Chicago, IL – On Friday morning, March 21, over 50 protesters gathered outside the Illinois State Board of Investments (ISBI) office in downtown Chicago. They came to demand that ISBI and Vice Chair Michael Frerichs, who currently sits as the Illinois state treasurer, divest from Israeli genocide, apartheid and occupation.

The Anti-War Committee Chicago and BDS-Chicago, a project of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), called the action in support of their statewide campaign against State Treasurer Frerichs, calling on his office to divest from Israel Bonds, and calling on ISBI to divest from companies complicit in the occupation of Palestine.

Protesters rallied with banners and signs, pointing to the fact that Frerichs has brought Illinois’ total investments in Israel Bonds (also known as Development Corporation for Israel) to over $145 million, making Illinois one of the top five states in the U.S. to support Israel. Since February of 2025, Frerichs has doubled down and announced the purchase of an additional $10 million in Israel Bonds, on top of a bond renewal of $15 million. His complicity doesn’t stop there.

Frerichs is the vice chair of ISBI, which has invested millions of taxpayer dollars into companies that are complicit in the occupation and genocide of Palestine. As of March 2025, ISBI holds 20,621 shares in Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons manufacturer. Lockheed Martin manufactures the fighting jets used to drop the bombs that have been destroying Gaza over the past 17 months. ISBI also invests in other war profiteers such as Boeing, General Dynamics, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman and many others.

Speakers were fired up during the rally and spoke to the many reasons why Illinois residents oppose these investments. Since the campaign launch, over 1850 Illinois residents and 40 Illinois-based organizations have signed on to the campaign to divest Illinois from Israel Bonds.

Kaya Rial, organizing director of AFIRE, said, “It is sickening how our government wants to implement dollars upon dollars of budget cuts from public resources such as health care and Medicaid, language access for immigrants, education and academic safety for our youth, housing and food assistance, and resources for survivors of police torture and all those wrongfully incarcerated while our state treasurer sends those same taxpayer dollars to fund the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the eradication of sacred, indigenous Palestinian land.”

Gaby Martinez, a rank-and-file member of SEIU Local 73, announced that over 30 members and retirees of SEIU Local 73 have united to file an ethics complaint against Frerichs. “Treasurer Frerichs needs to be censured in that he is not investing for the people of Illinois, but for his personal political agenda in support of Israel. The charges we make in the ethics complaint to the Executive Inspector General for the Illinois state treasurer are well documented. Violations include abuse of authority, corruption, favoritism, improper use of state time and other resources for prohibited political purposes, and misuse of public assets,” said Martinez.

As members of the public attempted to enter the building for public comment, they were met with intense police presence, including the 1st District Commander, heightened building security, and unclear entrance protocols, all of which were drastically intensified since AWC-Chicago and BDS-Chicago protested and gave public comment at the last ISBI quarterly meeting. Only five people were allowed to join the so-called public meeting, with 16 people directed to sit in the adjacent lobby. Building staff locked the doors of the building after the allotted 16 people entered, barring entrance to any other member of the public, including the remaining protesters.

Despite the attempt to intimidate the protesters, five people delivered public comments and demanded divestment from Israel. A member of BDS-Chicago addressed the board directly, stating, “This board and the state treasurer are more concerned about war profiteering than cutting ties with war criminals – more concerned with supporting an apartheid state rather than supporting communities here in Illinois that lack necessities like housing, healthcare, education and food.”

Michael Frerichs was not in attendance, a clear violation of the ISBI bylaws listed on its website. This is a repeat offense since Frerichs was also absent from the last meeting in December 2024.

As protesters were removed from the boardroom by Chicago police and the owner of the building, they chanted on their way out, making it clear that they will keep coming back until ISBI and Michael Frerichs divests from genocide.

Members from the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (AFIRE), Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), Rank-and-File SEIU Local 73 Members for Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine-Chicago (SJP-Chicago), Chicago Irish for Palestine, and members of the public joined in support of the protest.

For Illinois residents, you can send a letter directly to Michael Frerichs at bit.ly/awcdivest

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #ChicagoAWC #USPCN #CAARPR

Chicago, IL – To coincide with Human Rights week, dozens of protesters led by Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) and Boycott Divest Sanctions – Chicago (BDS) descended on the offices of the Illinois State Board of Investments (ISBI), December 13 in a militant action demanding Illinois divest over $120 million worth of bonds from Israel.

The protest happened at a time where Israel has murdered over 50,000 Gazan Palestinians, over 4000 Lebanese, and now is ramping up a massive land grab of western Syria. Treasurer Michael Frerichs responded to the crimes of Israel by investing an additional $30 million dollars since October 7, 2023.

This is the first protest of AWC’s new divestment campaign. It brought together other organizations, including Students for a Democratic Society – UIC, Students for Justice in Palestine – UIC, U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Malaya Chicago, Rogers Park Food not Bombs, and Boycott Divest Sanctions – Chicago (BDS).

Despite freezing temperatures, the assembled rally-goers were in high spirits as activists began to speak, explaining the connection between the genocide in Gaza, ISBI and Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs.

Using bullhorns, activists started the protest with chants demanding divestment while picketing with signs around the entrance of the building: “Michael Frerichs you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide!” And “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest!”

Frerichs has doubled down on his support for the Israeli occupation, calling them “Our Israeli friends” and defending the purchase of the bonds by claiming they “diversify our portfolio.”

Despite the International Criminal Court calling for the arrest of Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Frerichs has not budged on his refusal to divest from Israeli bonds.

“We are here because Michael Frerichs and the Illinois State Board of Investments are happy to accommodate and continue to give our tax dollars to the criminal Israelis, “said a member of BDS Chicago. “This board is more concerned with supporting a foreign apartheid state than supporting communities here in Illinois.”

Several speakers focused on the fact that organized mass-movements have won divestment from racist regimes in the past and are still doing so today A member of the AWC pointed out, “It was not long ago when the world responded to apartheid in South Africa with the same demands, we won then and we will win now.” Erin Boyle from SDS stated, “Divestment of Barclays Bank from Israel’s largest arms manufacturer Elbit Systems shows sustained and targeted pressure works!”

ISBI was caught off guard when AWC led the rally inside their offices. “We know from past records that they try to make these meetings not accessible to the public and they have gotten away with it, but we’re here to change that,” said Caeli Kean of AWC.

Although some people in the building called the cops and clearly thought what the activists were doing should be illegal, five protesters made public comments directly to the board, while the other demonstrators watched on in support.

Activists’ speeches highlighted how investing in Israel is to invest in a failed colonial project; how Illinois is home to the United States’ largest Palestinian population; that the majority of Illinoisans support the Palestinians; and how if ISBI continues to ignore the demands of the majority of their constituents, the board members’ positions will be as untenable as the Zionists’ crumbling economy.

As speeches concluded, AWC led the demonstrators out of the building chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” The activists who attended the event, rather than feeling tired, felt energized to keep pushing forward with AWC’s divestment campaign, declaring certainty that the campaign will be won.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #BDS #USPCN #ChicagoAWC

Chicago, IL – The fight to get permits to march on the Democratic National Convention is heating up. On August 19 to the 22, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) comes Chicago. The massive movement against the genocide in Gaza is preparing to march to the United Center where the convention will be held.

The Coalition to March on the DNC has raised the slogans, “Stand with Palestine! End U.S. aid to Israel!”

Since the start of 2024, groups from the coalition have attempted to secure permits to march. Four applications by different organizations for different march routes and days of the convention have all been rejected.

On Monday, March 18, two of the organizations appeared before the Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings to appeal the denial of their permit applications, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the Anti-War Committee (AWC).

Before going into the hearing, the coalition held a press conference featuring those two groups, along with others.

Emcee Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) said, “Tens of thousands of Palestinians – not just from Chicago, not just from the Midwest – are already making plans to be here in August. It will be historic.”

Abudayyeh is speaking from experience about the dimensions of the mobilizations in August. USPCN is part of the leadership of the Coalition for Justice in Palestine in Chicago. The coalition has held mass mobilizations weekly since October, and many of the marches had 10,000, 15,000 and even 25,000 people – just from the Chicago area!

Coalition demands city recognize the right to protest

John Metz of AWC said, “The Anti-War Committee filed a permit to march in protest during the Democratic National Convention this August. We seek to exercise our First Amendment rights to demand within sight and sound of our political leaders that they end their support for the genocidal siege on Gaza. The Chicago Department of Transportation rejected our application, instead proposing that we relocate our protest four miles away, well beyond the sight of any convention delegates. By doing so, CDOT has sent a clear message: They stand with the political elites in Washington and against the people of Chicago. Today we're asking the Department of Administrative Hearings to do the right thing and reverse CDOT’s unjust and undemocratic decision.”

Olan Mijana spoke on behalf of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), the lead organization in the coalition. Mijana stated, “Black and brown people in Chicago have shown overwhelmingly we stand with the Palestinian people. The ceasefire [in Gaza] ordinance our city adopted had the support of Black and brown members of the city council. And Black and brown people have taken to the streets in mass numbers in support of the Palestinian resistance.”

1968: The whole world was watching

Liz Rathburn, a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, spoke for SDS. “In 1968 the DNC came to Chicago, as our government murdered hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese people. SDS mobilized thousands of young people into the streets of Chicago and forced the whole world to see that the people of the U.S. stood with the people of Vietnam. In 1968 the racist mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley, denied people a permit to march, they marched regardless and were met with brutal police repression. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) would love a repeat of 1968, where they can brutalize protesters without consequence. They just got tens of millions from the federal government to do just that.”

The coalition explained that the movement demands a permit to protect the rights of everyone from the danger of police violence, or infiltration of the coalition by undercover CPD to entrap young people, as happened at the protests against NATO when they held their summit in Chicago in 2012.

If the city refuses to recognize the democratic rights of the movement, Abudayyeh said the march would happen “Permit or not.”

Hearing a kangaroo court

Dod McColgan, a co-chair of CAARPR reported after the seven-hou- long day of hearings. “According to Brian Gallardo, the assistant commissioner of Public Way Permitting for CDOT, both permits were denied on the basis of ‘issues of insufficient CPD resources, traffic management and access to emergency services on Ashland Avenue.’”

Asked about what departments gave input, Gallardo admitted he consulted only with CPD to make this decision.

McColgan also noted that after questioning, “Gallardo admitted that the Secret Service is creating a security perimeter which hasn’t yet been determined, but it will be within a few blocks of the United Center. This was also part of the basis of denying the permits to march near the convention.

McColgan continued, “Our attorney attempted to ask about First Amendment considerations in deciding the alternate route, and Judge Dennis Fleming sustained an objection, saying that, ‘The First Amendment is irrelevant!’”

McColgan noted with incredulity, “The city believes that the First Amendment is irrelevant to our right to protest!”

Gabriella Shemash, a deputy chief of CPD in the area around the United Center was called as a witness. Noting one of the several inconsistencies in her testimony, McColgan revealed, “They claimed that marching on Ashland Avenue would be unsafe due to the disruption of access to emergency services in the Medical District. The same deputy who testified today permitted an action we were part of on May Day 2023 to march on one side of Ashland Avenue, which directly conflicts with her testimony today.”

Deputy Corporation Counsel Christine Hake then attempted – after the city rested its case – to introduce a third reason to deny the permit. The application by the AWC is duplicative of the application previously submitted and denied by CAARPR because Joe Iosbaker is a member of both organizations.

McColgan remarked about the absurdity of this. “These are entirely separate organizations in a coalition. So any two organizations that share any one member would have their applications considered duplicative if they were submitted separately.”

“This reasoning poses real problems for First Amendment rights as the city cannot review the member rules for any organization before granting a permit. This is spitting in the face of the First Amendment of the right to protest and the right to resist!”

Coalition prepares legal fight and pressure campaign

Finally, McColgan made two announcements – that the coalition will probably have to take this case to a federal level; and that the coalition will launch a pressure campaign on CDOT and on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“The testimony today makes it clear that the Secret Service determination of a security zone is at the heart of these denials.”

“We’re asking Mayor Johnson’s administration, elected officials across the country, all the organizations in the people’s movements, and all those who respect the right to protest to stand with us in the fight for this permit.”

McColgan concluded, “Either way we’re marching. There’s no stopping the masses who plan to protest the genocide in Gaza.”

Breaking development: Judge Fleming released his decisions upholding the CDOT denial of permits for both marches.

#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #DNC2024 #CAARPR #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #SDS #ChicagoAWC #USPCN #Feature