On November 9, many thousands of people took to the streets in downtown Chicago in a massive show of strength and unity to stand against President-elect Donald Trump and all that he represents. For over nine hours, the people demonstrated, marched and chanted, blocking streets and intersections, essentially shutting down the downtown area to demand an end to the reactionary rightwing bigotry of Trump.
In the late hours of the election Tuesday night, as it became clear that Trump would stun the political establishment by securing enough electoral college votes to win the presidency, the ANSWER Coalition of Chicago put out a call for people to gather at 5PM the next day at Trump Tower to powerfully reject racism, sexism, xenophobia and the presidency of Donald Trump. In less than 24 hours, tens of thousands of people responded to the call online to come together and not take the election lying down, but to stand up against it.
Before 5 PM the people were already beginning to assemble outside of Trump tower. The cops, always quick to protect white supremacy and private property, were already standing guard over Trump Tower and the small handful of pro-Trump counter-protesters that they allowed onto the hotel property. Initially, these police blockades split the demonstration, but as more and more people poured into downtown the cops attempts to corral the protesters grew increasingly futile.
By 6 PM, the streets were flooded with protestors, mostly young and very multi-national, who carried signs rejecting Trump and racism, and chanted “No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA!” along with the somewhat more direct “F— Trump.”
The demonstration then began to march through the streets, widely circling Trump tower and shutting down several parts of the city including Lake Shore Drive where motorists honked their support and got out of their cars to shake hands with protestors.
At a public speakout, participants spoke of the ways that Trump’s policies would impact them directly, highlighting the need for immediate and organized action against the political establishment. Immigrants spoke of their fears of deportation, not only for themselves, but for their loved ones as well, while queer and trans people signified their unwillingness to go back into the closet under a Trump administration.
A common refrain was the need for action–massive, united action–in order to beat back Trump and the right wing. John Beacham, coordinator with the ANSWER Coalition, spoke of the need for people to get involved in organizations that are fighting this system so that we don’t have to struggle alone. To hammer this point home, the crowd took up the chant “Don’t Mourn, Organize!”
The Chicago protests were only one part of a massive nationwide mobilization which saw large militant protests in several cities throughout the country. While elite pundits and political strategists will likely
spend months attempting to analyze the meaning of a Donald Trump victory, last night’s protests show that the people already understand what Trump means: that it’s time to fight back!
