Dozens of Pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in River North on Sunday calling for Illinois to divest from Israel and seeking justice for wrongfully convicted people in the state.
The protest was organized by the Coalition to March on the DNC, a group of progressive organizations that plans massive demonstrations during the Democratic National Convention in August. It’s the first of many demonstrations planned ahead of the event, each with its own cause but all in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The rally Sunday was held outside the 18th District police station, 1160 N. Larrabee St.
Protesters drew a link between the struggles of the wrongfully convicted and the Palestinian people. They say both groups are being targeted by the same system of racism and oppression.
“Palestinian political prisoners should be out of prison, and people who are wrongfully convicted should also be released from prison here,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network. “The system of racism, of white supremacy, is the one that’s forcing young Black and Brown people into prison.”
Protesters held signs with the names of people they believe are unjustly imprisoned, such as Rico Clark, who is serving a 55-year sentence for the 2006 murder of Damion Kendricks in Chicago. Clark has maintained his innocence throughout and is fighting his conviction. A voice message from Clark was played over loudspeakers at the rally.
Darien Harris, who served more than 12 years after being wrongfully convicted of murder, said there are many men who share his story behind bars. He said law enforcement officials and prosecutors who have a hand in incarcerating an innocent man should face consequences.
“They get immunity for the things that they do,” Harris said. “And when we do expose the truth they don’t get penalized. That’s the thing, nobody is being held accountable for the things that we’re going through.”
Protesters also called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to work faster through executive clemency petitions to free more wrongfully convicted people. The group planned to march toward the governor’s Gold Coast home after the rally but were diverted by police.
Frank Chapman, of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said the Palestinian people are suffering, and “their suffering is our suffering.”
“We have mutual suffering and mutual pain caused by the same enemy, so we have to unite and fight against that,” he continued.
On Friday, pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, demanding the university divest from Israel.
Police had cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment on the university’s Main Quadrangle early in the morning Tuesday. A similar encampment at Northwestern University was taken down after school administrators and protest leaders came to an agreement.
Northwestern president Michael Schill is headed to Congress this week to speak about the school’s response to the encampment.
Meanwhile, Israeli leaders are increasingly divided over its war with Hamas, now in its eighth month. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under mounting pressure over postwar plans for Gaza.
