10-31-25

By Lee Goodman

Protest headquarters has been demolished.

It wasn't much. Just a couple of tents, like you see at art fairs and farmers' markets. They had been there for several weeks, and the village of Broadview had not objected. But the village changed its mind, and yesterday after sunset when few people were around, the village tore them down.

The tents held medical supplies, so people who had been tear-gassed or hit with pepper spray could wash out their eyes. There were bandages for people who might have been shoved to the ground by Border Patrol. There were water bottles so people could stay hydrated, and there were snacks. There were whistles, tissues, sidewalk chalk, and a few jars of bubbles for those who wanted to show resistance in a whimsical way.

The supplies in the tents were well organized in plastic bins. On a regular basis, volunteers would take stock of the inventory, so when people came by and wanted to know what was needed, they could tell them. There was almost always someone at the tents who knew what was going on at the protests. They would tell people where they could park. They would advise them about the boundaries of the cordoned-off “free speech” area where protests were allowed, and which hours protests were permitted without violating the curfew Broadview had established. There was always a bag so people could throw away their trash.

Volunteers at the tent also helped people who just wanted information about what was going on inside the ICE facility, and people who wanted to know what they could do to help. The volunteers also comforted protesters who were overcome by emotion after their visit outside the detention center. Posted on the sides of the tents was information about where relatives of people who were locked up by ICE could obtain lawyers. There was also a Code of Conduct that the protesters encouraged people to abide by so as not to interfere with the nearby residents and businesses. There were a couple of chairs so people could rest. Each day, some of the regulars at the protest would meet at the tents and talk about what needed to be done the next day. Lots of rumors were quashed at the tents.

The village sent the protesters a notice a few days ago saying the tents had to come down. The protesters tried to meet with the village officials, with no success. When the village crew showed up, they didn't let the protesters remove the tents or the supplies. The crew didn't inventory and cart away the materials so they could be retrieved later by the protesters, the way the police would if they were conducting a seizure. Instead, village workers threw the medical and other supplies into a dumpster they had brought.

The handful of protesters who happened to be around scrambled to rescue what they could. But the village workers would not pause. Protesters rushed to move supplies into their cars. A woman from a nearby business helped. But much was lost. And today, all that remained were a couple of messages scrawled on the sidewalk next to where the tents had stood, saying, “We were here. Sorry we were a sore eye,” and “Listen Far! Our reach it's wide. They can't BREAK US! We've Watched – They try.”

We don't know why the village changed its mind about the tent. Maybe they were bowing to pressure from some residents. Maybe they were afraid the tents would become a homeless encampment. Maybe they are more sympathetic to ICE than they say they are. Maybe they are angry that they have been sued for restricting the hours and locations of protests. They won't tell us.

This morning, as musicians played and people sang at the protest, the volunteers who had maintained the tented headquarters were discussing what they will do to provide aid and support, now that the tents are gone. The answers are not clear yet. But the resolve of the protesters was obvious. They shall not be moved.