Politics

‘He’s Not Welcome Here’: Protesters Tell Trump He Isn’t Wanted in Chicago Ahead of Former President’s Appearance

Protesters gathered outside Hilton Chicago, where former president Donald Trump was set to speak Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News)

As Donald Trump took the stage Wednesday to speak inside Hilton Chicago, protesters gathered outside and decried the former president as a “racist” and “weirdo.”

A few dozen protesters gathered outside the hotel Wednesday morning where they said Trump was not welcome in Chicago ahead of his appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention. Trump spoke in a conversation moderated by three journalists.

“Racist Trump, the racist Republican Party, the reactionary policies, the fascist policies and their candidate are just not welcome in this city,” Hatem Abudayyeh, chair of the Chicago-based U.S. Palestinian Community Network told WTTW News. “The vast majority of Chicagoans feel that way, the vast majority of people in the United States feel that way as well. That’s why we’re here.”

Wednesday’s event marked Trump’s second appearance in Chicago since 2016, when massive protests forced him to scrap a rally on the University of Illinois Chicago campus. His NABJ convention speaking event was only announced this week.

The hastily assembled protest Wednesday along South Michigan Avenue remained peaceful as attendees chanted “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Donald Trump go away” and “Say it loud, say it clear, Donald Trump’s not welcome here.”

A six-piece brass band also sang “Trump’s not like us” to the tune of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

Chicago police blocked off side streets near the hotel, but traffic continued unabated along Michigan Avenue.

The rally included several speakers who protested Trump and his presidential campaign during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee earlier this month and plan to organize again for the Democratic National Convention next month in Chicago.

Among them was Kobi Guillory, an activist with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, who said Trump should not be given a platform to speak in Chicago.

“Every time he’s making his racist points, what city does he use to make his racist talking points? Chicago, this city right here,” Guillory said. “That’s why Donald Trump is not welcome in this city.”

Several protesters also criticized the National Association of Black Journalists for inviting Trump to speak. Ken Lemon, the head of the NABJ, said in a statement this week that the organization does not endorse political candidates, but it does “welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know.”

But Guillory said Trump’s agenda during his presidency was “a nightmare” and that he “didn’t do s--t for Black people.”

“We’ve seen a group of people out here spreading this myth that Donald Trump is a friend of Black people,” Guillory said. “We don’t believe that s--t for a second.”

Heather Cherone contributed to this report.

---