Throughout the week at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), there were several protests that the Independent staff covered that were representative of the various organizations that came out to protest.
Many protesters were apprehensive to lean towards the Democratic Party, with more than one speaker criticizing Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden, and the party as a whole, and signs criticizing the party.
Here is a snapshot of our protest coverage throughout the week.
Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws: Coalition for Reproductive Justice & LGBTQ+ Liberation
Aug.18, 2024
On the eve of the DNC, hundreds of people marched down Michigan Ave as part of the Coalition for Reproductive Justice & LGBTQ+ Liberation, which includes such groups as Chicago for Abortion Rights, Tzedek Chicago, the Poor People’s Army, and Stop Trans Genocide.
They were marching to protest the abolishment of laws that have been to the determinants of women’s rights to their own bodies, including the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision which overturned Roe v. Wade.
At the corner of Michigan Ave. and Wacker Dr. prior to the start of the march, there were several organizations that spoke of further issues. Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition & Solidarity (MAMAS) members spoke of how U.S police brutality has connections with Palestine.“They take our children and loved ones. They go in healthy and they come out sick,” April Ward, one of the MAMAS members that spoke at the rally. Ward spoke of her son, Mikael Ward’s wrongful imprisonment. “The situation impacts my son. It impacts me as a mother, because I can’t be there to care for him.”
In the march itself, the chants were varied, but focused on freeing Palestine. The posters that protesters carried were also focused on abortion, as well as Palestine, with a few that criticized the Democratic Party.
“There are people here who are advocating for health care, for LGBTQ rights, and all of these things, all of these causes, belong to one another in that when there is any oppression, we are still not free.” Reverend Beth Guzman, of Morton Grove Community Church, spoke to the Independent, on how interconnected everyone’s suffering is. She, and several other religious figures joined the march.
“I believe that I will want to vote for the person who I want to protest, the person who I believe that there is a slight chance that I can push them in a certain way. “ said Rabbi Abby Stein in a statement to the Independent. Rabbi Stein who spoke at the rally, serves Congregation Kolot Chayeinu in New York City. She expanded on why she would still want to vote for the Democratic Party, despite criticizing and being disappointed with certain views and policies the party has made over the last few years, most recent being their stance on Gaza and Israel, with the U.S government favoring the latter.
Rabbi Abby Stein said, “Democrats had full majorities in all three branches of government. So there’s really no excuse, and I really need them to do more.”
Poor People’s Army march to the DNC
Aug. 19, 2024
The Poor People’s Army also known as the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, a national group comprised of homeless and former homeless individuals with a focus on abolishing poverty, had finished a 90 mile march from Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention had been held two weeks ago, to Humboldt Park in Chicago, a few days before the start of the DNC.
They were one of the few groups to have a permit to march as close as they could to the DNC, over 200 people showed up to support the rally in the park itself, including Jill Stein, the Green Party Presidential candidate, who later marched in the protest.
“These are the actual conventions, these are the true conventions,“ Rabbi Brant Rosen, one of the speakers at the rally said. He leads Tzedek Chicago, a Jewish congregation and synagogue. “Showing the world what it can be, what it should be.”
During their stay at the encampment, there was pushback from different politicians, among them Alderperson Jesse Fuentes, of the 26th Ward. Fuentes released a statement on the decision of the encampment, supporting their decision to march and protest, but not the encampment itself.
Her office, in connection with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Department of Family and Support Services, and the City’s First Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto, launched the 2024 Humboldt Park Encampment Initiative, with the goal to house current tent encampment residents by the end of the year.
The founder of the Poor People’s Army Cheri Honkala marched ahead and was arrested trying to serve a citizen’s arrest at the fences that blocked off the United Center. Honkala had been attempting to arrest the entirety of those attending the DNC— a similar tactic was made during the RNC.
The Poor People’s Army marched right up to the fences surrounding the United Center where Chicago Police in heavy riot gear made a silent show of force, standing in ranks for a few minutes, posturing as the protesters gathered peacefully nearby. Reporters milled about, looking bored and disinterested, until the riot police left.
