Chicago’s run of peaceful rallies outside the Democratic National Convention came to an end Tuesday night when a group of protesters marched into a line of police, setting off a violent scrum on Madison Street outside one of the city’s major commuter rail stations.
The protesters walked directly into a large group of police officials, four officers deep, around 7:30 p.m. The officers began to push them the other way and yelled, “Move back, move back.” Scuffles began to break out, and officers wearing helmets moved into the crowd.
Video showed officers overwhelming some of the protesters, pushing them to the ground in an effort to secure the chaotic scene. Afterward, the demonstrators began to move east on Madison toward Canal Street, where hundreds of additional officers were waiting.
A police supervisor eventually declared it an “unlawful assembly.”
“This is an unpermitted event,” a supervisor declared on a bullhorn. “I am giving you a lawful order to disperse. If you do not disperse, you will be placed into custody by the Chicago Police Department.”
Police could also be seen handing out pepper spray. It all happened near Ogilvie Transportation Center. Officers also allowed the group to march south toward Union Station.
A video showed officials trying to keep photographers and legal observers at bay while officers completed an arrest.
A Chicago Sun-Times photographer witnessed police detain more than two dozen people throughout the night. A law enforcement source said eight people had been arrested as of 9:08 p.m. They were being transported to the Area 3 police headquarters at Belmont and Western avenues, where a defunct courtroom is being used to streamline mass arrest cases.
The chaotic scene developed out of a protest by a group known as Behind Enemy Lines, aiming to demonstrate against the war in Gaza. The group is not affiliated with the organizers of the much larger, and mostly peaceful, protest that took to the streets Monday near the United Center.
Initially, it seemed not much would come of Tuesday’s demonstration. Members of the media far outnumbered the protesters. Some of them held signs featuring white-supremacist messages. The event also drew out far-right activists, including My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell.
Then things devolved, ending what had been a run of lively, passionate but peaceful protests since Sunday night.
Police Supt. Larry Snelling could once again be seen on the street amid the chaos. The city’s top cop has been present for most of the high-profile protest events since Sunday night. Earlier, he promised that officers were up to Tuesday night’s challenge.
The organizers of the night’s march did not secure a permit.
“You never know what to expect from a group like that,” he said. “But what I can tell you is what I expect from our side, what I expect from our Chicago police officers who are going to be responding to that. And regardless to what they’re saying, from the CPD aspect of it, we’re going to rely on our training, we’re going to stay focused, stay focused on First Amendment protection.”
Up until Tuesday afternoon, police had tallied just 15 arrests stemming from demonstrations since Sunday night.
Meanwhile, the city’s police oversight agency had reported only three complaints against officers, who previously faced a flood of misconduct allegations during the response to the protests and unrest in the summer of 2020.
Snelling has been on the front lines, guiding young cops while shaping the narrative around what could be a pivotal stretch of his long policing career.
“We’re not going to tolerate vandalism and violence in our city,” Snelling said earlier Tuesday. “And we’re ready, willing and able to respond to those things. So we’re going to continue to protect the city.”
Until Tuesday night, the tensest moment had come Monday evening near the United Center, where President Joe Biden was getting ready to speak and Vice President Kamala Harris later made a surprise appearance.
Snelling said agitators who broke off from a protest against the war in Gaza breached fencing at the outer security perimeter. During a brief clash, protesters lobbed bottles and targeted cops with pepper spray, according to Snelling.
Two officers were hurt in the fray, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police said. Snelling reported 13 arrests throughout Monday, in addition to the two protest-related arrests that were made a day earlier.
Police have provided details about 13 arrests, most of which resulted in misdemeanor charges or citations. Charges against two other people were pending Tuesday afternoon.
The most serious arrest happened during the standoff Monday near the United Center, where an undercover cop saw a 31-year-old man chuck a water bottle at another officer. The bottle missed, but the officer was hit with an “unknown liquid,” according to an arrest report.
Charged with a felony count of aggravated battery to a peace officer, the man was ordered to stay away from the convention hub and released from custody.