The Significance of Chicago’s Trump Shut Down

Originally posted March 13, 2016

Chicago Shuts Down Trump!

In the course of a few hours, several thousand Chicagoans did more to stop Trump bigotry than months of bemoaning by media pundits and other politicians.

Chicagoan took a page from the protests over the Laquan McDonald police shooting that got rid of a hated police superintendent, gave the sitting mayor record low approval ratings, and made the once-secure state’s attorney fight for her political life.

While the media gave tons of free publicity to Trump’s anti-immigrant, sexist, ablist and Islamophic hate, the politicians of both parties legitimized his out-front bigotry with their own policies and statements, such as Obama’s record number of deportations and the baldly Islamophobic statements of Clinton and her Republican opponents.

If what happened in Chicago last night is replicated elsewhere, this could be the beginning of the end of Trump’s presidential campaign. He’s built his reputation on being a bully and thug, drawing those of like mind around him, but bullies lose face when successfully confronted by their victims.

1000s of Chicagoans showed that the 99%’s main strength is in the streets, not in the ballot box. 

It is no accident that it was Chicago that first gave Trump his just desserts. Black youth in our city have had our 1% mayor on the run since independent journalists forced the release of the Laquan McDonald police shooting video. 

After decades of authoritarian Democratic Party Machine rule, people have re-learned that they have power in the streets that they don’t in the electoral arena, that we can fight, and can win. Trump was the recipient of those lessons last night.

Click here to watch one of the anti-Trump activists inside the UIC Pavilion describe what went on inside the Trump rally. 

How Chicago shut down Trump

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