Chicago, IL – Joe Iosbaker, a leader of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and one of the main organizers of the massive march on the NATO summit, gave an important speech June 30, summing up the some of the lessons of the anti-NATO protest.

Click to hear an MP3 of the speech.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #JoeIosbaker #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #NATOG8Summit2012 #ChicagoNATOSummit

Chicago, IL – One month after the historic protests against NATO, activists from across Chicago and even Milwaukee gathered in the shadow of the McCormick Place, site of the NATO summit, on June 30, for a discussion on the lessons of the NATO protests. The event was held at Trinity Episcopal Church and sponsored by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

In the months leading to the May 20 NATO summit, Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the corporate media mounted a campaign to vilify protesters. In this growing climate of fear, Trinity Church took the opposite stand, allowing protesters to serve food, to camp and to hold meetings there.

At the June 30 forum, Trinity Church welcomed those in attendance. Senior Warden of the Vestry of Trinity, John Marshall, greeted the 40 some people and said that he saw the anti-NATO protesters doing the same work as the church. In his words, “If we hadn’t supported you, when we get in front of Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates, we’d have some explaining.”

Alex Han, an activist with Stand Up, Chicago also spoke. Han was a speaker at the founding conference of CANG8 (the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda), the group that organized the mass march. A year ago, on June 22 when the NATO and at the time, G8 summits were announced in Chicago, many doubted that organized labor would endorse the protests. Han explained that Stand Up, Chicago had that same week in June launched a campaign of challenging the bankers and the CEOs. “3000 workers marched against a conference of financial officers of major financial corporations,” he said. Labor’s involvement was cemented because of the role of Occupy Chicago.

Vince Emanuelle of the Iraq Veterans Against the War spoke about the dramatic high point of the May 20 protest, when 40 veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq threw their medals back to the NATO high command in front of 15,000 protesters at the CANG8 march. Emanuelle said that the veterans are struggling to understand what they went through and concluded, “We have to oppose imperialism and all forms of oppression.”

The most important social movement to emerge this year was the Occupy movement, and Rachael Perrotta, a frequent spokesperson for the Occupy Chicago media committee, was the next to address the forum. She spoke about the level of involvement of the Occupy movement, the 10 days of protest and action, including teach ins, that Occupy helped organize against NATO. “Our press committee was at the convergence center at Multi Kulti [a grassroots activism center], where we had huge screens of feeds from all our indy media video. We were able to communicate with 20 Occupy spokespersons in the protests to respond to requests for interviews from mainstream media.” The mood of protest created by Occupy laid the basis for the success of the NATO protests.

Joe Iosbaker of FRSO was the last speaker and commented on the historic victory that was scored against NATO and the ruling class.

The forum then broke into small groups, where everyone grappled with the debates over tactics that had faced CANG8 and the anti NATO protesters throughout the year.

At the close of the event, Iosbaker reminded the group of the importance of their gathering and debates. “Within every fight we take up, there are actually two fights: the struggle on the streets between us and our enemy; and the struggle for summation. Of the two, the second is the most important, because we can win in the streets and lose the battle for summation.”

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #CANG8 #NATOG8Summit2012 #ChicagoNATOSummit

Stop NATO, abolish NATO

On the occasion of the NATO summit of Chicago, we declare our principled opposition to this imperialist alliance, whose continued existence is a threat to world peace and to the rights and the well-being of the workers and the peoples of the world.

Over the past years, the US and NATO have waged wars of aggression against Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. Today, they are threatening and planning more militarization, interventions, aggressions and outright wars on all continents, in a context of ever-deepening crisis of the world capitalist system, in an effort to further advance and impose the dominance of monopoly capital.

We, Communist and Workers’ Parties present at International Communist Seminar in Brussels, will continue our opposition and mobilization against any and all imperialist interventions and wars. We express our solidarity with all forces that resist imperialist occupation and aggression and defend the sovereignty and independence of their countries. We will continue our struggle to oppose and abolish NATO. By struggling to bring an end to this imperialist alliance, we are contributing to the cause of world peace.

Signers:

1. Algeria, Parti Algérien pour la Démocratie et le socialisme (PADS) 2. Azerbaidjan, Communist Party of Azerbaidjan 3. Belarus, Belarussian Communist Workers' Party 4. Belgium, Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB) 5. Benin, Communist Party of Benin 6. Brazil, Partido Comunista do Brasil (PCdoB) 7. Brazil, Partido Comunista Brasileiro 8. Brazil, Partido Patriá Libre 9. Bulgaria, Party of Bulgarian Communists 10. Chad, Action tchadienne pour l'unité et le socialisme (ACTUS/prpe) 11. Colombia, Colombian Communist Party 12. Congo, Democratic Republic of, Congolese Communist Party 13. Cyprus, Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL) 14. El Salvador, Communist Party of El Salvador (PCS) 15. France, PRCF – Pôle de Renaissance communiste en France 16. France, URCF – Union des Révolutionnaires-Communistes de France 17. Germany, German Communist Party (DKP) 18. Honduras, Communist Party of Honduras 19. Hungary, Hungarian Communist Workers' Party 20. Iran, Tudeh Party of Iran 21. Ireland, Communist Party of Ireland 22. Ireland, Workers' Party of Ireland 23. Italy, Party of the Italian Communists 24. Latvia, Socialist Party of Latvia 25. Lebanon, Lebanese Communist Party 26. Luxembourg, Communist Party of Luxembourg (KPL) 27. Malta, Communist Party of Malta 28. Martinique, Parti communiste martiniquais 29. Mexico, Popular Socialist Party of Mexico 30. Morocco, Voie démocratique 31. Netherlands, New Communist Party Netherlands (NCPN) 32. Pakistan, Communist Party of Pakistan 33. Palestine, Popular Front of Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) 34. Philippines, Communist Party of the Philippines 35. Poland, Communist Party of Poland 36. Portugal, Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) 37. Russia, Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) 38. Russia, Russian Communist Workers' Party – Revolutionary Party of Communists 39. Serbia, New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (NKPJ) 40. South Africa, South African Communist Party 41. Spain, Communist Party of Spain 42. Sri Lanka, People's Liberation Front (JVP) – Sri Lanka 43. Sweden, Communist Party (KP) 44. Switzerland, Parti Suisse du Travail 45. Turkey, Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) 46. Turkey, Labour Party (EMEP) 47. Ukraine, Union of Communists 48. United Kingdom, Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) 49. USA, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) 50. Venezuela, Communist Party of Venezuela

#BrusselsBelgium #BRU #AntiwarMovement #InternationalCommunistSeminar #antiimperialism #NATOG8Summit2012 #ChicagoNATOSummit

Chicago, IL – Once again bowing to public pressure, on April 4 the city of Chicago granted permits for a rally and march against the NATO summit planned here in May. The Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda (CANG8) also demanded the city waive the nearly $40,000 in fees to use a public park,and give a more favorable march route as well.

The permit is for a rally at noon on Sunday, May 20 at the Petrillo Bandshell in Grant Park – without the onerous fees and with the changes to the march route that the protesters insisted on.

Joe Iosbaker of CANG8 stated that the group was again victorious and warned the mayor and the Secret Service to respect the right to protest. “NATO is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands in Afghanistan and Libya. These generals are spattered with the blood of the Arab and Muslim people, including those killed in Pakistan by U.S. drone strikes. And in Afghanistan, 250 children die every day from malnutrition.” Iosbaker continued, “We have the right to march against these masters of war.”

CANG8 has called for the Secret Service to respect the march route granted by the city. “Declaring the summit a National Security Event doesn’t allow them to suspend the constitution,” Iosbaker said.

CANG8 also calls on the mayor and the Chicago police to stop threatening mass arrests and to stop painting protestors as dangerous.

#ChicagoIL #NATO #JoeIosbaker #CoalitionAgainstNATOG8WarPovertyAgenda #NATOG8Summit2012 #permits

Milwaukee, WI- 100 people protested Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Milwaukee as he spoke at a $400 dollar-a-plate fundraiser for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s run for governor. Community members drove from Chicago and across Wisconsin for a chance to bring their anger over Rahm Emanuel’s policies to him directly.

Laid off Chicago nurse Timothy Hudson spoke out against Mayor Emanuel’s privatization attacks on Chicago’s mental health clinics. Also representing the Chicago Mental Health Movement was Diane Adams, a patient of Auburn-Gresham Mental Health Center on the Southside of Chicago, one of the six mental health clinics scheduled to be closed by Emanuel’s administration on April 30. Members of dozens of community groups planning to protest the NATO convention in May joined the protest to demand Emanuel fund healthcare, not a crackdown on civil liberties during the NATO convention.

Many Wisconsinites at the protest were also protesting Barrett’s anticipated run for governor. Like Emanuel, Barrett has stood with the 1% business owners in Milwaukee to privatize community infrastructure. Barrett is extremely unpopular amongst progressive voters for crushing the Paid Sick Days ordinance that passed by voter referendum with a 69% majority. Since Governor Scott Walker destroyed collective bargaining for public employees, Barrett has done nothing but continue the attack on public workers, using Walker’s legislation to his advantage.

While Rahm Emanuel is closing and privatizing schools and health clinics, he is simultaneously handing out millions without oversight to his corporate sponsors, such as Motorola, in anticipation of the NATO Summit in Chicago on May 20. Emanuel’s administration has spent nearly $1 million on face shields alone for riot police, yet he denies the city has enough police to allow The Coalition Against NATO/G8 a permit to protest on May 20.

For over two 2 hours, protesters marched outside the high-dollar fundraiser, forcing Emanuel and Barrett’s corporate sponsors to drive through the protest into the event. Members of Occupy Milwaukee, Occupy Fon du Lac and the Milwaukee Coalition to Protest NATO held a large banner that read “Money for healthcare not warfare!”

Standoff

Trying to take their message directly to Rahm Emanuel, the entire protest caught police by surprise when they rushed onto the property of the private club. Police wielding batons demanded that the protesters immediately leave the private property. Led by the Chicago organization Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP), protesters refused to back down and advanced further toward the police line. An intense standoff occurred between protesters and police for nearly a half hour. Protesters demanded police send out a representative of Emanuel’s office, but they refused.

Diane Adams from the Chicago Mental Health Movement appealed to the police by telling them how mental health clinics had helped her personally, adding, “If you police keep on dealing with us like this you will need those resources someday too, and they won’t be there.”

After police gave the final warning for protesters to leave the property, Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle of STOP called out the police for protecting the 1%, saying, “We’re giving you your final warning! This is your last chance to protect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and stand with the 99%!” After the standoff, protestors vowed to return and have further plans in the works to confront Rahm Emanuel wherever he goes.

Organizers from the Coalition Against NATO/G8 in Chicago continue to fight Emanuel’s attacks on civil liberties and plan to hold a mass march on the opening day of the NATO war makers’ convention in Chicago on May 20.

Other sponsors of the protest included Occupy the Hood-Milwaukee, Occupy the Hood-Chicago, Occupy Chicago, Occupy Riverwest, Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society, Peace Action Wisconsin, Progressive Democrats of America, Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement, The Milwaukee Graduate Assistants Association and the International Action Center.

#MilwaukeeWI #MayorRahmEmmanuel #NATOG8Summit2012

13 people were arrested on the first day trying to occupy Compton Hill Reservoir Park. Police armed with batons attacked the Occupiers, causing several injuries. Protesters were initially threatened with felony charges, which were later dropped. Then on March 17, Occupy Wall Street protesters rallied against home foreclosures in front of the Wells Fargo Corporate Center, one of the big bailout banks. Unfazed by the previous day’s police violence, the protest then merged into the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Saint Louis chanting, “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!”

Much of the weekend's agenda focused on the upcoming NATO/G8 protest against war makers and bankers in Chicago. Occupy Chicago, as well as organizers from the Coalition Against NATO/G8 gave presentations about the causes of war and poverty and facilitated discussions on building for the protests across the Midwest. Cities from around the country are organizing buses to Chicago for the May 20 day of action.

“We were excited to connect with organizers from around the country that are a part of the same movement against corporate domination and war,” said Danielle Meyer of Occupy Milwaukee, “We want to coordinate Occupy further and develop plans for future connected actions throughout the Midwest.”

#StLouisMO #OccupyWallStreet #NATOG8Summit2012

Chicago, IL – The White House announced today, March 5, that the G8 summit, scheduled for Chicago on May 19-20, will be moved to Camp David, although the NATO summit will still take place in Chicago.

Joe Iosbaker, an organizer of the protest stated, “We are going to march on the warmakers' summit. They are changing their plans, but we will not change our plan to oppose those who are waging wars abroad, while impoverishing us at home.”

Iosbaker urges activist to go all out in building for the protest, and said that plans for the protest might change based on NATO announcing a new time for their summit.

The Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda (CANG8) and Occupy Chicago issued the following statement:

The G8 moving to Camp David represents a major victory for the people of Chicago. The leaders of the 1% are moving because of the overwhelming resistance to the NATO/G8 war and poverty agenda in Chicago. Our city is filled with tens of thousands of people who are struggling to keep their heads above water, fighting against the effects of the economic crisis caused by the leaders who would have been gathering here. The communities of Chicago are fighting to save their schools, keep healthcare available, and to defend their jobs from cutbacks that are a hallmark of the governments of the G8.

The city has carried out a campaign to intimidate and vilify protesters, claiming that protests lead to violence. In fact, the main source of violence in the world today is the wars being waged by NATO and the US.

We will march on May 19 to deliver our message: Jobs, Housing, Healthcare, Education, Our Pensions, the Environment: Not War! We and tens of thousands will be in the streets that day for a family friendly rally and march, with cries so loud they will be heard in Camp David and across the globe. We will be in the streets that day to fight for our future, and speak out against the wars and their cutbacks that are designed to benefit the 1% at the expense of the 99% of the world.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #NATO #G8 #OccupyChicago #CoalitionAgainstNATOG8WarPovertyAgenda #NATOG8Summit2012

The Interfaith Committee intends to continue to gather the support of faith leaders to defend the right to protest war and austerity.

The text of the statement follows:

A PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES

WHEREAS the founders of our American democracy, when debating the freedoms that should apply to “we the people,” rejected the proposal that these freedoms be “tolerated,” and affirmed that these freedoms are “rights – even unalienable rights – that the government must always honor; and

WHEREAS the Bill of Rights – not the Bill of “Toleration” – of the United States Constitution places the freedom of religion first, but associates it with the essential freedoms of speech, of the press, of peaceable assembly, and of petition the government for redress of grievances; and

WHEREAS religious leaders and their communities have a long and continuing tradition of defending these essential and interconnected rights whenever the government has sought to compromise or deny them as a means of exercising control, exploiting fear, and imposing unreasonable physical and expressive restrictions on persons and groups; and

WHEREAS the political and community leaders of the City of Chicago have determined that benefits will be realized by inviting the G8 and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to hold their scheduled summits in May of 2012 in the City, and that these invitations have been accepted; and

WHEREAS the political leaders of the City of Chicago have now used the occasion of the forthcoming summit meetings of the G8 and NATO to rewrite and make significantly more restrictive and oppressive those ordinances applying especially to the freedom of speech and the freedom of peaceable assembly, and to threaten and intimidate with massive police action, arrest, and exorbitant fines those who are planning to assemble and speak in protest against the policies and actions of the G8 and NATO as well as other matters of national and international concern; and

WHEREAS these political leaders of the City of Chicago have taken steps to unreasonably limit the hours and places for free speech and peaceable assembly during the G8 and NATO summits, including spaces that are officially acknowledged to be “public” in character, and even to discourage non-protesting persons, groups, and institutions from their presence in these public areas; and

WHEREAS, we as leaders of faith communities of the greater Chicago region and other parts of the country have a religious and public responsibility for demanding that political and community leaders meet their assigned duties ethically, legally, and in keeping with the Constitution of the United States of America;

WE, therefore, the undersigned religious leaders petition the Mayor of the City of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, and members of the City Council, to cease and desist from the enactment of any and all laws and ordinances, policies and practices that, in word or in spirit, violate, compromise, and undermine the clear and consistent meaning of the United States Constitution and it Bill of Rights.

Signatures (Institution/Religious affiliation is for identification purposes only)

• The Rev. Thomas Aldworth, Pastor, Morgan Park Baptist Church, Chicago
• The Rev. Luis Alvarenga, Iglesia Unido de Cristo, Berwyn
• The Rev. Jacki Belile (ABC – USA); Founder and Director, Living well Ministries
• Fr. Bob Bossie, SCJ
• John Cassel, First Church of the Brethren
• Joyce Cassel, First Church of the Brethren
• The Rev. Ann Coburn, Episcopal Church
• Dr. Pauline Coffman, Middle East Task Force of Chicago Presbytery
• The Rev. Daniel Dale, Senior Minister, Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, Chicago
• The Rev. William Exner, Vice-Chair, National Executive Council, Episcopal Peace Fellowship
• The Rev. Sarah Fisher, Rector, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Chicago
• The Rev. Dr. Cotton Fite, Priest Associate, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Evanston
• The Rev. Lee A. Gaede, Deacon, St. Giles Episcopal Church, Northbrook
• Dr. Linda Gaither, Chair, National Executive Council, Episcopal Peace Fellowship
• The Rev. Larry Greenfield, Executive Minister, American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago
• Dr. Marshall Elijah Hatch, Senior Pastor, New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church; The Leader’s Network, Chairman
• Rafeeq Jaber CFP, Treasurer, Civil Rights Education Center
• The Rev. Damon R. Jones, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Berwyn, American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago
• The Rev. Jackie Lynn, Executive Director, Episcopal Peace Fellowship
• The Rev. Loren McGrail, Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, Chicago
• Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chair, Board of Parliament of World Religions
• The Rev. Emeka P. Nwachuku, Vicar, St. Andrew’s Pentecost Episcopal Church, Evanston
• Fr. Robert H. Oldershaw, Pastor emeritus, St. Nicholas Parish, Evanston
• Ahmed Qadeer, Co-Vice Chairman, DuPage United Secretary, Naperville Interfaith Leaders Association (NILA), Ex-President, Islamic Center of Naperville)
• The Rev. Bonnie Perry, Rector, Rector/Senior Pastor, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Chicago
• The Rev. Primitivo C. Racimo, Vicar, St. Margaret of Scotland Episcopal Church, Chicago
• The Rev. Elizabeth Ritzman, American Baptist Churches, USA
• The Rev. Dr. Douglas R. Sharp, Interim Minister, Lake Street Church of Evanston, American Baptist Churches, USA
• Swami Shraddhananda, Yoga Chicago (magazine)
• Mr. Newland Smith, Librarian Emeritus, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary
• The Rev. Dr. Jerome A. Stone, Evanston
• The Rev. Linda Tossey, Pastor, Community Baptist Church, Warrenville
• The Very Rev. Kara Wagner Sherer, Rector, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chicago
• The Rev. Robert T. Yeager, Oak Park

#ChicagoIL #civilLiberties #FirstAmendment #MayorRahmEmmanuel #CANG8 #NATOG8Summit2012 #BillOfRights

At 12:30 today, Rahm Emanuel officiated over the death of the Bill of Rights in the City Council chambers.

Ordinances designed to severely restrict First Amendment rights of speech and assembly were presented on December 14th. The stated target was to prepare to repress protesters during the summits of NATO and the G8.

At first, aldermen and the media all agreed that no one would oppose Emanuel on this.

In response to mayor's attack on civil liberties, the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda (CANG8) joined together with Occupy Chicago and several unions to unite our efforts to defend of civil liberties in Chicago. By last week, aldermen had felt so much pressure from constituents that they had to speak out.

Emanuel then moved to withdraw first one, and then another, of the most criticized pieces. Protests continued to grow; Emanuel retreated further; the protests mounted, and he retreated even further.

Finally, a version was reached that the council opposition could vote for, hoping that the movement would not condemn them. The final version is still a significant attack on democratic rights; its passage is a defeat for our movement.

The mayor has not achieved his true objective, though. Emanuel looks at the new Chicago he has inherited, with protesters in so many places, and he wants to put the genie back in the bottle. It’s not possible.

We have the right to protest against war, austerity, and inequality. Mayor Emanuel, you’ll see us in the streets of Chicago: our streets.

#ChicagoIL #civilLiberties #FirstAmendment #OccupyChicago #MayorRahmEmmanuel #CoalitionAgainstNATOG8WarPovertyAgenda #CANG8 #NATOG8Summit2012 #BillOfRights

Chicago, IL – Over 50 people gathered in City Hall, Jan. 17, to speak out against plans by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to restrict the right to protest. They held a press conference, and then proceeded to pack into two consecutive hearings held by City Council committees.

CANG8 (Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda) called the press conference. It bought togather union officials, community activists, faith leaders, anti-war activists and members of Occupy Chicago. CANG8 and Occupy Chicago called for people to stop what Occupy folks termed the “Sit Down and Shut Up” ordinance.

The headline-grabbing restrictions in the ordinance included greatly increased fines for those arrested in protests. (Charges of “Resisting or Interfering with a Police Officer” are among the most common in arrests during protests. In Chicago, “going limp” is considered resisting arrest.) Fines were to be increased from $25 to $200 at a minimum and doubling of the maximum fine to $1,000. Also, the fines for violations during a permitted march would be increased by a multiple of 20, from $50 to $1000.

The ordinances also said that organizers would be required to provide the city with “a description of any recording equipment, sound amplification equipment, banners, signs, or other attention-getting devices to be used in connection with the parade” at least a week in advance of the any march. Plus activists would have to guarantee one parade marshal for every 100 participants, and officials wanted to decrease the amount of time from two hours fifteen minutes to two hours that a march could be in the street.

Why these restrictions now?

Mayor Emanuel is trying to deter protest against NATO and the G8. He is also trying to clamp down on the Occupy Chicago movement that emerged this fall. Since the announcement of the NATO/G8 summits, there has been an intimidating, well publicized build up for heavy handed policing; a campaign to demonize those who might protest, both in the press with the story line that “protests lead to violence,” but also through presentations of “security assessments,” warning of the same thing in private meetings with schools, churches and cultural agencies in the downtown area; an effort at the same time to obstruct permits for rallies/marches; and finally ordinance changes that both further the intimidation of potential protestors and place greater restrictions on those planning permitted assemblies.

Response to Public Opinion

Emanuel’s move to restrict the right to protest caused a fire storm of civil liberties complaints. When his ordinances were first introduced one month ago, city council leaders were said to be in the “yes” camp, supporting the mayor. But CANG8 stood against it, and prominent civil liberties voices were raised. Occupy Chicago, the Teachers Union and SEIU joined in; and then an outpouring of grass roots folks gave the city council the courage to take a stand against these restrictions of constitutional rights.

In the middle of this debate, the City of Chicago granted permits to CANG8 for a family friendly rally and march on May 19. Mayor Emanuel responded to public opinion, which clearly supported the right to protest against NATO’s wars and the poverty that the G8 is pushing onto working people through its cutbacks.

In response to the pressure, the most egregious of the restrictions were reduced: increased fines for arrests in protests were dropped; the fines for march permit violations were reduced from$1000 each to $200 each; the requirement for one marshall for every 100 marchers was dropped; the requirement for amplification was reduced to informing them of any equipment too large to be carried by an individual; and the time limit for marches was left at two hours and fifteen minutes. The revised ordinance language has dropped the requirement that those applying for parade permits during the summits provide detailed information about the signs they planned to carry.

Any restriction on the right to protest is wrong

Organizers with CANG8, Occupy Chicago and organized labor are still urging members of the council to look at the intent, and think about the context: Mayor Emanuel invited the bankers and the generals here before Tahrir Square; before the protests in Madison, Wisconsin; and before Occupy Wall Street. He wants to deter protest in Chicago. The Emanuel administration has engaged in a campaign of vilification: “protests lead to violence” is how it is expressed. The superintendent of police and the mayor have threatened mass arrests from the moment CANG8 stepped forward to talk about a family friendly protest.

The mayor looks at the new Chicago he has inherited, with protestors in so many places, and he wants to put the genie back in the bottle. It’s not possible.

Any restriction on democratic rights is wrong. The city should not restrict its majority—workers, students, low income folks—as they find their voices. The city has voted in the past against war. Most people in Chicago are against the agenda of the NATO and G8 summits. Protestors have a right to deliver the message: “Jobs, Housing, Healthcare, Education, the Environment, our Pensions: Not War.” At the NATO / G8 summit.

On Wednesday, activists will pack the city council chambers during the vote on the ordinance changes.

The ordinances still quadruple the minimum fine from $50 to $200 for any violations of the parade permit; they give Chicago Police Superintendent McCarthy the power to hire private security companies to video protests, forging agreements with “public or private entities concerning placement, installation, maintenance or use of video, audio telecommunications, or other similar equipment. McCarthy is still allowed to deputize out-of-state law enforcement personnel during the summits. Protestors are still required to provide the city a description of large signs.

#ChicagoIL #civilLiberties #OccupyChicago #MayorRahmEmmanuel #CANG8 #NATOG8Summit2012 #rightToProtest