Several protesters break through security fence near United Center

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T

Chanting and holding signs decrying the Biden administration's support for Israeli military action in Gaza, thousands of pro-Palestinian and other demonstrators rallied and marched past the Democratic National Convention.

There was only one fairly minor skirmish. As protest leaders kept marching later in the afternoon, several protesters broke down the first barrier of the security perimeter along Washington Boulevard just north of the United Center. They faced the police officers in a line, shouting, "Quit your job! Quit your job!"

Officers moved in and formed several lines of defense where the fence was down, while some protesters could be seen throwing their wooden signs at the police. Other officers in riot gear came in from behind the protesters and corralled them back into the park using batons, to keep the situation from escalating.

The police put the broken pieces of the fence back into place, then lined up facing the wall of people.

At a temporary court facility late Monday, Judge Mary Marubio told court staff on duty that four to six people had been arrested. It was not clear whether they would be processed late Monday or early Tuesday.

"At no point was the inner perimeter breached, and there was no threat to any protectees," police said in a statement Monday evening.

Later Monday, a group of about 200 protesters attempted to set up tents in Union Park, but dismantled them after a confrontation with police.

The march came as the first day of the Democratic National Convention finally arrived, with Chicago officials promising once again they are prepared for large protests and would allow everyone to exercise their First Amendment rights, as long as it's done peacefully.

The crowd, numbering perhaps a few thousand, started marching west on Washington Boulevard toward the United Center shortly before 3 p.m., after more than two hours of speeches in Union Park.

Dozens of Chicago police officers on foot — including Superintendent Larry Snelling — fanned out ahead of the marchers at the start of the roughly 1-mile route, which took the crowd to within a few blocks of the United Center before turning back east on Lake Street.

As the march kicked off, the drone of police helicopters whined overhead and drummers kept a steady beat while demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans like "Palestine will be free! From the river to the sea!" — a chant seen by many as calling for the elimination of the Jewish state.

Officers on bicycles flanked marchers on either side as they progressed slowly down Washington Boulevard, filling about three city blocks, with Aldermen Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th, Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 33rd, and Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, walking near the front of the crowd.

Activists clash with police at Park 578 near the United Center during the first day of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, 2024. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

By 4 p.m., the crowd had reached Park 578, a smaller park within view of the United Center two blocks to the south. "Whose city? Our city!" they chanted, as many took photos of the arena through the high, metal security fence erected on the north side of Washington.

At one point, protesters shook the fence while a line of police watched from the other side. One demonstrator tried to climb the fence then almost immediately dropped down. Others climbed the playground equipment at the park, hoisting Palestinian flags from the tallest jungle gyms.

Meanwhile, marchers near the end of the procession spent the final block chanting about other social justice issues, including Black Lives Matter and prison reform. "CPD, KKK, IDF … they're all the same," protesters shouted.

Billed as the March on the DNC 2024, organizers said more than 250 separate groups were part of the demonstration. Rally programming in Union Park kicked off around 12:30 p.m. before a crowd of about 2,000 people, including scores of credentialed journalists.

In addition to signs, some demonstrators sported larger-than-life effigies — including blood-stained hands and Dracula fangs — of President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Kamala Harris, the vice president who is scheduled to accept the Democratic Party's nomination on Thursday.

Protesters around the country have heavily criticized the Biden administration's response to the Israel-Hamas conflict and Democratic politicians' support of Israel. With the most powerful Democrats gathering at the United Center, Chicago has become a focus point.

One of the first speakers to address the crowd Monday was Kobi Guillory, a teacher in Chicago and activist with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

"It's amazing to see so many people from so many different communities out here, all saying, 'Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel's crimes,'" Guillory said.

Others had differing views on the current administration. Lynn Kardaszk, 57, stood nearby at the intersection of Madison and Paulina streets with a handmade sign that read "Thank you Joe," hoping to catch a glimpse of Biden's presidential motorcade. She said she wanted to thank him for giving Democrats a chance to win.

The protest was audible from where Kardaszk stood. She said she agreed with the demonstrators' cause but said "that is not what today is about."

"I don't think they understand exactly what's going to happen to the country if Trump wins," she said.

Shameka Rhodes, a five-year resident of the neighborhood just north of the United Center, leaned against the fence outside her home to watch as the throng moved west on Maypole.

"They're for the people, they want to stop police crimes and all the other crimes," said Rhodes, who added that one of her sons was killed in a shooting in Chicago last year.

"It's good, I respect them for doing it," Rhodes said of the marchers. "No violence, no nothing, they're good."

Nesreen Hasan of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network was among the speakers, calling Chicago a union town rich with a history of political activism, and called out the "politicians who are sanctioning the mass murder of Palestinians … having a celebration in our city."

"The politicians at this convention are telling you that Palestine should not be an issue," Hasan said. "Palestine is your issue!"

While loud and enthusiastic, it became clear as the afternoon wore on that attendance was far below organizers' hopes for up to 20,000 demonstrators, with piles of unused signs stacked in the park and plenty of empty space among the softball fields.

Irene Ippolito, a New Yorker who flew in Sunday for the march, held up a large sign asking, "What if they were your kids?"

"Children are being bombed," Ippolito shouted, trying to get her voice across amid a booming sound system playing traditional Palestinian music near the main protest stage. "The fact that people and politicians find it difficult to condemn the killing of children and babies tells us the level of dehumanization of Palestinians."

Some attendees, meanwhile, were pushing an alternative to both the Democratic and Republican tickets. Sam White, a volunteer with the organization Workers Strike Back, was standing near the corner of Ashland and Lake against a fence with a yellow poster reading "No Harris, No Trump."

"People need to understand how important it is to cast an anti-war vote," said White, who is a supporter of Green Party candidate Jill Stein from Boston. "Every vote for (Stein) puts pressure on both parties."

White said some voters are being misled by Harris, who "appears to be supporting a cease-fire but is only saying empty words because of pressure from voters."

"The reality is that the uncommitted votes (during the primaries) showed that it's not enough for people. (Harris) can't count on Muslim/Arab American votes."

Diane Schrack of St. Paul, Minnesota, stood at the corner of Ashland and Washington holding a sign proclaiming "Democrats want polite genocide." She said both parties support Israel with money and weapons, making it difficult for to support a candidate from either party.

And she believes the Biden administration's policies could cost Harris enough votes to give Trump the victory.

"There is much difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to the treatment of people in Gaza," she said. "Democrats are just a little quieter, a little more polite about it."

Earlier Monday, Snelling told reporters at a news conference his officers were prepared. They passed an important early test over the weekend with a smaller march along the Magnificent Mile, Snelling said.

"Yesterday we had a protest and our officers responded exactly the way that we trained them," Snelling said. "There was mutual respect there and because of that we didn't have any incidents. … (The demonstrators) were able to have their voices heard and we protected them while they were doing it."

Snelling said he hoped to see more of the same as the demonstrations go on during the week. He reiterated his previous comments that the police were there to protect not only the First Amendment rights of demonstrators, but also the safety of the convention attendees and the general public.

The entire CPD is scheduled to work during the four-day convention, and officers can expect the department's deployment plans to return to normal on Friday, Snelling said.

Chicago is getting set for DNC protests. Here's a rundown of what to expect.

The march from Union Park only materialized after the coalition of organizers sued the city in federal court, alleging the city was violating their First Amendment rights by denying permits to demonstrate within "sight and sound" of the convention hall.

The lawsuit resulted in the new route that took demonstrators within a few blocks of the United Center, although organizers have continued to complain about the length of the route and that it diverted onto narrower side streets.

At Union Park Monday morning, Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesman for the March on the DNC group, praised Mayor Brandon Johnson for publicly calling the war in Gaza "genocidal," and for supporting a cease-fire resolution in Chicago's City Council.

"He has been in the front of this issue from day one," Abudayyeh said.

About 15 minutes before the scheduled rally, some 30 people gathered northeast of the park and retrieved large Israeli flags from a nearby SUV. The group, some of whom wore shirts saying "Generation Zion," marched together around the perimeter of the park and came to a stop on a parkway to the south.

The group — with one member was wearing a MAGA-favored "Let's Go, Brandon" hat — said they were a predominantly Christian organization that came to Union Park to protest the rise of anti-Jewish incidents across the country. The Anti-Defamation League says acts of antisemitism hit a record high last year as a result of the war.

"We're here to fight against antisemitism and to show our support for our Jewish brothers and sisters," said group spokeswoman Margaret Fernandez.

Tuguldur Davaadorj, a second-year international student at the University of Illinois Chicago who moved to the U.S. from Mongolia, said he was experiencing a bit of a culture shock, watching the crowd swell as the demonstration got underway.

"It's a whole different world back home," he said. "Our government (in Mongolia) says we have a right to freedom of speech, but whenever you speak your point of view, they will lock you up. Here it is so structured and people are really brave to say what they feel … I really love it."

The city saw wide-scale protests in 2020 after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, gatherings that began peacefully but eventually spun out into widespread looting and rioting across the city. Unrest flared again downtown in August of that year, leaving two people shot and multiple police officers injured.

Police and city officials were widely criticized for their response to the chaos; while addressing DNC preparations this year, Snelling — who took charge of the department last year — has said CPD was unprepared to handle the looting and violence of 2020.

While that mayhem is fresh in Chicagoans' memories, the circumstances of the DNC are significantly different. Far from the spontaneous gatherings of 2020, the largest expected demonstrations around the United Center have been pre-planned, scheduled and permitted to the hilt.

All eyes will be on Chicago this week. Can the DNC help reverse the city's national narrative?

The security perimeters were unveiled weeks ago and the legal challenges over marching routes have been ironed out. Meanwhile, scores of CPD officers have undergone hours upon hours of enhanced training, focused largely on crowd control and demonstrators' civil rights.

A car is set ablaze in the 200 block of North State Street during protests in Chicago on May 30, 2020. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Tribune's Caroline Kubzansky, Nell Salzman, Laura Rodriguez Presa, Christy Gutowski, Jason Meisner and Madeline Buckley contributed.

Originally Published: August 19, 2024 at 11:08 a.m.