>> CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTE 29 16 TO REJECT AN EFFORT TO PUNISH ONE OF THEIR OWN.

FOR SPEAKING AT A PROTEST WHERE AN AMERICAN FLAG WAS BURNED, THE VOTE CAME AFTER A FIERY DEBATE.

HERE'S ALDERMAN BYRON LOPEZ RESPONDING TO THE ATTEMPT TO REMOVE HIM CHAIR OF COUNCIL'S HOUSING COMMITTEE.

>> THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COUNCIL.

GUY DOING THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

CONTINUED DEPENDENCE.

I THINK SO.

MY COLLEAGUES NEED TO GOT MAYBE A LESSON.

FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS MEAN.

I CHALLENGE US TODAY.

JUST UP THE POLITICAL POSTURING.

TO A STOP.

THE DIVISIONS.

THAT IS A PLUS FOR DOING THE WORK.

>> REPORTER HEATHER SEAN JOINS US NOW FROM CITY HALL.

SO HEATHER, TELL US ABOUT THAT MARCH 23RD PROTEST.

THAT'S THE HEART OF THIS CONTROVERSY.

>> WELL, SEVERAL GROUPS DEEPLY, DEEPLY UNHAPPY WITH THE WAY PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN IS HANDLING THE WAR IN GAZA.

ONCE THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION NOT TO BE HELD IN CHICAGO AFTER ALL.

AND THIS PROTEST WAS REALLY DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME OUT AND PROTEST AND REALLY SORT OF LAY IN TO PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S CONDUCT OF SUPPORTING ISRAEL.

SPEAKING AT THAT PROTEST WAS A VETERAN ZACHARY CAM WHO SERVED IN AFGHANISTAN WITH THE MARINES.

HE SPOKE IN IN PROTEST, BURNED THE FLAG.

HE SAID HE BROUGHT WITH HIM FROM AFGHANISTAN IN PROTEST OF THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT'S POLICY.

AFTER CAM SPOKEN AFTER HE BURNED FLAGS, ALDERMAN LOPEZ STOOD IN FRONT OF IT AND THEN DELIVERED TODAY AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING ZACHARY CAM ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE CITY COUNCIL.

HE WAS DENIED.

HE DID NOT SIGN UP AND WIN A LOTTERY SPOT TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL.

BUT THERE WERE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO SHOUTED OUT IN SUPPORT OF HIM AND IN SUPPORT OF BYRON LOPEZ, EVEN THOUGH OTHERS CALLED HIM A TRAITOR AND COP AND CALLED FOR HIM TO BE REMOVED FROM THE COUNTRY.

>> AND THAT WE HAVE SOME VIDEO HERE OF MISTER KAMM, BEING TAKEN OUT OF CITY WHY DID THE EFFORT TO PUNISH LOPEZ FAIL?

>> WELL, I THINK THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF CONCERN THAT THERE WERE SHIFTING EXPLANATIONS ABOUT WHY ALDERMAN SECURE LOPEZ SHOULD BE PUNISHED.

FIRST, THERE WERE ALLEGATIONS THAT WAS REALLY FUELED ON AX.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA SITE ONCE KNOWN AS TWITTER THAT HE HAD BURNED THE FLAG AND THEN IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE THAT HE WAS THERE AT THE PROTEST AND THEN IT WAS AN ACCEPTABLE.

SOME OLDER PEOPLE SAID THAT HE WAS EVEN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GROUP THAT IS CALLING FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION NOT TO TAKE PLACE IN CHICAGO AND CALLING PRESIDENT BIDEN, QUOTE, GENOCIDE.

JOE.

SO THAT DIDN'T GO OVER WELL WITH THE MAJORITY OF OLDER PEOPLE WHO SEEMED FRUSTRATED THAT THIS TOOK UP AN ENTIRE AFTERNOON WITHOUT ANY REAL CLEAR EXAMPLE, SORT OF WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO EXTEND A COMP EXCEPT EXPOSING DEEP CONTINUING DIVISIONS OVER THE WAR IN ISRAEL AND GOT >> AND THEN CONTAIN DIVISIONS ON CITY COUNCIL RIGHT NOW.

WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS?

>> WELL, THERE IS A LOT OF LAUGHTER WHEN ALDERMAN MARIA HADN'T STOOD UP AND ASKED HER COLLEAGUES STOP POSTING ON TWITTER TO THINK TWICE BEFORE CALLING EACH OTHER NAMES SUCH AS FASTEST SINCE COMMUNISTS AND SOCIALISTS.

IT'S CLEAR, THOUGH, THAT THIS HAS REALLY REACHED A BREAKING POINT AND IT'S NOT CLEAR WHETHER THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ON SIDES OF ISSUES CAN KEEP CAN REALLY WORK TOGETHER FOR THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY.

>> CLEAR DIVIDING LINES HERE.