Some of the peace activists who went to the Loop on March 19 to protest the war in Iraq were surprised that the police response was inconsistent–tough on one corner, tolerant on the next. “It was a day of contrasts,” says Rachel Webster. But it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise that the cops in Millennium Park, Mayor Daley’s pet project, took the tough approach.
Webster says the police then followed them out of the park. “We didn’t get into it with them because we had other objectives for the day,” she says. She and Simons say the park was crawling with security–cops on bicycles and on foot in addition to private security guards.
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At around 1:30 she and Simons headed over to Federal Plaza to join the main protest. They stayed for two hours, then decided to go home. “We were really tired,” says Webster. They headed back to the Millennium Park garage with a couple friends, one named Daniel Johnson. On the corner of Adams and Michigan they ran into 20 or so police officers in riot gear.
Johnson was taken to the 18th District police station, charged with disorderly conduct, and released on bond. Simons, Webster, and the other friend left their signs on the corner and walked to the garage.
Yet Cargie says the show of force in Millennium Park had less to do with any policy than with keeping protesters off Michigan Avenue. He says that peace activists asked the city for permission to march down Michigan to the Federal Building and that police turned them down, arguing that a march along that route would create a safety hazard. The activists went to court, but a federal judge agreed with the city. “It was deemed inappropriate to have a march on Michigan Avenue for a number of reasons,” says Cargie. “This was a Saturday–you have a lot of shoppers on Michigan Avenue. I think we did an outstanding job. People had an opportunity to voice their dissent. They just couldn’t do it on Michigan Avenue.”
