At Halsted and Roscoe sits what must be the most politicized 7-Eleven parking lot in the universe. Last year, when Matthew Shepard was viciously murdered in Wyoming because of his sexual orientation, Chicago's gay community chose this corner for their vigil. Now, in reaction to the Fourth of July weekend's racially-motivated three-state murder spree, Anti-Racism Action has returned to the 7-Eleven to rally against the fascists.
The ARA's main message - that we've all got to take an active role in combating hate groups before they get a chance to do what shooter Benjamin Smith did - is underlined, frustratingly, by the low turnout. The attendees seem to fall into three groups: The ARA members with their short, scruffy haircuts, tattoos and piercings; a handful of curious passers-by; and the media, who are out in force.
A cameraman from NBC slaps hands with his counterpart from WGN: "What's up, man?" The reporters from the Trib and the Sun-Times move amidst the scant crowd with their cell phones and steno pads. Just before the rally kicks off, Damon - a tall, soft-spoken member of ARA Bloomington who had dealings with Smith long before last week's murders - grants a skeptical, hesitant on-air interview to the red-blazered Channel 2 newswoman.
Efforts are made to bulk up attendance. Literature is passed out; huge banners unfurled and displayed to passing traffic: "Change Depends on All of Us!" "When Fascists Attack, We Fight Back!" A young woman holds up a poster of Ricky Byrdsong, one of two men killed in Smith's spree. A truck driver, stopped at the light, hangs out his window. "What happened? How did he die? Did somebody die?"
"Yeah," says the girl. "The guy who got shot. Last weekend. By Benjamin Smith?" The guy in the truck nods sagely: Oh yeah, that guy. The light changes, and he's gone.
Finally, about twenty minutes after the announced 6pm start time, ARA ringleader Kieran fires up the megaphone: "No Nazis! No KKK! No fascists USA!" After the chant dies down, the speakers begin; though the official purpose of the rally is to protest the actions of Peoria-based World Church of the Creator - the white supremacist church to which Smith belonged - the subjects of vitriol range beyond racism to homophobia and the prison state. Police brutality is another target; ironically, the cops assigned to the rally are two gentle, amiable plainclothes women who spend the time discussing the relative merits of Girl Bar with a tourist. "I never go there," says Officer X. "It's too yuppie," agrees Officer Y.
The speeches are short, packed with passion bordering on the militant. Fists are clenched and raised. Jose from California invokes John Brown, the fanatical abolitionist. "I don't speak very well English," says a young Polish man. "What I know right now is that one guy come to synagogue and start shooting people. I think it's really fucked."
The megaphone is the kind with a siren sound, and, towards the end of the rally, someone flicks the siren on accidentally. "Yeah," shouts a member of ARA. "We need more of that. Wake up!"
(Ben Winters)
copyright 1999 New City Communications, Inc.