Chicago: The Day After Protests

As John Kerry conceded defeat in the presidential election to his much-reviled opponent, incumbent George 'Dubya' Bush, students at DePaul University prepared for a citytwide protest against the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, which had been organized by a Peace Pledge-led coalition as a part of the Don't Just Vote Week of Resistance.

Wednesday evening, over one thousand angry Chicagoans gathered at Federal Plaza to protest Empire in a protest organized for the day after the elections to put forth the message that no matter who had been elected, the occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Haiti would continue. The event, which is a part of the Week of Resistance that includes anti-BAFT demonstrations on Thursday and Friday, began with a permitted rally that included speakers and some performances by the Radical Cheerleaders.

Police officials, led by Deputy Chief Ralph Chizcewski, told demonstrators that they would not be allowed into the streets in a march originally planned to end at the Intercontinental Hotel where the Bankers Association for Finance & Trade Bankers Association for Finance & Trade is set to convene in the coming days. As CPD commanders told them that they would be restricted to sidewalks, the crowd rushed into the streets in an organic display of direct democracy. Bicycle officers desparately attempted to block marchers from continuing, but were ignored.

The march, which was not at first accompanied by a large police escort, went up to Monroe and over to Michigan Avenue, where police finally forced protesters onto the sidewalks. The marchers then took the streets again as it headed back through the Loop. The march route was largely decided by march participants, as others have been, including the Capitalism Gives Me the Creeps Anarchist Halloween March, which gave the protest a flavor of direct democracy that was much more empowering to most demonstrators than the act of voting. Eventually, the march returned to Michigan Avenue, where most joined with a rally at Millenium Park held by striking teachers and students who are entering their third week against the management of the City Colleges of Chicago.

Most of the protesters then elected to continue marching, and di so straight north on Michigan, but were stoppped before the bridge on their way to the Intercontinental Hotel by CPD commanders who stalled as scores of police cars and transports came from the southeast. As commanders continued to stall, the march spontaneously turned backwards, and marched back into the Loop, returning to the streets towards City Hall, where the hundreds that were left rallied, and were jojned by hundreds more strikers from the CCC. As an open mic was passed around, people spoke of the elections, US soldiers, the situation of the Iraqis, the City Colleges strike, and the Chicago Transit Authority's proposed service cuts, rate increases, and job elminations. There the crowd dispersed, as the massive fleet of police cars, with blue lights flashing, zoomed away.

The last formal events within the Don't Just Vote Week of Resistance will begin Thursday with an anti-occupation/PATRIOT Act demonstration at 5:00pm at the Intercontinental Hotel, located at 505 N Michiagn Ave. Events will continue with 'How Can You Sleep at Night?!', the 'Our World is Not for Sale' people's free bazaar, and an anti-Central American Free Trade Agreement protest on Friday. For more information, e-mail nobaft (at) riseup.net