Protesters march east on Wacker Dr by the Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientist building, just across from Trump Tower.

By Dominic Guanzon

Sunday, 5/25/25

CHICAGO – The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) held a rally at Federal Plaza, marched up State St, and protested in front of Trump Tower to commemorate the five-year murder of George Floyd.

“Even though Derek Chauvin is locked up, there is still a system,” said one chant leader during the march.

“I’m here on the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd because Donald Trump and other white supremacists are waging war on my students,” said Kobi Guillory, a middle school teacher based in Englewood. “Executive Order 14288 aims to unleash the police to inflict even more violence on my black and brown students.”

*CAARPR members organize signs prior to the rally. Federal Plaza, 5/25/25.*

CAARPR also tied the moment to the city’s local issues, including the ability for CPD to instate a snap curfew currently being floated in City Hall, a follow-up to the Consent Decree, the push for the Community Power Over Police (CPOP) referendum, and the city’s own losses to police killings such as Adam Toledo and Laquan McDonald.

CCPSA District 2 Councilman Marquinn McDonald connected the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s to the present.

“I will often tell people I am one generation out [the] Civil Rights [Movement]…Thinking about what I have seen, and what I’ve witnessed, and what I have lived, that I realize that I am not one generation out of [the] Civil Rights [Movement]. I am still in it. We are still fighting it. We are still standing up against it. What this is, is a movement against fascism.”

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) was created by the Chicago City Council to create “a new model for police oversight, accountability, and public safety.”

CAARPR press secretary Faayani Aboma taking questions at the press conference. Federal Plaza, 5/25/25.

Mark Clements, a survivor of police torture who had his 28-year prison sentence vacated in 2009, relates his experience with systemic police injustice to Floyd’s murder.

“I see from 1981 until now, we still have not received the integrity of justice…I am not going to silence what I have to say. Being a black, African-American boy, locked inside of an interrogation room, not believed by the entire criminal justice system.”

“It took a white face to save me!” He continued, in reference to Bernardine Dohrn, the former Weather Underground leader-turned Northwestern University law professor that helped bring his case to attention. “It took a white face, for our criminal justice system to say ‘now, we understand what you’re talking about.’ 28 long years to understand that you don’t take children down to police stations and torture them. 28 years…here it is, the police officer has his knee on the neck of [George Floyd].

“Where is justice? We were promised justice, but we have not received what we were promised.”

Clements finished his remarks with a call to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021, which passed the US House, but died in the Senate. His work continues as a Senior Community Member of the Chicago Torture Justice Center.

Mark Clements, a survivor of police torture who had his 28-year prison sentence vacated in 2009, and Senior Community Member from the Chicago Torture Justice Center. Federal Plaza, 5/25/25.

A variety of organizations from across the city joined the event to pay tribute and build off the moment. Julian Ignacio from Malayan Chicago-Midwest, a Filipino-based mass movement organization, drew parallels between Trump and Filipino President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, son of disgraced and deposed President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

“Two weeks ago, Marcos Jr passed Memorandum 83…and it gives the Philippine government broad power to ‘end insurgency.’ That ain’t right!”

Ignacio continued, illustrating how Pinoy migrants are also under attack similar to their Latine counterparts in the US. “It’s these types of…policies that continue fascism in the Philippines and force Filipinos to migrate to places like the US, they are met with more fascism. Fascism from places like ICE. Filipinos have recently been detained, like Denmark Francisco, a caregiver who was defending himself and deported by ICE.

“The Filipinos are here to stand up in the memory of George Floyd!”

CAARPR hung a banner reading, “Stop police crimes! We demand justice for:” with hand-written names of the victims of police killings, including Adam Toledo and Laquan McDonald. At the bottom it read, “and all those targeted by police crimes.” Federal Plaza, 5/25/25.

Rania Salem from the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) drew deep parallels between the struggles in Gaza and America.

“As Palestinians, we recognize the knee on George Floyd’s neck. It is the same knee pressed on the neck of our people in Palestine, who are facing the first livestreamed genocide in human history. The U.S. government spends $4 billion a year on Israel’s apartheid regime, while underfunding our schools, our housing, and our healthcare right here in Chicago.”

*Protesters march up State St. 5/25/25.*

She continued, “they criminalize our youth, militarize our neighborhoods, and protect cops who kill us. The same police who murder here train with the Israeli occupation forces that massacred Palestinians and Arabs on a daily basis,” in part a possible reference to CPD leadership’s visits to Israel in 2009, 2010, and 2014 for a tactics, tech, and knowledge exchange with the country’s security apparatus.

Salem also indirectly promoted Community Power Over Police (CPOP). “The struggle against racist policing and mass incarceration is central to our movements, which leads us to demand community control of the police, and an end to police crimes.”

CPOP is a CAARPR-backed referendum that, if passed, would give CCPSA a sweeping set of powers to exert more power on police matters. These include the ability to negotiate union contracts with the Fraternal Order of Police, set CPD budget, and directly appoint and remove the Police Superintendent as well as the Police Board. Currently, CCPSA members are recommended by police district councils, nominated by the mayor, and confirmed by City Council. CPOP hopes to transform CCPSA so most of its members are directly elected.

*Protesters march east on Wacker Dr. 5/25/25.*

CAARPR press secretary Faayani Aboma explained the progress made from the 2021 Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance, which created the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA).

“We’ve built a stronger police accountability system, we’ve built a bigger movement, and we’ve given people in Chicago a bigger democratic say in policing in our community like never before.”

Now, on the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, Aboma explained how the Community Power Over Policing (CPOP) referendum could further empower CCPSA to increase democratic accountability over CPD.

“We knew our ordinance wouldn’t be enough, and we would eventually need to fight for more power…Who wants more power over police?” Aboma exclaimed, to the cheers of the gathered.

“The way that pass CPOP is that we’re undergoing a fight in city council right now to pass the ordinance. And when that ordinance is passed, it’ll be a referendum on the next ballot for the people of Chicago to decide if they want power over police.”

Aboma also laid out the obstacles they’ve hurdled in the past and what lies ahead. ““The [Fraternal Order of Police] and CPD have worked hand-in-blood to fight back against police accountability. I want to emphasize that any inability of us to fully hold these cops accountable is not a reflection of our movement. It’s an indictment of our nasty, nasty system that protects police.”

Protest marshals were present for a relatively moderate police presence, with National Lawyers Guild green hats observing. No incidents occurred.

At one point, during the march up State St, the protesters chanted an invitation to the passerby, “out of the sidewalks, into the streets!”

One onlooker came up to me asking what was going on and shared their hesitancy to join the march.

*CCPSA District 2 Councilman Marquinn McDonald and a protest marshal share a moment while marching up State St. 5/25/25.*

“It feels inconsistent. I see Palestinian flags, signs against police, anti-Trump, etc. Does that mean every single person who’s for one of those things is for all of those things?” he asked.

I explained that it doesn’t, but that the current situation needs the unity. As we walked-and-talked, we found we had wandered into the protest itself.

“Well, I guess I’m in it now,” he chuckled.

Prior to the march, the last speaker at the rally was CAARPR’s Field Secretary and Education Director Frank Chapman.

“Somebody said: ‘how long are we going to have to be out here doing this?” Chapman told the crowd. “We’re gonna have to be out here doing this ‘till we’re free,” he said, to cheers from the crowd. “I’ve been doing it for over 50 years, so don’t look for no short journey.”

Other groups involved with the day’s protest included:

US Palestinian Community Network

Chicago Teachers Union

Chicago Torture Justice Center

Organizing Communities Against Deportation

Good Kids Mad City

Southsiders Organizing for Unity and Liberation

Arab American Action Network

Justice for Nick Lee

290 IPO

50501 Chicago

Holy Grounds