Life in Occupied Chicago + Chicago Under Siege
Photo: A protester sits in front of Chicago police officers on State Street during a NATO summit demonstration in downtown Chicago, Saturday, May 19, 2012. Security has been high throughout the city in preparation for the summit, where delegations from about 60 countries will discuss the war in Afghanistan and European missile defense.
Through Monday, downtown residents live in occupied Chicago.
Secret Service agents, NORTHCOM and National Guard forces, as well as thousands of state and local police seem everywhere.
Getting around feels hazardous. Anyone may be stopped, searched, interrogated, even arrested.
Residents were advised to hunker down and stay out of harm's way as best as possible. For many, it's not easy. More on a city under siege below.
NATO is the world's first global war-making alliance. Largely a US imperial tool, it's a killing machine. Its 28 members and dozens of partner states comprise about one-third of the world's nations.
Article 4 of its charter calls for members to "consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any" is threatened.
Article 5 considers an armed attack (real or otherwise) against one or more members, an attack against all, and calls for collective self-defense.
Imperial conquests are planned. Wars are launched. Fundamental laws are violated. Nonbelligerent states are targeted. Vast destruction follows. Millions die. Human misery is incalculable. One conflict follows another in an endless cycle of worldwide collective punishment.
NATO's a global menace, a killing machine, a weapon of mass destruction threatening humanity, an alliance for war, conquest and dominance, not peace.
Enemies don't exist so they're invented. Wealth and power interests alone benefit. Humanitarian intervention is code language for aggressive wars. Pretexts are contrived to wage them.
NATO plans global dominance. China's being encircled. Encroachment approaches Russia's borders. It's targeted by strategic missiles for offense, not defense. At the 2010 Munich Conference, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said:
After the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact dissolved, "a real opportunity emerged to make the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) a full-fledged organization providing equal security for all states of the Euro-Atlantic area."
"However, the opportunity was missed, because the choice was made in favor" of expanding NATO eastward to Russia's borders.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message. He cancelled plans to attend the May 18 and 19 G8 summit. He won't be with NATO states in Chicago. Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev represents him. Both leaders are justifiably concerned.
Putin participated in the Moscow Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit with most former Soviet Republics.
On May 3 and 4, 50 nations attended the Moscow missile defense conference. Representatives from NATO's 28 states came. So did China, Japan, and South Korea.
At issue was America's so-called missile shield. It represents major friction between Moscow and Washington. So is concern about war on Syria and Iran, as well as Obama administration officials fomenting and backing anti-government protests in Russia.
Putin is not silent. He opposes America's aggressive wars. In February 2007 at Munich's 43rd Conference, he said:
He'd "avoid excessive politeness." He said "what (he) really (felt) about international security problems."
What is a unipolar world, he asked? "(A)t the end of the day it refers to one type of situation, namely one center of authority, one center of force, one center of decision-making."
It's a world with "one master, one sovereign. And at the end of the day this is pernicious not only for all those within this system, but also for the sovereign itself because it destroys itself from within."
"And this certainly has nothing in common with democracy. Because, as you know, democracy is the power of the majority in light of the interests and opinions of the minority."
"Incidentally, Russia – we – are constantly being taught about democracy. But for some reason those who teach us do not want to learn themselves."
He categorically rejected unipolarity.
"Today we are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force – military force – in international relations, force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts."
"We are seeing a greater and greater disdain for the basic principles of international law."
"One state and, of course, first and foremost the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way."
He "unequivocally" advocates "non-proliferation." He opposes imperial wars. He favors international cooperation, not confrontation.
He seeks "responsible and independent partners" for peace in a "fair and democratic world order that (will) ensure security and prosperity not only for a select few, but for all."
He's out of sync with warrior NATO states.
His remarks didn't go down well in Washington. At the time, Bush was still president. Since 2009, Obama exceeded his worst policies. He threatens global war. Putin and other leaders are concerned. So are tens of thousands protesting on Chicago streets.
On May 18, The New York Times headlined "Chicago Protests Draw Thousands Before NATO Event," saying:
On Friday, they filled a downtown city plaza. Throughout the weeked, other protests and marches will follow. Police lined downtown streets.
Busloads of out-of-town participants arrived. Police confirmed 13 arrests. Protest groups added another nine seized earlier in the week. Police declined "to comment or even confirm additional arrests, saying the case is continuing."
On May 18, the Chicago Sun Times said three protesters were "charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism."
They're accused of three felony crimes. They include alleged possession of an explosive or incendiary device, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and providing material support to terrorism.
No evidence whatever proved it.
According to National Lawyers Guild (NLG) attorney Sarah Gelsomino:
"We cannot say enough that we believe that these charges are absolutely....very trumped up charges. (They're) clearly an attempt to continue this intimidation campaign on activists."
"Charging these people who are here to peacefully protest against NATO for terrorism, when in reality the police have been terrorizing activists in Chicago, is absolutely outrageous."
Accusations claimed Molotov cocktail preparations. Gelsomino added:
Police "provided no evidence of criminal intent or wrongdoing on the part of the activists."
The men were driving. Police squad cars stopped them. They were "detained for no apparent reason and asked questions about why they were in Chicago and what they planned to do during the NATO summit."
Other arrests were made. On Friday, some were released. Police had no comment. They prepared months before NATO's arrival. Crowd control training using special equipment is involved.
Sound cannon use is planned. They emit ear-splitting chirping noise. Called LRAD (long range acoutic device), it's able to cause permanent hearing loss and other ill effects. The Illinois ACLU and other groups protested against using military technology on peaceful civilian demonstrators.
Chicago's version mounts mid-sized satellite dishes on vehicles or atop high poles. They focus intense sound beams on targets. They cover a 30 degree arc up to 1,600 feet away. They reach 150 decibels.
According to the National Institute of Deafness, noise above 85 decibels can cause permanent hearing loss. University of Missouri Professor Karen Piper participated in an earlier G20 protest. LRAD sound cannons were used. She partially lost hearing and sued. She said:
"The intensity of being hit at close range by a high-pitched sound blasts....is indescribable. The sound vibrates through you and casues pain throughout your body, not only in the ears."
"I thought I might die. It is shocking that (this) device is being promoted for use on American citizens and the general public."
Police deny clear dangers. Official statements call LRAD a "risk management tool."
Cops are also equipped with new armor, shields, "hippie-beaters," surveillance cameras, and other devices and equipment.
On Friday, thousands marched through downtown streets. NLG lawyer Ben Meyer denounced what he called an excessive police presence. Dozens of officers milled through crowds. Some videotaped activities.
"It's frustrating that the state needs to come out and show this much force," he said. At issue was a nurses' rally. Occupy Chicago and other OWS activists joined them. "They have everyone from from the superintendent on down there. It's just ridiculous."
Dozens of protesters blocked Michigan Avenue traffic peacefully. It’s close to where this writer lives. Confrontations with police followed. One or more arrests were made for "aggravated battery of a police officer."
Bogus charges like this occur often. Cops commit violence. Victims are blamed. Justice is denied. The Chicago Tribune called Friday a "peaceful start to NATO protests."
In fact, scattered confrontations occurred. Roads were blocked. Demomstrators chanted "these are our streets (and) parks."
Larger-scale Saturday rallies and marches followed. Others are planned for Sunday. NLG's Gelsomino said arrests made are done to scare protesters. "This is playbook. (It's) "shoddy police work. It's a fear campaign."
The Chicago Sun Times headlined "What does an anarchist look like - or stand for?" saying:
They "don't conform to dress codes." They resemble "ordinary" people.
They oppose war and resent being called anarchists.
The Sun Times also published a "NATO Survival Guide." It advised staying home. For those traveling around the city, it said "good luck."
Expect traffic, bus and train delays. Some roads are closed. Open ones will be congested. Expect patdowns, searches and other screenings. Forget about local museums and other downtown attractions.
Stay far away from McCormick Place NATO headquarters. Avoid the South Side entirely. Major arteries will be closed. Even side streets north of the Chicago River in this writer's neighborhood are affected.
To accommodate heads of state entourages, Kennedy Expressway to O'Hare airport will experience unannounced "rolling closures" over its entire route.
Through Monday, expect delays, discomfort, disruptions, and unprovoked police confrontations. Hopefully peaceful rallies and marches won't become battlegrounds.
Given Chicago PD's odious reputation, odds are long against avoiding what some longtime residents fear.
NATO doesn't arrive anywhere peacefully. Why should Chicagoans expect otherwise?
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Chicago Under Siege
Stephen Lendman
NATO arrives everywhere violently. Chicago was no exception. During summit activities, city cops are enforcers. They specialize in serving wealth, power, and imperial interests.
Their guerrilla warfare history is notorious. They're reliable state terror partners.
Their tactics include no-holds barred surveillance, vigilantism, and brutality. They're infamous for physical confrontation, flagrant abuse, and criminal assaults.
From 2002 - 2004 alone, over 10,000 complaints were lodged. Many involve violence, brutality, even torture and murder. Only 18 disciplinary actions followed.
University of Chicago Law Professor Craig Futterman heads its Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project (PAP). It's one of America's leading civil rights initiatives.
It focuses on criminal justice issues. Its aim is improving police accountability and the nation's criminal justice system. It faces long odds as America grows more repressive. Police behavior during Chicago's NATO summit is Exhibit A. More on that below.
In 2007, Futterman helped prepare a report titled "The Chicago Police Department's Broken System." It revealed damning evidence of systemic brutality, illegal searches, false arrests, racial targeting, sexual assaults, shoddy investigations, a culture of silence, and apartheid justice.
Disadvantaged Blacks, Latinos, poor, and street demonstrators are most affected.
It called Chicago police a "regime of not knowing." They even get away with murder because of "a deep commitment to the machinery of denial." A culture of silence is encouraged and enforced.
Chicago mayors, City Councilmen and women, along with top police officials share culpability. Main report findings, included:
• compared to other large cities, excessive force complaints are 94% less likely to be sustained by top Chicago Police Department (CPD) officials;
• in over 85% of cases, accused officers aren't even interviewed, except for a brief form report;
• repeat offenders account for most abuses; and
• top officials are most responsible for cultivating and supporting a violence-prone system.
The Chicago Justice Project (CJP) independently evaluates city criminal justice agencies. Its purpose is promoting reform and accountability.
In October 2009, it published a 10-year analysis of Chicago Police Board (CPB) cases and decisions. It examined charges filed and rulings. It covered the period January 1999 - December 2008.
It found a "startling difference in outcomes experienced between civilian employees and sworn officers." Disciplinary action against police offenders is lax and undisciplined. Few are punished. Brutality is whitewashed. Serious flaws remain uncorrected. Justice is denied.
In April 2012, CJP reported a "very sad reality." Most police violence complaints are denied. Chicagoans "continue to be frustrated with" unaccountable practices.
Systemic issues remain uncorrected. City officials come and go. Abuses continue. Accountability mechanisms exist but aren't enforced. "The reality is that (for) most types of misconduct....there is little to no way to prove definitive guilt" because no one with authority wants to hear it.
Abusive behavior is incentivized to continue. Justice is systematically denied. No significant change occurred since the 1960 Chicago Police Board's creation. Its nine mayoral appointed members oversea CPD practices. Instead of serving responsibly, it systematically whitewashes abuses.
On May 9, CJP headlined "NATO & All the Unanswered Questions," saying:
Ahead of NATO's arrival, little attention was paid to likely police tactics. Local media scoundrels ignored serious unanswered questions. "It seems like the Chicago press are not really interested unless they are taking it from a CPD press release."
CJP listed a menu of questions demanding answers. Most important are ones related to just treatment for nonviolent demonstrators while cops focus on serving NATO.
The fact that local media fell woefully short "is a scary proposition, especially when you consider the history of the CPD and at times their proclivity to misuse weapons" and commit systematic violence against ordinary Chicagoans with impunity.
Former Chicago alderman Paddy Bauler (1890 - 1977) explained best, saying:
"Chicago ain't ready for reform."
It's still not ready. It proves it daily on city streets. It serves and protects wealth and power. Ordinary Chicagoans are unprotected and abused. Police brutality victims know best. Their stories are chilling.
Systematic Police Violence
On May 20, the Chicago Tribune headlined "Police, protesters clash in Loop," saying:
Saturday, Chicago cops performed as expected. Violence is standard practice. Beatings and arrests followed "pushing and shoving confrontations."
A police van struck one protester. Someone screamed: "They hit him! They hit him!" An ambulance took "someone in a wheel chair" to a local hospital. Friends identified him as New York-based OWS activist Jack Amico.
Demonstrators marched and chanted nonviolently. Images showed riot-clad police swinging batons. Unknown numbers were arrested and detained. Official reports were deliberately vague.
Hotels domiciling heads of state and their entourages are heavily protected. Nothing is spared to serve them. "Asked how he was holding up, one protester (said): 'Exhausted.' "
Earlier Saturday, police and activists clashed downtown "when protesters tried to push through a line of police on bicycles. An officer went down." Other riot-clad ones moved in violently. Several arrests followed.
Each time marchers tried veering from where cops directed them, confrontations occurred. Thousands of police were everywhere downtown. They came riot-clad in groups, phalanxes, on bikes, horseback, squad cars, and overhead in helicopters.
Asked how far police would let protesters go, Deputy CPD Superintendent Debra Kirby said "(t)ill they tire out."
In fact, momentum increased. It continued all day through late evening. Number grew. Sunday may prove most daunting. Large protests and marches are planned.
Participants know what's ahead. They're struggling on two fronts - against NATO and Chicago cops protecting global menace participants. Why else would they brave notoriously violent police for ending wars and justice.
Media Scoundrel Reports
On May 19, The New York Times headlined "3 in Chicago Face Charges of Terrorism in Protests," saying:
"The People of the State of Illinois v. Brian Church, Jared Chase (and) Brent Betterly" alleged possession of incendiary devices, material support for terrorism, and conspiracy to commit it.
Charges are spurious. National Lawyers Guild (NLG) attorneys denounced them. Sarah Gelsomino "delore(d them) in the strongest degree." No evidence whatever proves them.
NLG's Michael Deutsch called them "propaganda to create a climate of fear and to create this public perception that protesters are violent."
The Times said defendants were targeted in early May. They and others were arrested "when police officers and FBI agents obtained a no-knock search warrant" to raid a South Side apartment.
NLG lawyers said police "broke down doors with guns drawn and searched residences without a warrant or consent."
According to The Times:
"The three defendants....assembled four Molotov cocktails from empty beer bottles, with cut bandannas as fuses."
They "were to be used in attacks against police stations, which would divert attention from other attacks around the city."
Official police and prosecutor accounts were cited. They're baseless without credibility. Charges are fabricated with no corroborating evidence. The pattern repeats constantly. As a result, many hundreds rot unjustly in America's gulag.
Yet The Times said "defendants also (planned) to buy several assault rifles and build a pipe bombs at the time of their arrests."
"Throwing stars, swords with brass-knuckle handles, a hunting bow, a shield with protruding nails, gas masks and a map with details of escape routes from the city were also said to have been found in the apartment."
Alleged targets were said to be Obama's local headquarters, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's house, police stations, and downtown financial institutions.
All are well protected, especially leading up to, during, and for days after National Special Security Events. How three youths planned doing this wasn't explained. For attacks this elaborate, a battalion or more would be needed with plenty of backup.
Those charged are nonviolent activists. Bogus accusations called them "self-identified anarchists." State's attorney Anita Alvarez said:
"The individuals we charged are not peaceful protesters. They are domestic terrorists."
Another arrested but uncharged activist said:
"They raided my home illegally to intimidate us, and to stop us from doing the important stuff we were doing."
No one arrested planned terrorism or other violent acts. Nonetheless, the so-call NATO 3 face a harrowing ordeal ahead. Few charged with these type offenses end exonerated.
Even if found not guilty, new charges likely follow. When federal, state and local prosecutors want someone convicted, results usually turn out that way no matter how long it takes.
Sometimes one or more trials are protracted. Including appeals, resolution can take years. The cost burden is enormous. Proving innocence is daunting when government determines to convict.
A deplorable Chicago Tribune editorial headlined "The NATO 3," saying:
Police and prosecutors claim "three men who traveled to Chicago" came to commit "terrorism."
"So we bristled when" NLG attorney Gelsomino "said the arrests were part of 'an intimidation campaign on activists.' What intimidation campaign?"
Police claimed an "imminent threat." Baseless accusations don't square with facts. The editorial quoted CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy saying police "marching orders" were to "protect free speech (and) First Amendment rights...."
"Good call," it added in response to nonviolent activists charged with terrorism. They face long prison terms if convicted.
Federal, state and local authorities deplore free expression, assembly rights, and other constitutional freedoms. Chicago ones are notorious.
They proved it with warrantless break-ins, bogus charges, false arrests, baton swinging violence, other aggressive confrontations, and running down one activist with a van.
Perhaps they're saving their heaviest-handed tactics for Sunday when large rallies and marches are held. Low intensity conflict may follow throughout the day and evening.
Participants and downtown residents fear the worst. Our neighborhoods may become battlegrounds.
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Stephen Lendman: I was born in 1934 in Boston, MA. Raised in a modest middle class family, attended public schools, received a BA from Harvard University in 1956 and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of PA in 1960 following 2 years of obligatory military service in the US Army. Spent the next 6 years as a marketing research analyst for several large US corporations before becoming part of a new small family business in 1967, remaining there until retiring at the end of 1999. Have since devoted my time and efforts to the progressive causes and organizations I support, all involved in working for a more humane and just world for all people everywhere, but especially for the most needy, disadvantaged and oppressed. My efforts since summer 2005 have included writing on a broad range of vital topics ranging from war and peace; social, economic and political equity for all; and justice for all the oppressed peoples of the world like the long-suffering people of Haiti and the Palestinians. Also co-hosting The Global Research News Hour, occasional public talks, and frequent appearances on radio and at times television. I also am a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. I live in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit my blog site sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Lendman News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday - Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national issues. All programs are archived for easy listening. My new book "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War" can be ordered HERE.
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Photo 1: AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh (The Eye)
Photo 2: © Unknown
URL: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/2012/05/20/life-in-occupied-chicago
