, this is a profile in courage



My, doesn't she look dangerous?



Passersby had to walk the gauntlet










Buses blocking Michigan Avenue











MORE pics here
http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/PhotoAlbum77.html

[wryter2000]

1. Great pics

I didn't see any freepers.

Around here there were about a dozen counterprotestors having a car wash to raise money for the troops. They didn't sound overly pro-war (not freepers), just pro-troops. The suggestion that anti-war folks don't support the troops was pretty irritating, though.

[never cry wolf]

4. I heard a report on WNUA this morning

That's Chicago's NPR station. They said there was a counter demonstration in the Federal Center and they interviewed some crank called Andy who is a member of freerepublic.com.

Oh yeah, the attendance at the counter demonstration was reported to be..................4.

[JohnyCanuck]

12. Actually it was probably only 3

As one of them would have been designated to stand guard on the porta-potties lest any liberal ass despoil a freeper toilet seat.

[wryter2000]

13. LMAO

I thought at least there would have been 12.

[chiburb]

2. Thank you, Proles...

A wonderful job, as always.

[prolesunited]

21. You're welcome!

I had an amazing time.

[bvar22]

3. This is BLATANT supression and intimidation...

..of dissent and Free Speech. We cannot allow this to continue!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. Exactly what did the Chicago police do to "suppress" anything?...

The pics I've seen so far showed a pretty relaxed bunch of officers despite the riot gear...I've personally seen a lot worse, up close and personal.

If the truth were known, I'll bet a lot of these guys have a lot of questions about the war, too...but they also have families to feed and bills to pay and they're doing the only thing they're trained to do.

Additionally, unless the police do something really bad to deserve it, I don't think comparing them to the Nazi SS is fair in any way.

[wryter2000]

14. I have to agree

Keeping a balance between honoring the rights of protestors and other people doing their own business is hard. When police do it well, they deserve praise. Those uniforms are unfortunate, but as long as the cops behaved well, they're fine with me.

[rman]

20. nah, it's a blatent show of fear

Apparently they expect riots in the streets, an expectation in line with their view of what are supposedly left-wing extremists.
Lining the streets with cordons of police officers, such a waste of city budget.

[wndycty]

5. Family friend

The cop on the right in this picture is one my sister's best friends. I can tell you he did not want to be there, unfortunately he had a job to do.

[prolesunited]

8. You certainly can tell

from the look on his face that he certainly doesn't want to be there. I've been to a number of protests in the city and other than the overwhelming numbers and intimidating attire, I've never had any problems with them. I'm sure there are a few renegades, but I suspect more are like him, just doing their jobs.

BTW, were you you there yesterday?

[wndycty]

10. At the tail end.

I had open house all day at school so I was only able to make it to the tail end of the Federal Plaza rally.

[MetaTrope]

6. One from Yahoo

...just look at that.

[greatauntoftriplets]

7. Thanks, proles.

Great photos. You and your camera were weapons of mass attraction. And re wndycity's comment on the cop who is a family friend, the guy DOES look pissed.

[madrchsod]

9. Daley is such a weasel

big show of force for what? lot`s of overtime for the cops and city workers who would have liked to been home. those guys in the copters must have fun up there in the 30-50 mph winds. but that`s little Richie being like is butt buddy georgie bush always afraid he may look like a wimp.
it`s a shame little richie doesn`t go after the gangs terrorizing the city with the same show of force as he did against a few war protesters.

[Joanne98]

15. Cops uniforms look like something out of Star Wars

n/t

[DustMolecule]

16. I wonder what the 'regular shoppers' thought?

I mean there's been various rallies and such in Chicago before - many much much larger. Think about the (1.5 million? people that come for 'Taste of Chicago') - I know that's not a protest march, but there are still security issues. I would think they'd be like 'huh?' what's all this 'show of force' for such a small group of peaceful people.

Is this the 'new normal' for our America? I am deeply troubled and saddened by it all.

[prolesunited]

18. There were a lot of curious onlookers

and I saw a number approaching police to ask what was going on. Most just stared in amazement. Some took pictures. I saw a few on cell phones. Of course, there were those you could tell were upset with us for disrupting their oh-so-important lives.

Perhaps they should experience how much the lives of soldiers and their loved ones have been inconvenienced. Think how much the lives of those who have been killed in an unnecessary war have been disrupted!

How about the Iraqis who no longer have food, water, housing or jobs? Think how many of them who are dead or maimed or will suffer the effects of depleted uranium for years to come.

[prolesunited]

17. One thing that struck me

and has always struck me is the diversity of protesters in Chicago. You always see all types of people from all walks of life. As much as they vary in age and race, they also vary in messages as you will see in these photos.

Even though I attend alone, I always make it a point to talk to several people to learn more about their personal stories and their beliefs. Everyone is always so open and friendly. It truly is amazing and shows the best of what humanity has to offer — love. The energy and vibe that you feel in these crowds is transcendent and I wonder how that power cannot somehow to be harnessed to overcome the hate and fear that have cast a dark cloud over the world.

Every day should be a march for peace and social justice in our own lives.

Here's the crowd at Michigan and Pearson







Here's the march. Jesse Jackson, flanked by people with disabilities petitioning for money for social services not war, helped lead the way. At one point, he stopped the march because the police line at the front was so close, it made it seem as if they were leading the march. He negotiated with police to create a much larger buffer zone.











He's really a monk who is in an order that is a splinter group of the Catholic church




She came along with a group from a service at a Methodist Church. We talked about the war-mongering "Christians" who apparently don't think Jesus meant anything he said and the need for the religious left to become more vocal




These sisters traveled to Chicago from St. Louis, boarding the Amtrack line about 5 in the morning. The group they were with dubbed it the Peace Train. They would travel back that night. What a long day and what commitment.




This marked this woman's first protest. At 64, this administration moved her from the comfort of her home and out into the streets. I think it sends a strong message that there is certainly something wrong with this country to get people like her motivated enough to speak up.




Some moving messages














DU's own ikewarnedus, who was passing out literature, which included a plug for DU




Street theater. What fun!










This guy was so cool! His TV was actually powered and played a looping video that showcased the lies told in the buildup to war.




See MORE protest photos here:
http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/PhotoAlbum78.html

[prolesunited]

19. Of course we had counter demonstrators

Too bad they can't must a big enough crowd for a demonstration of their own. Surprisingly enough, they didn't bring their own portapotties. However, we're so nice, we let them use ours. :-)


This woman booed the crowds and kept pointing her thumbs down. So, she was booing peace? Yeah, give me more war. :eyes:




This guy thought he was clever. He had about a dozen different messages. Funny how he kept behind scaffold barriers and police lines. Ooooh, how brave. What was funny is that most people ignored him and he kept changing his sign to try to get a reaction.






A couple of groups infiltrated the crowd and tried to provoke trouble. When police were made aware of the situation ;-), they were separated from the crowd and relegated to the back of the plaza. They quickly grew bored and left.








Certainly not peace through superior brainpower! LOL! I think the Moran still has him beat, though.




This woman broke my heart. She has a son over in Iraq and a daughter heading there. She was arguing with everyone about them not supporting the troops and being disrespectful to the troops. There was so much hurt and anger in her voice. I just wanted to wrap my arms around her. Her hostility was so misplaced. It should be directed at Bush. We support the troops — we're not the ones sending them to their possible deaths.




Hmm... I guess she's actually a green, after all, she recycled an argument from Vietnam.




These two were interesting. Obviously on opposite sides, they did appear to be engaging in a real dialog.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

22. Great reporting and pics...

As usual, Prolesunited.

Thanks for attending and reporting for all of us who live in the boonies and make attendance impractical to say the least. Wish I could have been there. The last sign I got to carry said "Dump Dick."

The repugs of that day behaved in the same fashion as the ones you describe today.

[salin]

23. Phenomenal reporting and pictures

gives a multi-dimensional feel to reading about the event. Thanks so much!

[Robbien]

24. What great pictures and background on the people

Makes me wish even more that I could have been there. But thanks Proles, you brought the rally to those of us who couldn't go to it.