Foes of Chicago closing six of its 12 mental health clinics in
April will air their grievances today in a new venue – the Cook County
Criminal Court.
Five protesters charged with trespassing at the
since closed Woodlawn mental health clinic will use the
“necessity defense” according to their attorney James Fennerty, who
spoke at a press conference this morning outside the courthouse.
Defendants invoke the necessity defense when they claim to have
committed a crime so as to benefit the public good.
“These people
don’t deny that they trespassed,” Fennerty said. “But they were doing it
to prevent a greater evil — meaning the closing down of the clinics and
people not getting their mental health care, and not getting their drugs
or seeing their therapist.” Read more »
The following was written by Anders Lindall, spokesman for AFSCME Council 31, in response to the 
Hundreds of protesters were met by dozens of Chicago police officers
outfitted with riot gear in front of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s North Side
Ravenswood home Saturday afternoon. While the Mayor wasn’t home, his
house was guarded by a line of officers who created a makeshift barrier
using their bicycles. 
