Oct 15

Oct 15 1000 Days

Chicago, Demonstrations, Performance, Public Declarations, Protest

About 45 minutes after today’s demonstration by members of the Chicago’s Ukrainian Community ended, 40 members of Chicago’s Russian Community held a demonstration in same location (the plaza adjacent to the Wrigley building) commemorating Alexei Navalny’s thousandth day of captivity. He was detained by Russian authorities on January 17, 2021 when he returned to Russia from Germany where he had received medical aid following a Russian attempt to poison him. The authorities accused him of violating the conditions of his parole in an earlier case.

Today’s demonstration was not up to the standards set by Russians during their previous demonstrations. People simply milled about, reflecting a lack of energy. Tatiana Todorova was the sole speaker. I’ve seen her speak before. Her delivery is both fiery and elegant. To her credit, she does not read her speeches while looking down at an iPhone. Instead, her remarks are extemporaneous, but with no awkward pauses. Presumably she needs no written remarks because she speaks from the heart.

Unfortunately, she was largely inaudible today. I asked one of the organizers why no bullhorn. She told me that she had brought one, but misplaced it, which is unfortunate.

At the end of the demonstration, several men reprised the comedic visual that was unveiled at the last demonstration. Using plastic plumbing pipe and large sheets of cardboard, they built what would become a jail cell. Unlike last time, Vladimir Putin was not the only one placed unrest. First, a guy holding a photograph over his face that depicted Navalny’s face was tossed into the makeshift hoosegow. After a few moments, a preening Putin emerged from the crowd. Navalny was released, with Putin then finding himself behind bars. Unlike last time, Putin was carrying a skeleton (really a Halloween doll that is probably meant to accompany a costume), which he fed with a baby bottle filled with a red, blood-like substance.

Unfortunately, those assembling the prison cell encountered problems in assembling it, so everyone stood around for 20 minutes, knowing the payoff in advance. By the time ‘Navalny” appeared, the air had escaped the proverbial balloon.

Overall, nowhere close to the best demonstration of the year. Yet, the group was out on the streets expressing its viewpoint, so all was not lost.

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