All in Public Declarations
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.
Members of Chicago’s Ukrainian Community held a rally outside the Wrigley Building on May 18, 2024, the location of Mondelēz International’s offices. The company is the maker of Oreo Cookies and Ritz Crackers, among other well-know snack foods. They continue to operate inside Russia, which is why the Ukrainians were demanding that Mondelēz put humanitarian concerns above profits. Here are my thoughts about and images from the rally and subsequent march.
Today, I headed over to DePaul University after the Chicago Police Department cleared the Gaza Solidarity encampment in the Fullerton Avenue Quad. Here are my observations about and images from the event.
On Tuesday, members of Chicago’s Jewish Community celebrated the 76th anniversary of Israel’s birth by raising the Israeli flag in Daley Plaza. Here are my thoughts about and images from the event.
On Sunday afternoon, the pro-Palestinian students in DePaul University’s Fullerton Avenue Quad still occupied their Gaza Solidarity encampment. Five block to the east, a group of Jewish students and community members held their own gathering at the corner of Fullerton, Lincoln and Halstead. Here are my thoughts about and images from the competing events.
On Sunday morning, I attended a pro-Palestinian rally in Jane Byrne Park celebrating Mother’s Day. Here are my thoughts about and images from what was a textbook example of how a demonstration should be structured.
The Palestinian Community held a ceremonial flag raising in Daley Plaza on Saturday. Here are my thoughts about and images from the event.
Chicago’s Ukrainian community commemorated Mother’s Day with a rally in Jane Byrne Park (location of the historic water tower). The moms were out with their kids, handing out flowers to shoppers on Michigan Avenue while pleading Ukraine’s case. Here are my thoughts about and images from the day.
President Joe Biden attended a campaign fundraiser at Chicago’s Palmer House late Thursday afternoon. Chicago’s pro-Palestinian forces took to the streets, letting ‘Genocide Joe’ know exactly what they think of him. Here are my thoughts about and images from an event that turned the downtown into a parking lot during evening rush hour.
University of Chicago students and others constructed a Gaza Solidarity encampment in front of the Edward H. Levi Hall. Here are my thoughts about and images from my two visits to the encampment.
No surprise here. When I returned from New York, I had to focus on Gaza Solidarity encampments at DePaul and the University of Chicago. Here are my thoughts about and images from my visit on Wednesday and Thursday to the DePaul encampment.
A small, but potent group of Ukrainians took to the streets today, as they have done two other times during the last month or so. Loud chants of “Thank You USA” could be heard as those holding Ukrainian flags and signs celebrated the House approval of the $60 billion Ukrainian aid package. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration.
On Saturday, April 20, 2024, pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied and then staged a march on Michigan Avenue, followed by a symbolic sit-in at the intersection of Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue. Unlike this past Monday, the Chicago Police Department permitted the march to proceed. For my thoughts about the demonstration and my images, click on the image below.
On Thursday, April 18, 2024, I attended a pro-Israeli demonstration outside the Tribune Tower adjacent to the river. The group was spirited. Surprisingly, there was not a single counter-demonstrator. Here are my further thoughts about and images from the demonstration.
During Monday’s pro-Palestinian rally, the Chicago Police Department changed the rules of the game in a likely precursor to August’s Democratic National Convention. There were arrests. Here are my thoughts about and images from the demonstration.
I had the opportunity to attend a conversation between New York Times columnist David Brooks and his wife, Ann Snyder tonight. The focus was on the role of the humanities in our life, particularly as people find themselves midway into their careers or racing toward retirement. Here are my thoughts about and images from the event, which was held in the David Rubenstein Forum on the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus.
President Joe Biden came to Chicago today for a fundraiser just off North Michigan Avenue. No surprise: pro-Palestinian demonstrators showed up, as did I. Here are my thoughts about and photographs from the demonstration.
Chicago’s Daley Plaza was served as the first station for the annual Way of the Cross processional through the streets of Chicago on Good Friday ending at Holy Name Cathedral. Here are my thoughts from and images from what was an uplifting event—even for nonbelievers.
St. Patrick’s Day is the real deal in Chicago, so I headed out to capture those wearin’ the green on Saturday. Much to my surprise, pro-Palestinian demonstrators ‘crashed’ the festivities mid-afternoon. Here are my thoughts about and images from the day.
On Saturday, March , 2024, Chicago’s Palestinian community held a march and rally in their own neighborhood—Bridgeview, Illinois—aka ‘Little Palestine.’ I made the hour + pilgrimage to learn about the community. Here are my thoughts about and images from my adventure.
