Coincidentally, yesterday in Chicago several hundred demonstrators waged a protest that also included roadblocks. They blocked streets around McCormick Place, the city’s main convention center. Approximately 60 people did get arrested for misdemeanor obstruction of traffic.

The difference? The conference going on at McCormick is an international gathering of police leadership. The demonstrators were demanding racial justice and protesting the way many police departments engage with communities of color. In contrast, the police in SXM were probably on the side of the protesters, and may have families that were personally affected by what the government was trying to do. Doesn’t surprise me a bit that no arrests were made in the SXM situation as they were in Chicago.