{"id":174788,"date":"2025-08-25T16:43:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/174788\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T16:43:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:43:16","slug":"chicago-rejects-trumps-takeover-threat-at-sanders-fighting-oligarchy-rally-peoples-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/174788\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago rejects Trump\u2019s takeover threat at Sanders\u2019 Fighting Oligarchy rally \u2013 People’s World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Chicago\t<\/p>\n

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at the Isadore & Sadie Dorin Forum in Chicago at a stop of his Fighting Oligarchy tour, Aug. 24. | Brandon Chew \/ People’s World<\/p>\n

CHICAGO\u2014Hundreds of people gathered to attend Sen. Bernie Sanders\u2019 rally in Chicago Sunday amid the political backdrop of a potential military takeover of the third largest city in the U.S.<\/p>\n

It was the latest stop for Sanders\u2019 \u201cFighting Oligarchy\u201d tour, which began in February and includes speeches denouncing wealth inequality in the U.S. and the political influence billionaires have on American politics.<\/p>\n

This weekend\u2019s rally was held just a few days after President Donald Trump said<\/a> his administration will \u201cstraighten out\u201d crime in Chicago through a federal takeover and less than 24 hours after The Washington Post reported<\/a> the Pentagon has been planning a military deployment to Chicago for weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his address, Sanders described Trump as a \u201cdemagogue whose function in life is to serve the oligarchy\u201d\u2014the capitalist class\u2014and to divide people.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistorically, the way demagogues succeed is by dividing people up and by scapegoating powerless minorities,\u201d Sanders said at an auditorium at the University of Illinois-Chicago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a demagogue like Trump does is say, \u2018Forget about the health care crisis, forget about climate [change], forget about education, forget about housing. We\u2019re not going to talk about that. We\u2019re going to talk about how we hate this group of people and that group of people.\u2019 And the antidote to that which we must bring forth, we must create, is an understanding that if we do not all stand together, we\u2019re all going to go down together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanders was joined on stage by Illinois State Sen. Robert Peters.<\/p>\n

\"\"Illinois State Sen. Robert Peters addresses the crowd in Chicago during Sen. Bernie Sanders\u2019 Fighting Oligarchy rally on Aug. 24. | Brandon Chew \/ People\u2019s World<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Peters said Sanders helped inspire him to become an organizer and run for office in Illinois, where in 2023 he was part of a successful effort to eliminate cash bail in the state. Trump plans to sign an executive order Monday that revokes federal funding to jurisdictions with cashless bail.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to say to Donald Trump: \u2018You\u2019re not going to attack our home state for making history, and if you send troops, we will resist you,\u2019\u201d Peters said. \u201cThe truth is today in Illinois we are all safer because no one is locked up just because they are too poor, and no person can buy their way out of jail just because they\u2019re rich.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanders sounded a similar note, criticizing the extreme wealth inequality in the country and saying \u201cthe richest people have never had it so good\u201d in the U.S. as they do today.<\/p>\n

Billionaire-backed takeover<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cYou got a handful of billionaires controlling the economy, and they control the media, but that\u2019s not enough. They also now control our political system,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cYou have a political system now where billionaires can spend as much money as they want to elect their candidates or defeat candidates who stand with the working class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanders noted how Elon Musk, the richest person on Earth, spent $270 million on Trump\u2019s presidential campaign and in return was granted \u201cthe ability to run the United States Government for three or four months\u201d through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).\u00a0<\/p>\n

The independent Vermont senator denounced Trump\u2019s \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d Act, which he said makes \u201cmassive cuts to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act\u201d and other federal programs \u201cin order to give $1 trillion in tax breaks to the top 1% and $900 billion to launch profitable corporations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanders further noted how Sen. Thorn Tillis, R-N.C., announced he wouldn\u2019t run for re-election shortly after he was sharply criticized by the president for voting against the Medicaid and ACA cuts.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sanders shakes hands with an attendee at his Chicago rally, Aug. 24. | Brandon Chew \/ People\u2019s World<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point is that if people stand up for justice, stand up for what is right, they will be punished by big money interests, and that is a system that we can no longer tolerate,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cBecause day after day, Washington becomes further and further removed from the reality of the American working class.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chicago workers will fight back<\/b><\/p>\n

Sitting behind Sanders were workers from the Mauser Packaging Solutions plant in Chicago who have been on strike since early June.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we just want stability in our workplace,\u201d said Nico Coronado, the chief negotiator of Teamsters Local 705, in an interview with People\u2019s World.<\/p>\n

Coronado said the Mauser workers are striking for a contract that includes higher \u201cwages that would at least be livable\u201d in Chicago given rent costs, as well as delivering uniforms and safety equipment more quickly to protect workers from toxic chemicals.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we have many members for months on end that have to use their own personal clothing to be around toxic chemicals,\u201d Coronado said. \u201cSo, with that, they have to wash their personal clothes along with their family members\u2019 clothes. So, we have no idea what the long-term health effects of that are going to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As well, Coronado said the workers are striking for contract language that better protects them from federal immigration raids by requiring ICE agents provide a signed judicial warrant in order to enter the property. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll we\u2019re asking is for the company to exercise their private property rights to protect their employees that they say that they care about,\u201d Coronado said. \u201cAnd unfortunately, they\u2019re still unwilling to do that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coronado criticized Trump for his reported plans to send National Guard troops to Chicago and said it would be ineffective at addressing crime in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a criminal himself, first and foremost, but second, crime has been going down in the city of Chicago and a lot of that is owed to a lot of community organizing. It [crime] doesn\u2019t come down from force,\u201d Coronado said.<\/p>\n

Recent data<\/a> from the Chicago Police Department that shows overall violent crime is down 22% through the first half of 2025 compared to last year, with a 32% decline in homicides and a 39% decline in shootings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen gang violence even on my street, and you don\u2019t get results by using force,\u201d Coronado said, who grew up in Chicago\u2019s Pilsen neighborhood. \u201cYou get results by coming down to the community and helping them. And this is something that that man will never understand because he\u2019s had a golden spoon shoved you know where his whole life. He don\u2019t know nothing about communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez speaks as part of Sen. Bernie Sanders\u2019 Fighting Oligarchy tour, Aug. 24. | Brandon Chew \/ People\u2019s World<\/p>\n

Others in attendance at the rally also criticized the potential military deployment and expressed skepticism it would address crime and homelessness in Chicago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have enough housing that\u2019s affordable,\u201d said Angela Aden, who volunteered to help those with disabilities attend the rally. \u201cI don\u2019t see anything with the military providing resources for people. They can\u2019t just build affordable housing. All they\u2019re going to do is scoop people up and make a scene, just so Trump can say, \u2018Hey, I did something,\u2019 and then go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t come here for a photo op,\u201d said Anthony, an attendee who spoke with People\u2019s World. \u201cIf you want to help out Chicago, go to Englewood and take care of what\u2019s going on there. It\u2019s a food desert.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone seems to agree that this is just a political stunt. This is just showmanship,\u201d said Amir, a resident of Chicago\u2019s Albany Park neighborhood. \u201cHe\u2019s ignoring the campaign promises that really matter to people, [like] high cost of living.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Resistance on all fronts<\/b><\/p>\n

Amir said the Republican Party is \u201cbeholden to special interests,\u201d and their policies are \u201cgeared toward the ultra-rich and other institutions such as\u201d the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amir went on to criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he said tries to convince people that \u201call these humanitarian organizations are lying to you\u201d about the conditions in the Gaza Strip. A famine in Gaza was officially declared<\/a> on Friday by the U.N.-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his address, Sanders drew an immediate standing applause from the crowd when he said the U.S. needs \u201cfundamental changes\u201d in its foreign policy, and said \u201cwe must not give another nickel to Netanyahu and the Israeli government to starve the children of Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanders said in his travels across the country, the \u201coverwhelming majority of the American people\u201d don\u2019t want their tax dollars used \u201cto starve children in Gaza.\u201d He said the U.S. doesn\u2019t have \u201can ounce of credibility in condemning human rights abuses\u201d anywhere else in the world given its support for the Israeli military.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These comments were echoed by U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, who spoke just before Sanders took the stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, everything the Trump administration and their billionaire bosses are doing\u2014cutting services Americans rely on, perpetrating mass deportations, attacking workers and their rights, persecuting human rights defenders, deploying the National Guard to Democratic cities, undermining our civil rights, and yes the genocide of the Palestinian people\u2014it is all connected,\u201d Ramirez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ramirez continued, saying that billionaires \u201care willing to rob us blind, leave us starving, displaced, detained, deported, and dead to enrich themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

In light of a potential military deployment to Chicago, Ramirez told People\u2019s World, \u201cWe are ready and prepared to take on every single legal fight necessary and community fight necessary to ensure that they know that they\u2019re not welcome here.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump continues in every passing interview to attempt to trash Chicago on purpose,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cChicago is one of the most successful and diverse cities in the country. It is everything he stands against, and so it is no surprise that he\u2019s trying to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

We hope you appreciated this article. At\u00a0People\u2019s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading\u00a0People\u2019s World\u00a0and the stories we bring you, please\u00a0support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today<\/a>. Thank you!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCONTRIBUTOR<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Brandon<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at the Isadore & Sadie Dorin Forum in Chicago at a stop of his…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":174789,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,10877,5386,1818,80,1439],"class_list":{"0":"post-174788","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-fascism","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-illinois","12":"tag-politics","13":"tag-u-s"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115090411237301425","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}