He nodded toward the back of Pritzker Pavilion across the street. Inside the pavilion Oprah was leading a celebration for a group of Olympic medalists.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Up the block another police officer pointed me toward the action, as it were: a small gazebo on the Aon Center plaza where six students and even more parents sat reading in a quiet circle. Reverend Ira Acree, one of the protest leaders, said the building management had told them they couldn’t go inside. “They gave us a tour of the outside of the building,” he said.
None of the dozen or so sites was chosen at random—organizers wanted to get the attention of the biggest supporters of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid, including Boeing, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and Aon, which until August was led by bid committee chairman Patrick Ryan. “If people want to bring a world-class Olympics to Chicago, we’re saying, ‘Why not a world-class education?’” Acree said.
But he shouldn’t be underestimated. He’s smart and charismatic and capable of shaking things up, and despite his history of on-again, off-again activism, his supporters remain intensely loyal. Several told me Wednesday that they were prepared to keep their kids out of school indefinitely–“as long as pastor tells us,” as one put it.
