The volunteers walk around Union Park offering water and sunscreen to the protesters gathering on Monday for the first of what will be a week-long series of demonstrations at the Democratic convention.
The Chicago city centre green has a strong association with union and labour groups. Among the statues is a monument to James Connolly, erected in 2006 by the Irish American Labor of Chicago.
Monday’s noon march featured a coalition of interests, with more than 200 interest groups represented. But unsurprisingly, the Palestinian cause is the dominant theme among the placards and T-shirts and conversations taking place in the bright sunshine.
“Well, my husband is Palestinian,” says Kathy Shihadah, Chicago-born and handing out flyers on the edge of the park as the crowd files down the stairs from the Ashland “L” line station.
“He was born in the Gaza Strip,” Shihadah says. “He’s got hundreds of families living in Gaza under bombing and blockade. He has lost family members. Almost every other day we hear of another person or family, that a bomb was dropped on their houses. We want to see a ceasefire and an end to arms to Israel. We would like to vote for Kamala Harris. But only if we can tell she is on our side for real. Joe Biden has helped, aided and abetted Israel. She needs to actually declare she will push for a ceasefire, and we need to see an arms embargo.”
It’s a neat synopsis of what will be one of the most keenly analysed aspects of the reimagined Democratic campaign.
The pro-Palestine and ceasefire protests that swept US college campuses through the spring were defined by a despair at Biden’s reticence in demanding that Israel halt its relentless bombing barrage on Gaza. This week has long been flagged as an obvious gathering point for Palestinian protesters. Biden’s name and face still dominate many of the posters. But the focus is on what is successor plans to do.
Chicago’s rich tradition of left-wing activism and the folk memory of the rolling riots between police and protesters during the Democratic convention of 1968 has led to a heightened city operation to ensure this week’s protests pass peacefully.
Daniel Smith travelled from Kalamazoo, a city of 70,000 in southwest Michigan to attend Monday’s march. He was not worried about potential trouble and, as the protesters continued to arrive, the police presence was light.
“Every day I look at my cell phone and I can see horrible images of children under rubble. And I am paying for it. So, I am obligated as a taxpayer to come here,” he says.
Muslim communities in Michigan have been particularly vocal and successful in holding the Democratic Party conscience to account in relation to Gaza. Smith believes however that, for many Michiganders, the issue may not weigh on their minds as heavily as domestic concerns.
“It is easy for people to turn away because the coverage isn’t there and it is so far away. People are more concerned with day-to-day issues. But when we stand on a street corner with our signs we get a lot of support – people beeping horns and thumbs up.”
Convincing pro-Palestinian voters in Michigan and other swing states will be a critical part of the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz messaging.
Gabriel Miller travelled to Chicago with a group of young Minnesotans. He is part of the state’s anti-war campaign, which has been pressing governor Walz for an intervention since long before his elevation to Democratic vice-presidential candidate.
“For years now we have been calling on Tim Walz to divest the state board investments from Israel. He is the chair of the Minnesota state board of investment. We have been campaigning heavily for them to divest from Israel just as they did from South Africa, from big tobacco. They claim they can’t do that but there are historical precedents.
“So, it makes me feel that Tim Walz does not listen to his constituents and does not stand with the people of Palestine and their right to self-determination and a right not to exist under a genocide by Israel right now.”
Miller will listen carefully to the speeches this week to try to identify a departure from Biden’s apparently limitless patience when it comes to Israel. But he is sceptical about the idea that any message could make a difference.
“We would need to see actionable change within the Democratic Party as an institution for all of these people to believe. We have heard a lot of empty promises. Broadly speaking, I think there is a lot of people here who feel they have been personally disenfranchised from the party. And they don’t want to be. Kamala [Harris] and Tim Walz could say anything this week, but it is going to take action.”
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