ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR PROSPECTS.

THANK YOU.

WE'LL CHECK BACK IN WITH YOU IN A LITTLE BIT.

THE COALITION TO MARCH ON THE DNC HELD ITS FIRST DEMONSTRATION EARLIER TODAY CALLING ON THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO STOP SENDING AID AND WEAPONS TO ISRAEL AMID ITS WAR IN GAZA.

CHICAGO.

TONIGHT'S NICK BLOOMBERG IS AT UNION PARK, THE SITE OF THIS AFTERNOON'S RALLY AND HE JOINS US NOW WITH MORE.

NIC.

THAT'S RIGHT.

BRANDIS.

THIS IS THE PARK WHERE THE MARCH STEPPED OFF FROM SOME OF THE MARCHERS ACTUALLY MAKING THEIR WAY BACK TO THIS LOCATION RIGHT NOW.

IT WAS A RAUCOUS, HOURS-LONG GATHERING HERE TODAY WHERE WE HEARD MANY OF THE FAMILIAR CHARGES AGAINST TOP DEMOCRATS, GENOCIDE.

JOE KILLER KAMALA WITH ORGANIZERS AND SPEAKERS SAYING IT IS A MORAL IMPERATIVE TO STOP SUPPORTING ISRAEL.

WE HEARD A LOT OF THOSE KINDS OF MARCH IS A VERY FIRED-UP CROWD TODAY WITH ORGANIZERS SAYING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIANS KILLED COUNTLESS MORE DISPLACED.

IT'S NO TIME FOR THE DEMOCRATS TO BE IN TOWN, CELEBRATING THEMSELVES AT THEIR CONVENTION.

IT SAYS THE VIETNAM WAR OF OUR GENERATION.

IN THE LATE 60'S EARLY 70'S, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN IN THE UNITED STATES WERE IN THE STREETS TO STOP THAT WAR.

IT'S INCUMBENT UPON US TO DO THE SAME THING HERE.

THE MAIN PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO WIN PALESTINIAN FREEDOM OF THE PALESTINIANS THEMSELVES.

THIS MARCH IS A TESTAMENT TO HOW THE VERY WORKING AN OPPRESSED PEOPLE.

THESE DEMOCRATS CLAIM TO REPRESENT WELL, NO LONGER STAND FOR THE CURRENTLY EXISTING ORDER OF OUR TAX DOLLARS BEING SENT TO FUND A GENOCIDE.

THERE IS NO LESSER OF 2 EVILS WHEN THE SO-CALLED LESSER IS AIDING AND ABETTING A GENOCIDE.

NOW AFTER RALLYING IN THE PARK, INCLUDING APPEARANCES FROM INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CORNEL WEST AND MUSICIAN AND POET JAMILA WOODS, A CHICAGO NATIVE OF THE MARCH FINALLY STEPPED OFF GOING FOR QUITE A WHILE DOWN WASHINGTON STREET BETWEEN BEFORE TURNING NORTH AND GOING WEST AGAIN.

AND NIC, THERE WAS SOME DEBATE ABOUT THE MARCH ROUTE.

HOW DID THINGS END UP?

THAT'S RIGHT.

ORGANIZERS SAID AT THIS MORNING'S PRESS CONFERENCE THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PUSH RIGHT UNTIL THE VERY MOMENT THAT THEY STEPPED OFF FOR THE CITY TO GIVE THEM A LONGER ROUTE TO ACCOMMODATE THE LARGE CROWD.

ONE ESTIMATE FROM AN ORGANIZER WITH SOME 15,000 PEOPLE POTENTIALLY.

BUT THAT WAS TO NO AVAIL.

THEY DID WIN A FIGHT WITH THE CITY TO GET, YOU KNOW, A STAGE.

AN AMPLIFIED SOUND HERE FOR THE RALLY AT UNION PARK.

NOW, ONCE THE MARCH TOOK OFF NEARLY AN HOUR AFTER ITS SCHEDULED START TIME, THE CROWDED MOVE VERY SLOWLY DOWN THE STREET REALLY JUST FILLING THE ENTIRE STREET.

THERE WERE LINES OF POLICE OFFICERS ON BIKES ALL DOWN THE SIDE OF EVERY ROAD.

WE EVEN SAW SUPERINTENDENT LARRY SNELLING AT ONE POINT AT THE FRONT OF THE MARCH.

IN ADDITION TO PROTESTS AGAINST THE WAR IN GAZA, SOME OF THE CHANCE TOOK AIM AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYING THE CPD KKK AND ISRAELI MILITARY, THEY'RE ALL ONE IN THE SAME ESSENTIALLY ORGANIZERS ALSO FOUGHT HARD FOR A ROUTE WITHIN SIGHT AND SOUND OF THE UNITED CENTER, WHICH THEY GOT, THOUGH, AT A DISTANCE OF SEVERAL BLOCKS AWAY.

WELL, OUTSIDE THE PERIMETER, WAS DIFFICULT FOR FOLKS INSIDE THE UNITED CENTER TO HEAR TOO MUCH OF WHAT WAS GOING ON.

WE SHOULD SAY THERE WAS A SMALL GROUP OF PROTESTERS NOT CONNECTED TO THE COALITION THAT BROKE THROUGH PART OF THE FENCE OUTSIDE THE OUTER SECURITY PERIMETER WITH CPD REPORTEDLY BRINGING IN, YOU KNOW, OFFICERS TO HELP SECURE NICK, WHAT OTHER KIND OF PROTEST TO EXPECT THIS WEEK?

WELL, THERE WAS ALSO A RALLY AND MARCH SCHEDULED TO END UP AT THE DNC RIGHT ABOUT AT THIS HOUR.

THAT'S LED BY THE POOR PEOPLE'S ARMY.

THEY WERE GOING TO GET MUCH CLOSER TO THE TO THE UNITED CENTER BECAUSE OF A SNAFU AT THE CITY'S AND WITH THE PERMIT AND THE COALITION TO MARCH ON THE DNC IS ALSO PLANNING AMONG OTHER ACTIONS THIS WEEK.

WHAT'S EXPECTED TO BE ANOTHER LARGE SCALE EVENT