'Not welcome here': Chicago protesters rally outside NABJ Convention during Trump appearance
CHICAGO - Security was extremely tight for former President Donald Trump's visit to the NABJ conference on Wednesday, his first visit to the Windy City in five years.
A small but noisy crowd of about 75 protesters stood in a designated area opposite the Hilton and Towers on Michigan Avenue, airing their grievances about the candidate who has used the city as a political punching bag.
"His words for Chicago have always been very disrespectful," said Christina Runkle, a resident of Bronzeville carrying a Kamala Harris sign.
Faayani Aboma Mijana of the Coalition to March on the DNC hoped the former president could hear their jeers from across the street.
"We want to tell him he's not welcome here in Chicago. Trump oversaw four years of a reactionary and racist agenda, and we know if he were to be back as president, he would work to push that forward and set us back even more," Mijana said.
But there were far more police than protesters. Hundreds of Chicago cops flooded the streets around the hotel, using bikes to block protesters from crossing the street.
Some protesters came to support Kamala Harris, others to protest Trump's policies, and a number waved Palestinian flags, saying they plan to march on the Democratic National Convention as well.
"We recognize that the Democratic Party is complicit in the genocide," said Hatem Abudayyeh of the United States Palestinian Community Network. "But also that the Republican Party is complicit in the genocide. And that we reject Donald Trump's racism, fascism, and reactionary policies."
Sprinkled among the crowd in front of the hotel were a few Donald Trump supporters, easily identified by their red MAGA hats.
"I'm here to show my support for Donald Trump," said Vashon Tuncoe of Chicago. "I feel like African-Americans are really showing their support for Donald Trump this year, and it's starting to show. As you can see across the street, these protesters really don't like that."
The size of Wednesday's protest was tiny compared to the thousands who jeered the then-president during his last Chicago visit in 2019 and the massive crowd that forced Trump to cancel a Chicago campaign stop in 2016.
"There's a lot of hatred for Trump in this city," said Mijana. "It's just that we heard about this at the last minute. We called it less than 24 hours in advance notice. And at the same time, we have to recognize this is a strong turnout given the notice."