When my editor called me Friday and asked if I’d like to fly to Chicago to cover what’s happening here, I, of course, said yes.
News had just broken that a Presbyterian pastor had been shot in the head with a pepper-spray bullet and was suing the government, 500 National Guard troops — including some from my home state of Texas — had been deployed to the area, and a U.S. District Judge had just blocked that deployment, leaving the troops to twiddle their thumbs at a nearby Army base while the Trump administration appeals the ruling.
I arrived midday on Saturday and went directly to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Center in Broadview, a suburb just west of Chicago.
There were about 100 protesters split between two protest areas, each being watched over by Illinois State Police.
(BNG photo by Mara Richards Bim)
After walking around for a bit, I headed to my hotel to check in.
I knew Broadview’s mayor, Katrina Thomson, had issued an executive order limiting the hours protesters were allowed to be on the streets. With the 6:00 curfew approaching, I headed back to the facility. That’s when things really got interesting.
(BNG photo by Mara Richards Bim)
Protesters were pouring into the area in advance of the curfew. As they did, Illinois State Police began donning riot gear, and at 5:30, they made their intention clear — forming a line to sweep protesters away.
The protestors and press — many of whom have been regularly gassed and shot at with projectiles by ICE agents — began donning gas masks and goggles. One who is a medic offered me his spares, which I declined.
With a confrontation looming, I met Dion McGill, Seventh Police District councilor. He is elected to this position and serves as a liaison between the Englewood community and the police. McGill’s community is one that has been targeted by ICE agents, so he makes a point of coming to the facility at least once a week to see what is happening. I decided to stick with him in case things got tense.
(BNG photo by Mara Richards Bim)
As the State Police pushed protesters and the press back several blocks, 15 protesters took part in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience. Some locked arms. Some simply stood their ground and refused to move. They were arrested.
While State Police threatened to use chemical agents on the roughly 150 people present, they never did.
Protesters and press members lingered. Some ate tacos.
Finally, at 7:00, the State Police simply turned and walked away. As they did, everyone else dispersed and headed home.
The fact that the evening didn’t turn violent and the State Police eventually stood down and everyone left the area further reinforces Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s contention that the state doesn’t need the National Guard to police its streets.
(BNG photo by Mara Richards Bim)
Mara Richards Bim serves as a Clemons Fellow with BNG and is the first Justice and Advocacy Fellow at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas. She is a spiritual director and a recent Master of Divinity degree graduate from Perkins School of Theology at SMU. She also is an award-winning theater artist and founder of the nationally acclaimed Cry Havoc Theater Company, which operated in Dallas from 2014 to 2023.
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