All tagged Wrigley Building

1000 Days

On November 19, 2024, Chicago’s Ukrainian Community commemorated the 1,000th day since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion against Ukraine on February 24, 2024. Community members gathered in the plaza outside the Wrigley Building for speeches and anthems, and then they marched north on Michigan Avenue to Jane Byrne Plaza (the location of Chicago’s historic Water Tower). Here are my thoughts about and images from this stirring rally and march.

OKHMATDYT Bombing

Chicago’s Ukrainian Community gathered in the Wrigley Building Plaza just hours after Russia bombed Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital—about as close to a just-in-time demonstration as can you can get. It was an impressive showing. Here are my thoughts about and images from the rally and subsequent march that drew over 500 people on a muggy summer evening.

Opposing Putin

Members of Chicago’s Russian émigré community came together Saturday to celebrate Ilya Yashin’s 41st birthday. Yashin is a Russian dissident who spoke out against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. A close associate of the late Alexei Navalny, Yeshin is now serving a prison sentence in a Siberian prison. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration—one of the many coordinated demonstrations around the world.

500 Days

Today, Chicago’s Ukrainian community marked the 500th day of the war with Russia by demanding that Russia be held accountable for war crimes. It was quite a demonstration, with the Goddess of Justice, Themis, making an appearance. Here are my thoughts about and images from what was a visual spectacle.

Rabbi Michael

I headed down to Federal Plaza today for a demonstration calling for the boycott of July 4th. It was lead by Rabbi Michael, who spent the better part of an hour explaining why Black people should not celebrate July 4th. Here are my thoughts about and images from the small, but impactful demonstration.

Lake Point Tower

[Click on the photograph to enlarge it and for additional commentary and photographs]

I went out this afternoon looking for a pair of shoes.  I decided to travel light, so I took my Leica M with the 12mm Voightlander wide angle lenses mounted, with a 28mm and a 90mm lenses in a small bag.  12mm equals insanity.  You either have to be extremely close or the object needs to be very large--although I did find an exception to that rule.  By day's end, I had some nice photographs, but no shoes.