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Daley To Anti-War Movement: Where Are You?
Photo by Sean Cooley
At the 16th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards this week, Mayor Daley remarked on the apparent lack of anti-war demonstrations in Chicago. Vocalo reports that the mayor, whose son Patrick has been called back to active duty in the Army, had wondered why there aren’t more protesters on the streets of Chicago. In his speech, Mayor Daley said "Why do we have to always go to war, continually? Why can't we rebuild America...how did we start this century of ten years of war?"
It’s possible that Daley forgot about the recent demonstration in Federal Plaza in December, but he’s more than likely still reeling from the news that his son will be shipping out for a second tour of duty. When friends and family leave home for a combat zone, one can’t help but worry sick for their safety.
However, this new found longing for the sound of bucket drums against a backdrop of shoulder padded, helmeted and CS gas armed police doesn’t add up, given the reception the city usually gives to protesters. In 2003, some 900 demonstrators were arrested protesting the invasion of Iraq, while many more were beaten by police. In 2005, riot police kept demonstrators off Michigan Avenue, opting for the much less visible Clark Street. The city even makes it difficult for demonstrators to march on an official level, often refusing to issue permits until hours after a rally begins, if they issue them at all.
It’s well known the anti-war movement has always taken figurative beatings in the last decade, as pundits and politicians all over the country equated dissent against war unpatriotic and branded protesters of any stripe anti-American. As to why people aren’t on the streets en masse frequently these days, it may have something to do with no gains being made by the movement. Though we've heard plenty of rhetoric about leaving Iraq, the time table consistently shifts. We're escalating the war in Afghanistan and though Obama has toned down the saber rattling, he has escalated drone attacks in Pakistan and Yemen. With an administration that shows no interest in ending the war and local and federal authorities spending time and money cracking down on dissent at home, it's hard to wonder why people aren't in the streets - but it's also not surprising.
