Oct 11

Oct 11 Taking It to the Street

Chicago, Demonstrations, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

“This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco
This ain’t no fooling around

No time for dancing, or lovey-dovey
I ain’t got time for that now”

— Life During Wartime, Talking Heads, from Fear of Music (1979)

Today, Chicago’s Palestinian Community once again took to the streets, just three days after their Sunday rally outside the offices of the Consulate General of Israel. The venue today was Grant Park, in a plaza located at the intersection of Ida B. Wells Drive and Michigan Avenue.

I had class tonight, so I planned on staying just an hour before heading to a hotel with Wi-Fi so I could discuss via Zoom Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men. Ah, the best laid plans . . . I never made it to class, but it was recorded so no problem.

Toward the end of tonight’s march, I approached a policeman standing in an alleyway on East Lake Street watching the last group of marchers pass by. I asked him whether he had a crowd estimate. Nope, but we began talking, with me first pointing out that head counts are difficult, but that I thought there were at least 1,000 demonstrators. He agreed. He then started counting the number of people in one of the last rows to pass by, noting that there were 10 people in that row, and that he counted ten rows within a narrow band. I think we both concluded that the count could approach 1,500 demonstrators.

Given Sunday’s march and the fact that today was a weekday, I had assumed that 100 or so people would show up, which is why I began the day assuming I would be in class tonight. Wanting to be nimble on my feet, I brought minimal equipment—two Leica M-series cameras, one with a 28mm lens and the other with a 90mm lens. As events unfolded, I realized I had greatly miscalculated, but the best camera is the one you have with you.

This demonstration was just as organized as Sunday’s. The banners and signage were professional, although there was DIY signage. Many men wore keffiyeh and the familiar fringed black and white scarfs. Many women’s heads bore hijabs. The half-a-block long Palestinian banner made a return appearance.

The hour-long program preceding the march was much better organized. There were many more speakers, a PA system, and a large banner behind the orators.

The organizers apparently did a much better job contacting the various media outlets; although with the Israel-Hamas War dominating the news, the local media is thirsty for Chicago connections to a captivating international story, so they are looking for events like today’s rally. At least six television stations were on site. An NPR crew passed by me at one point. And of course, there were photographers, lots of photographers.

The speeches ran longer than on Sunday, but were equally strident. In terms of substance, far more heat than light.

For me, today was all about two glaring incongruities. As far as demonstrators go, a significantly higher proportion those in attendance were disengaged when compared to other groups that hold demonstrations. When chanting, the assembled are loud, but as I looked around the crowd, I saw many people glued to their screens. As I have often observed, there is nothing that visually undercuts the passion reflected on a speaker’s face than people in the background with their heads down, checking their Facebook feeds or watching Tic Tok videos.

Some of the men standing off to the sides of the rostrum-like steps where the speakers gave their pronouncements paid little attention to the speakers. They made conversation with each other, as guys are wont to do. On the other hand, the women in the first several rows behind the television cameras listened to every word coming from the rostrum. And to be fair, many men were focused on the proceedings, too.

As a photographer, I want most of my images to be candid shots, but capturing spontaneous moments was particularly difficult today. When the men saw a camera, they struck a pose, often mugging. At one point, several demonstrators kept calling to me to retake the photograph. Apparently they believed their new pose was better, or maybe a friend had joined the group.

Yet, as David Byrne wrote 45 years ago, “This ain’t no party; this ain’t no disco.” The name of the song, Life During War Time, perfectly encapsulates the moment humanity currently inhabits. And so we have the first incongruity. Regardless of your personal position, today’s demonstration addressed what well could be the apocalypse, but too many of the demonstrators were anything but serious, which brings me to the second incongruity.

Since last Saturday, the world has learned of the barbarism inflicted on the Israelis living in the small cities and kibbutzim in proximity to Gaza, as well as the young people attending the Tribe of Nova trance music festival in the village of Re’im. For decades, I have viewed the Palestinian grievances as legitimate ones. I have also been disturbed by Israel’s blatant lack of good faith in attempting to reach and implement lasting solutions that redress those grievances.

Under no circumstances, however, could I ever justify the mass slaughter of innocent civilians, particularly beheading babies, burning families alive, and shooting unarmed people at point-blank range. Yet, too many people in the crowd appeared jubilant. That does not necessarily mean that they were jubilant about the slaughter that transpired last Saturday, but this is a solemn moment. Even if some don’t care about the fate that the innocent Israeli citizens met, many in Gaza also have already died as result of Israel’s response.

I am not a proponent of settling disputes using any form of violence, but I could understand jubilance had Hamas undertaken a major military incursion into Israel involving a successful attack on a military base. But I simply can’t fathom jubilantly supporting terrorists who cut the heads off 14 babies, or mount Go-Pros to their gun barrels so that they can livestream the cold-blooded murder of innocent people in their homes, at a music festival, or at a bus stop.

I can only wonder how many in attendance today, when at home with their families, were equally horrified by Saturday’s brutality. I certainly hope it is the vast majority.

Against that backdrop, I was disappointed that none of the speakers addressed the savagery, condemning the acts. Nor did any of the speakers attempt to draw any distinction between Hamas and the Palestinians who are just trying live a normal life in Gaza. A more nuanced tone, at least to my way of thinking, would increase their creditability when laying out the Palestinian people’s legitimate grievances. But nobody addressed the proverbial elephant in the room. Some of the speeches were inflammatory. Does that mean those speakers condone acts of barbarism?

The war and the political theater it has sparked will unfortunately be with us for months, if not years. But already we are seeing cases where critics of Israel have gone too far. There are reports of some college students who hastily signed letters and petitions on behalf of the Palestinians withdrawing their signatures. Kristine Parks, Harvard Student Groups Withdraw Signatures From Controversial Statement Blaming Israel for Hamas Attack, Fox News (October 11, 2023). Possibly new revelations about Hamas’ savagery are the impetus for the reconsiderations. With that cautionary note in mind, at the next demonstration, the speakers might want to edify the crowd on what they think of Hamas and its barbarity.

So far, Chicago’s Jewish Community has been circumspect, at least publicly. Yesterday, there was a small rally in Glencoe that garnered the media’s attention because Governor Pritzker spoke, but there has been no major demonstration downtown. One is scheduled for tomorrow in Federal Plaza at 6:00 PM, but I am unable to find any notices about it on social media. Someone may have pulled a permit for a gathering, but there is a distinct possibility that no one will show up. I am all too familiar with that phenomenon.

The Jewish Community may have other plans and approaches for responding to events in the Middle East, but during this first week of the world’s new reality, Chicago’s Palestinian Community has dominated the local news cycle. For my money, I’d like to see a civil discussion in Federal Plaza between leaders from the two sides, with large contingencies from both tribes intermingled, listening peacefully. But that will never happen, which is why I am pessimistic about what will happen in the land of Canaan.

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