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Occupy Chicago
Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
11:46pm
Mon May 21

Occupy Chicago, Protesters Explain Why Boeing Was Main Target (VIDEO)

Hundreds of Occupy protesters shut down Boeing’s Chicago headquarters and marched the downtown streets to President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign headquarters Monday.

Occupy’s reasoning for shutting down Boeing was to protest the company’s “immoral” involvement in making airplanes, “killer” drones and other military equipment that’s used in wars and attacks overseas.

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Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
6:19pm
Mon May 21

Unease In Final Day Of NATO Protests

The last day in a week of planned downtown Chicago protests related to the NATO summit were non-violent but tense, following a weekend for which police arrested 60 protesters outside McCormick Place convention center Sunday and the state of Illinois charged four protesters this weekend with plotting terrorist acts.

Sarah Gelsomino of the National Lawyers Guild claimed “there are almost 60 accounts of police brutality” stemming from yesterday’s violence outside the convention center, which is hosting the NATO summit that started yesterday and concludes today. Read more »

Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
11:16pm
Sun May 20

NATO Protesters Rally In Support Of Education, Labor & Living Wages (VIDEO)

More than 2,000 NATO and anti-war protestors gathered in Grant Park Sunday before they took to the streets and descended on McCormick Place where world leaders are meeting for the summit.

Protestors with various causes such as ending drone attacks and promoting women’s rights overseas held signs, chanted in megaphones and waved peace signs as a heavy police presence lined the park and the surrounding streets.
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PI Original
by Matthew Blake
5:06pm
Thu May 17
1 comment

Latino Leaders Meet In Chicago To Talk Voter Mobilization, Immigration Reform

Politics

NATO is not the only policy summit in Chicago this weekend – the three-day National Latino Congreso started today with local and national Latino leaders focused on voter mobilization, at a moment in Chicago when many Occupy protesters are focused on street marches, rallies, and sit-ins.

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
4:41pm
Wed May 16
8 comments

Protesters Call For Eviction Moratorium (VIDEO)

As part of the build up to Sunday's NATO summit protest, Occupy Chicago marched to Daley Plaza in Chicago today with a focus on foreclosures. Speakers demanded that Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart implement a one-year moratorium on evicting homeowners who face foreclosure.

The specific demand was partly answered by the sheriff’s office, with Dart Deputy Chief of Staff Dana Wright showing up at the rally. Wright pledged that Dart would meet with two Occupy delegates this afternoon and suggested that a later public meeting could take place. Read more »

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
4:46pm
Mon May 14

With Downtown Shutting Down, Chicago May Not Profit From NATO Summit

Today’s arrests of protesters in downtown Chicago, and the drumbeat of businesses announcing they will close shop at the end of this week, casts further doubt on Chicago's projection that the two-day NATO summit will be a money maker.

“We stand to benefit a little if things go well, but we could get a black eye if they don’t,” says Alan Sanderson, an economist at the University of Chicago. Read more »

Quick Hit
by Brandon Campbell
1:17pm
Fri Apr 13
1 comment

Chicagoans Get Active In The 99% Spring

For thousands of people across the country this week marks a time of protest training dubbed the “99% Spring.” With a goal of amassing 100,000 participants nationwide, the weeklong series of educational seminars will take place in living rooms, church basements, and online.

Similar to the motives behind the Occupy Wall Street movement, organizers say this week’s focus will be on educating people about how to set up and carry out non-violent protests targeting income disparity, home foreclosures, and unemployment issues.
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