Since Chicago was hit harder than most cities and it lacked in state funds, the populace clung to their first amendment right granting the freedom of assembly. Poor, enraged, and frustrated Chicagoans opposed their unfortunate economic situations through organized boycotts and protests. 

"Many unemployed and frustrated workers took matters into their own hands. The Great Depression saw some of the most volatile strikes and protest movements in the city's history... Neither private charities nor the city was equipped for such devastating hard times" (Deutsch).

A satirization of the average man post economy collapse; drawn by John McCutcheon, who won the Pulitzer Prize for this cartoon