Neighbors remain on edge after overnight protest outside Rep. Brad Schneider's home in Highland Park, Illinois
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (CBS) — Pro-Palestinian protesters held an overnight demonstration in the wee hours Saturday outside the home U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Illinois) in Highland Park, prompting noise complaints and alarm from neighbors.
Several neighbors remained on edge Saturday night, particularly as the protesters promised to return. They also wondered why more wasn't done in response at such an hour.
In a community advisory alert, city officials said that around 2:43 a.m., the dispatch at the City of Highland Park Police Department received about 30 calls for a noise complaint of people shouting in the vicinity of Woodland Road. CBS 2 is told Rep. Schneider was not home at the time of the protest, though other family members were.
The city said officers arrived on the scene within minutes and saw around 40 protesters, carrying banners and shouting "pro-Palestinian and antisemitic chants" using loudspeakers and drums, gathered on the sidewalk. Social media video also documented noisemakers that sounded like sirens.
While police said there were antisemitic chants, CBS News Chicago could not confirm that was the case in the available video footage of the protest. In videos posted to social media, protestors can be heard saying "Free Free Palestine" and "Resistance is justified when there is a genocide."
Schneider's office said a red liquid that appeared to be some kind of animal blood was poured on the sidewalk.
Officials said officers immediately began de-escalating and dispersing the crowd, following safe management procedures based on the size of the crowd and establishing a perimeter around the protesting group to ensure the safety of neighbors in the area who were outside. Officers also communicated with the event organizer and informed them about city regulations regarding noise and safe assembly.
Around 3 a.m., officers requested additional units to assist with site management and coordinate an immediate and safe dispersal. By 3:15 a.m., all protesters had left the scene.
But videos shown to CBS 2 by neighbors have a timestamp of 3:18 a.m., with the crowd still on their street
Officers remained on scene for two additional hours after the protesters left for investigation and the safety of residents, officials said.
The City of Highland Park said no arrests were made, and no citations were issued. The city said the crowd was peacefully dispersed.
An Instagram post showing the demonstration included a caption reading, "Chicago organizers wake up Brad Schneider at 2:30 a.m. to demand he re-funds UNRWA and ends the U.S.-backed genocide." The post was found on the Instagram page "Direct Actions for Palestine," which tagged the Pro-Palestinian groups American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Chicago and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Chicago.
As seen in the Instagram post, protesters took issue with Schneider over Congress' defunding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and for Congress' approval of military aid to Israel.
"We must hold him accountable for the deaths of over 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza," Direct Actions for Palestine wrote on Instagram. "If Gaza doesn't get justice, then you don't get no sleep. This is just the beginning."
In March, Congress passed a massive appropriations bill that included a one-year ban on direct funding to the UNRWA—after allegations from Israel that some of its staff members participated in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
U.S. intelligence found the Israeli allegations about UNRWA and Oct. 7 to be credible, but did not conduct an independent analysis, relying instead on an evaluation of the intelligence provided by Israel. The U.S. has historically been the largest donor to UNRWA, which is the agency with the greatest infrastructure for distribution of aid within the 25-mile Gaza Strip.
The latest report from the U.N. found Israel has not provided supporting evidence to corroborate its claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of Hamas.
The protest group's video also says at the top, "We will be back." A neighbor said the protests chanted that sentence as they left, while planting Palestinian flags in the grass.
The protest comes just days before Highland Park prepares to mark two years since the Fourth of July Parade shooting, where a mass shooter opened fire, killing seven people and leaving dozens hurt.
A spokesperson for Rep. Schneider's office said:
"It's unfortunate that instead of seeking a constructive dialogue with Congressman Schneider, a group of people hiding their faces chose to taunt and intimidate a predominantly Jewish neighborhood on the Jewish Sabbath in the middle of the night. It's even more disturbing they chose to harass a community that is preparing to commemorate the second anniversary of the Highland Park mass shooting, a shared tragedy that was spurred by hate. The Congressman is always happy to meet and sit down with anyone. I encourage those who disagree with his views to seek a conversation in the daylight rather than disturbing and traumatizing families in the darkness of night."
The Anti-Defamation League's regional director, David Goldenberg, said he's spoken with local law enforcement and Schneider about the protest. The City of Highland Park said it is in communication with Rep. Schneider.
Officials also say there will be additional patrols in neighborhoods and implementing a close watch on houses of worship.
On the City of Highland Park Facebook page, some residents complained about the city's response, or "lack thereof," as one person put it. Some residents were upset in particular that no arrests were made.