Peaceful Rally

Before heading over to Grant Park for what would be one of the largest gatherings of people for any candidate ever, I made sure to leave my wallet at home. I had read interviews with ex-cops that were claiming up to 7,000 gang members could very well be in the park and weaving through the crowd, snatching wallets. I also read about how they had a riot squad on duty, ready to go with beanbag guns. Knowing that one violent incident could spark a huge riot (and Chicago doesn’t have the best track record in the peace department), I was admittedly worried upon entering the event.

To my surprise, it was one of the most sane, organized events I’ve ever been to. People were all sitting in the grass in front of one of the jumbotrons, and in another area people were standing. Everyone was either paying close attention to CNN or talking amongst themselves. Whenever the CNN Projection would announce a new state Barack won, the park would turn into a frenzy of cheering, then, shortly after, it would return to silence.

The crowd was very diverse, like Chicago itself. I saw every nationality and every age imaginable. It seemed that everyone just wanted to come together and be a part of such a historic event. When it was announced that Barack Obama was the president-elect, the crowd went insane. It was like New Year’s in Times Square. There was hugging, kissing, and plenty of screaming. Then, five minutes later, everyone resumed their silence waiting for the speeches to begin.

John McCain gave his concession speech first. Whenever someone would boo, others would shush them. I, personally, wanted to hear what he had to say without some hipster heckling over it. I thought John McCain handled himself in a most gracious manner. He understood how important this election is to so many, and he acted accordingly. He wasn’t belligerent in any way, and whenever someone would boo him, he’d motion with his hands for them to stop. During this speech, some hipster in back of me was constantly throwing in his two cents… “Feeble…This guy is so feeble! Boo! You suck, old man!” I was so close to turning around and telling this idiot to shut his hipster mouth, but before I knew it, the speech had ended.

Then, soon after, Obama gave his speech. The whole audience was completely silent as he spoke. His words were so powerful that you could look around the crowd and notice people crying. This was a truly moving experience. It felt as though a new page was turning not only in politics, but in society in general. Everyone in the audience that night knew they were a part of something great.

As the rally ended, thousands poured out into the street in what resembled a peaceful march more than anything. The rally itself was amazingly peaceful, especially for its attendance. Never have I seen so many people at once in such high spirits.

If anything made me mad about the rally, it was how many people that showed up that had no idea about Obama’s actual policies. There was a good amount of people who simply came to shout “Fuck McCain!” That mentality is sickening because it reflects the intellect of a fifth grader. I would have loved to ask one of them just why they like Obama, based solely on his policies (and not his age, race, and face). But overall, it was amazing to see what can happen when enough people band together for what is right.