By the time the Democratic National Convention wrapped up last week in Chicago, thousands of protesters had taken to the streets outside to demand an end to the US provision of funding and weapons for Israel’s war in Gaza. Israel has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the Hamas attack on October 7 of last year. More than 16,000 of the Palestinian dead are children.
Demonstrators rallied and marched in Downtown Chicago and near the United Center, where much of the DNC programming took place, from the eve of the convention on August 18 until the last day on August 22. The week was packed with marches, alternative programming, and autonomously organized direct actions, including banner drops, a middle-of-the-night noise demo outside of Kamala Harris’s hotel, and a short-lived free zone with protesters camping in a park.
The mood at the March on the DNC–organized rally on Monday, August 19, in Union Park was defiant and determined. After a months-long battle to secure a permit from the city, the fights with city officials continued in the days leading up to the march over the exact route, the sound and stage setup, and how many port-a-potties were allowed. The many thousands of demonstrators were energetic and determined to make their presence felt by the political leaders gathering a few blocks away.
“I’m out here because I was feeling demoralized and isolated, and I knew that people who also didn’t want to be complicit in a US-funded genocide would be here,” said Will Sonheim, who lives in Chicago. “I wanted to feel like a single little pixel in a big photo of people trying to be on the right side of history.”
Demonstrators were angry and disillusioned with Democrats over their position on Israel, and unconvinced by the more conciliatory rhetoric from vice president and party presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris ‘talks about wanting a cease-fire. My dude, you are the fire. Stop firing. You have the…
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Auteur: Anne Rumberger
