This photo is courtesy of Brett Jelenek, who is creating onsite video and photo recordings of events in Chicago. It was taken on May 18, 2012 according to Brett. I call it “A Warm Chicago Welcome” or “You shall not pass.”
Not only were there premptive warrantless arrests, but folks were shuttled about in unmarked cars, held for as long as 48 hours, and according to Attorney Deutsch (see link to his embedded interview, here) all charges are fabricated and provocatuers planted phony “evidence.” Pretty strong statements. So if you are hearing that three “terrorists” were arrested, understand that this is more likely than not media hype to justify the actions of CPD (Chicago Police Department), FBI, and Homeland Security in Chicago. One of the fellows arrested is an EMT student, all of them bunked at the home of a young guy who was brewing beer long before they came to Chicago.
I love the National Lawyer’s Guild Press Release. You should all read it here.. Don’t expect to find it in the Boston Globe, after all. Don’t expect these pictures of the huge military presence in Chicago to show up in the Globe, either.
You can spend your juice throwing sand at one another’s senate candidates and calling one another names. Boring. I don’t even read those posts any more. I am far more concerned about seeing the NDAA in action in Chicago. Frankly, I think you all should be concerned, too.
And, yes, folks I consider friends are on the ground in Chicago. That includes livestreamers and photojournalists. Paul Weiskel has a flickr set up, for those who want more images. I love the Robin Hood hats, and the “Robin Hood Understood” sign. Don’t you?
As for me, I am monitoring from home, working to build my spouse up as much as possible for the next round of chemo, which begins on 5/23 and goes to 5/25 – while maintaining the house and working on an appeal. But it really would be a good thing if “the whole world” was watching what was happening in Chicago. And the Twitterverse is ablaze with photos and updates.
I had forgotten about the NATO meet.
Why do authorities feel they have to preempt protests? What does anybody get out of it? NATO will meet, protesters will hold their demonstrations, and in a few days everyone goes home. Obviously there should be a police presence where there are likely to be crowds, but it should be ONLY a presence unless or until there is actual trouble. Otherwise cops should be there to protect both meeting attendees and peaceful protesters.
when people express displeasure.
in the United States. I don’t mean to sound alarmist or to say we’re going to the dogs, we’ve had it for a long time. It’s probably part of the America DNA.
It was there during the heyday of HUAC. It was there when Hoover’s FBI was running COINTELPRO. It was there when the Chicago police killed Black Panthers. It was there at Kent State. It’s in SCOTUS’ decision to allow law enforcement to strip search anyone being held in jail. It’s there in the money we’ve given to the NYPD to spy on New Jersey Muslims. It’s there in the increasingly heavy weaponry we give to the police.
Chicago this time around is just a continuation of the trend.
This is the photo that got twittered out by someone I follow: http://twitpic.com/9n1f1g
Here is the link. You can’t say you did not know – or at least if you don’t know what is happening in Chicago, and don’t know that there is a solidarity rally in Boston – at least I TRIED to tell you. Myself, I can’t go but I would if I could – I am on home nursing duty and will remote monitor via twitter and livestream.
One of many interesting videos now posted at IndyMedia on Youtube. I know Paul, and I recognized him being targeted in this one as he was taking video.
but it seems like protests surrounding international agencies [UN, G8, NATO, etc] seem to result in more vandalism by protesters than strictly national protests. Has anyone else noticed this? Any evidence, or evidence to the contrary?
And for the last year, I know folks whose word I trust, who were there, who take and provide photos and video – see above links and in fact, LRADs and violence were instituted along with kettling today in Chicago. I watched a friend, Paul Weiskel, be run over bravely filming the policeman who targeted him for filming, for example, see this link. Paul is the 20 year old UMASS journalism student in the grey Tshirt who takes the impact of the police bike in the chest and stomach at the beginning of this video and keeps filming.
I’m not in any wise suggesting that any extensive property damage took place in Chicago this weekend, but I agree with stomv that, historically, what used to be billed generically as “anti-globalization” demonstrations do tend to get more violent. Seattle, Rome, Quebec City. (Though I vividly recall being smack dab in the middle of a genuine riot in Philly during the 2000 GOP Convention. Still, there were a lot of out-of-towners at that one.)
It may have to do with the fact that aside from the many marches rallies etc that take place in DC, most rallies around “national” issues are more localized when it comes to participation. E.g., a big antiwar rally in Boston–you know, the kind we had until Obama was elected and it was suddenly declasse to make too much it publicly?–tends to draw people from Boston and environs. And people are by and large loathe to trash their own streets, or to allow a few others do the same.
I remain proud of the fact that both sides behaved as they did during the Boston Occupation. I know that some of my comrades remain more than unhappy about what happened when they seized a second park, but that was a dumb-ass miscalculation to start with. Still, that was the most “violent” action on the part of Occupy Boston–siting some tents unlawfully. But it’s my my experience that (with the exception of the Dem Convention in 2004, which was heavily militarized) the BPD takes the opposite tack from most cities; rather than showing a display of force, they send along a few paltry individuals to basically direct traffic during marches. The message: we’re going to treat you as decent, law-abiding people. The reaction? When people don’t feel threatened, they don’t get antsy and stupid.
I would expect to see something on the non MSM-media about the rioting at right wing protests, but I don’t. I do see lots of pictures of racist or ignorant signage used at Tea Party events, like that “Get a Job, Morans!” picture that is used everywhere, which suggests to me that plenty of counter-protesters are present at right wing protests to record rioting and/or property damage.
I would agree with stomv that it appears that at these “international” gatherings, there seem to be an increased number of smashed windows and burned cars, things which have not happened either at Tea Party or Occupy protests over the last few years.
I also agree with jconway that I hope these international conferences continue to do us the favor of going somewhere else. McMurdo Station, for instance.
had a scroll on their website earlier of a bunch of mugshots under the heading “Anarchists Arrested” in CHI.
Looked like a bunch of college kids to me.
Who hasn’t rolled their eyes when the FBI foils a plot. The plot planned, financed and controlled by the FBI. All they add is a few dimwits to take the blame. It gives some credibility to the notion that the first WTC and the Oklahoma bombings may have been government operations gone wrong.
If the government wanted a meeting of NATO, why put it in a crowded metropolitan area? Of all the places NATO controls… The only conclusion I draw is that they want confrontation. They don’t care about terrorists. They want to stop peaceful protests. Terrorists aren’t marching down the streets by the thousands.
Workers, farmers, students, retired people are.
They are the enemy. The enemy of a status quo designed to maintain a plutocracy.
“Of all forms of tyranny the least attractive and the most vulgar is the tyranny of mere wealth, the tyranny of plutocracy” –John Pierpont Morgan
I live in Chicago and have been here all weekend. The first wave of protesters, the nurses rallying against health care cuts, the veterans for peace rallies, etc were largely peaceful and the cops did a great job keeping the peace without using too much force. Some seniors at church this morning were part of those protests and the minister praised the police for being supportive as did many of the participants. What is happening now is that the more violent and nihilistic elements are wrecking it for everyone else. The 5% of protestors that are throwing fences at police, breaking windows at pizza parlors are provoking an overreaction on the part of the police who are now going into 1968 convention mode which is quite unwarranted and unfortunate.
The point is not that the police are wonderful and the protestor are at fault, but its also not the black and white picture of evil police beating on innocent protestors either. The situation has deteriorated and its the fault of both sides. I have friends and neighbors in the protests and in the police department and its really hard for us to watch out here. I just pray that peace can return on Monday or at least by Tuesday and that both sides can assess what happened tonight and make a better effort to be peaceful tomorrow.
Howland Natick makes a fantastic point, none of us, cops, activists or the average Chicagoan wanted this here and we had no say in the matter. I really hope they never hold another conference like this again, it makes little sense not to always hold these things at Camp David or in resort locations in rural areas. In many ways it does seem they wanted the confrontation, not the police but the powers that be and I honestly see little purpose from holding these here.