Politics
Hundreds March Down Michigan Avenue Calling for End to War in Gaza, Reproductive Rights Ahead of DNC’s Start
Protesters March down Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2025, ahead of the start of the Democratic National Convention. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Hundreds of protesters marched down Michigan Avenue Sunday to send Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party a message: they must end the war in Gaza, do more to ensure access to reproductive health care and protect LGTBQ+ people.
The first of several planned large protests started Sunday evening in the shadow of Trump Tower at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive with a rally before taking over southbound Michigan Avenue and marching to Grant Park, the site of the clashes between the Chicago Police and anti-Vietnam War protesters during the 1968 DNC.
Kacey Murray, of Colorado, traveled to Chicago to tell Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, that they support her call to establish federal protections for abortion access across the nation.
“I can’t believe we’re out here again,” said Murray, who was in high school when Roe v. Wade established a constitutional right to abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in 2022. “But I’m out here for my grandchildren.”
Protesters March down Michigan Avenue in Chicago on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2025, ahead of the start of the Democratic National Convention. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Others who joined the rally said they wanted Harris to do more to protect the Palestinian people in Gaza.
“We want to send a message,” said Andy Clarno, of Chicago, as his 7-year-old son, Felix, sat on his shoulders. “Palestine must be free.”
Many participants used humor to get their message across, like the four women dressed up as Mife and the Miso-tones, a girl group dedicated to preserving access to the abortion pills, better known as mifepristone and misoprostol.
Protesters show support for abortion services ahead of the DNC in Chicago on Aug. 18, 2024. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Cara McLane, of Abortion Access Front, said Harris must work to expand access for all Americans to reproductive rights.
“Roe is the floor,” McLane said.
But for others, their message was deadly serious.
Hannah, of Chicago, who declined to give her full name, carried a sign with a picture of Harris emblazoned with the words “Bombala Harris” on one side and “stop killing my family and I’ll think about voting for you.”
“She does hold the power to make a change,” said Hannah, who said she has family in the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of officers, most on bicycles, lined the march route. Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling supervised the march, as did several high-ranking commanders.
A single, brief moment of tension between protesters and officers erupted when officers tried to separate three anti-abortion protesters from the larger crowd. Both officers and march leaders worked to diffuse the situation, and the march continued.
The protesters alternated chants calling for a “Free Palestine” and those that supported abortion rights, symbolizing the mingling of the two biggest issues facing the Democratic Party.
Chicago police officers line up outside Grant Park in the shadow of the monument to General Logan during protests on Aug. 18, 2024. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
It ended in Grant Park, in the shadow of the monument to General Logan – the site of the bloodiest clash between protesters and Chicago police in 1968.
But Sunday night, the crowd dispersed after more speeches – with a full week of protests ahead.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
