Click here for audio from the rally.
On
a cold night in Chicago an initial estimate of about 2000 people came
to Daley Plaza at 5:00 p.m. to drown out the lies of Bush’s State of
the Union address and demand that Bush Step Down. The dark plaza was
lit up by a big screen projection of the green and black Bush Step Down
graphic, part of a slide show presentation of the crimes of the Bush
Regime and sections of the Call that served as a backdrop to the
speakers.
As people entered the Plaza the stark figure of an
Abu Graib torture victim wired to electronic hell was back lit by the
dark building. Many did a double take and grabbed for their cameras
when they saw the 8 ft. high statue of George Bush, placed high on a
pedestal. The audience represented a wide spectrum of both young and
old, different ethnicities and race, suburban and inner city, union
people, a significant section of middle-aged Black women, and many
youth. Everyone brought their own angle with hundreds of different
homemade signs and props, but everyone united on a single message —
Bush lied, Bush spied, Bush has got to go.Police presence was light.
The
rally was very spirited and punctuated by drums and whistles. MC Mars,
“that revolutionary sister” kicked off the event with a performance by
Radio Mango. Several WCW organizers read the Call, followed by Penny,
WCW student organizer, giving a rousing reading of the statement of the
national steering committee.
Speakers included:
Prof. Timuel Black, an 85-year old historian of the Black diaspora,
compared Bush to Hitler and described his experience as a young man in
the segregated Army being sent into Buchenwald concentration camp,
shortly after liberation.
Paul Vogel, whose son did a tour of duty in Iraq, challenged the crowd, “If I could go to Iraq, you can go to D.C. this weekend.”
Dr. Quentin Young described
his experiences as a doctor in the septic abortion clinic when abortion
was illegal and warned that women will die if abortion is outlawed.
Speaking alternately in Spanish and English, Alderman Ricardo Munoz,
blasted the new immigration law turning ordinary people trying to
survive and those who assist them into felons. When asked by the press
later about what he wanted to hear Bush say in his State of the Union
address, Munoz replied, “I want him to say ‘I resign.'”
Though
the temperature was low, the MC, speakers, and performers (drummers and
poets) kept the crowd fired up and motivated. Hundreds poured out of
the Plaza for a very spirited and noisy march through downtown,
stopping at major media outposts, including FOX news and the Chicago Tribune.
At this point, we know Telemundo Channel 44 aired a segment and Local
Access Can TV will run the event in the coming week). There was a photo
in the Tribune and coverage in the Red Eye.
Though crowd
estimates are still coming in, at the height of the rally, the crowd
stretched back from the stage to beyond the sculpture in the middle of
the plaza, while columns of supporters continued to stake out the
corners urging support from commuters, and up to 15 people climbed up
onto the Picasso and held high their World Can’t Wait signs. WGN radio
newscasters broadcasting publicly in front of a large glass window
looked up to see this animated crowd, blowing whistles, and holding up
their posters calling for Bush to Step Down.
At the end of the
rally, the Bush effigy came tumbling down amidst much joyous
noisemaking. The crowd was led in chants by MC Mars then sent the
groups to their respective neighborhood drown-outs, seven in all — A
downtown drownout at Lake and Michigan; Oak Park at Lake and Harlem;
Hyde Park; Rogers Park; Evanston; Pilsen; and Wicker Park. The theme
throughout was – next step, get on the bus to DC. The new flyer,
calling people to go to the seat of power in Washington, was
distributed at the rally and into the streets, announced a meeting
Wednesday night to organize many more to go to the White House to press
our demand, “Bush Step Down.”
Now we need to reach out and contact
all who came and even those who didn’t make it to “Get On the Bus” to
the historic march in DC this weekend when we take our demand to the
White House, joined by Rev. Al Sharpton, Michael Ratner of the Center
for Constitutional Rights and Boot Riley (more speakers to be
announced). If you haven’t yet, order your tickets directly from our
website. Thousands and thousands must take this historic movement
directly to the seat of power and speak for millions who demand that
Bush step down and take his whole program with him!
Chicago, IL Chapter, WorldCantWait.ORG