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Chicago police raided an apartment housing anti-NATO protesters late on May 16. Kevin Gosztola wrote a post about it here:
This morning on the Lakeside Diner, Tarheel posted this comment:
Note to friends here from TarheelDem. I was one of the persons arrested in an early morning police raid in the Bridgeport neighborhood early Thursday morning. I was release with no charges this morning (Friday). I am fine. There are still five or six in custody. (Tracking down where folks are held has been difficult for the NLG.) Calls to Rahm Emmanuels official voicemail would be helpful. The folks at Occupy Chicago and NLG worked rapidly and effectively to ensure our release. The whole charge is transparently bogus and meant for the media to reduce turnout to the march on Sunday. The permitted march will be relatively safe, providing you leave fairly soon at the end of the march (unless you want to risk arrest yourself by intentionally staying). A large turnout is crucial. Everyone who can make it to Chicago should; a larger crowd makes the entire effort safer.
City of Chicago main phone line: 312.744.5000
If you stay on the line, you can register your complaint with an actual person. If anyone can find a direct line to the Mayor’s staff, please post it in the comments.
Update2: Chicago Tribune article suggests that police think the protesters were using beer brewing equipment to make molotov cocktails:
Er, ok. I’m almost surprised they didn’t “find” buckets of weaponized urine.
35 Comments
Rec’d with thanks, snapdragon. Glad he’s out and safe. Wish we could all be in Chicago.
Doesn’t Tarheel’s arrest just prove that the police are preemtively arresting *peaceful* activists working to expose misdeeds of our governments? This is cray-zee.
x2
Yes, but remember it’s been going on since, and before this. And these were journalists, no less. Many houses journalists were renting were raided, and viciously, I might add.
Fascism in this country has a long history, but others will stop by to remind of of the Whens and Wheres over our free speech and assembly rights being undermined as criminal.
Thanks, yellowsnapdragon and to Tarheel for letting us know his situation and passing on an appeal for more to attend the protest.
Thanks for posting that number, ysd.
Here’s another reason to complain to Rahm:
I called and the officer I spoke with would only refer me to this Chicago Tribune online article.
Molotov cocktails? The smearing has begun.
Preemptive raids. Cops lying. Claims by corporate media about milotov cocktails. All in a good solid Democratic Party run town.
Please refer to the 2008 RNC in St Paul. Lather-Rinse-Repeat
I updated with that link above. What crap. IIRC Tarheel was concerned that some occupiers might discredit the movement by flying the American flag upside down in the early days of occupy. I seriously doubt he would choose to bunk with black bloc types.
Glad Tarheel is out, but have a question: Says he was released without charges? Was he actually booked, fingerprinted, etc? Or just handcuffed, carted off to the slammer, plunked in a cell for however long, and then told, “Oops, big mistake. We sorry.”?
Exactly. Looking forward to hearing more from him about this. Thanks for this diary, ysd.
Kevin’s got a lot more information and analysis over at the Dissenter.
http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2012/05/18/activists-raided-arrested-ahead-of-nato-summit-continue-to-be-held-without-charge/
This is bullshit get an empty glass bottle get some gas there’s your cocktail why do you need beer making equipment to make molotov cocktails most beer glasses are to small to hold enough gas for a big fire plus the lids on mason jars are hard to get off the openings on mason jars are to wide to stuff with a rag and you need to stuff a rag in to make a wick.
Home brewing requires either mason jars which are impractical for molotov cocktails because of the huge opening.
Or if they are really set up for home brewing regular sized beer bottles which are really to small to hold much gas.
Next question where is the gas and rags to be made for wicks did anyone even have a lighter?
Bridgeport is Mayor Daley’s old neighborhood lots of connected cops there it still is considered dangerous for dark people to go there late at night. If Mayor Rahm wants to do anything to someone Bridgeport is the best place for him to do it.
A whiskey bottle is about the right size and shape for a molotov cocktail I am sure Mayor Rahm will raid the Irish bars in Bridgeport next/ :)
A whiskey bottle is about the right size and shape for mayor Rahm (Rahmses, as Driftglass calls him) to sit on. Sorry if that is crude:). I’m mad enough to *spit*.
LOL! Of course it’s crude, OmAli. Well done! ;o)
And TarheelDem (and the rest of us) need some inspirational music!
People Have the Power!
TarheelD, thanks for leading the way.
ysd, thanks for the info.
We have a hero. And villains.
If only cop shows reflected the moral calculus of reality we might make some headway.
Way to go, THD!
Rahm I think is in desperate need of Whiskey and a good lay after Rahm called us retarded I think anything we say about him is fair game. Especially since he got all the blue dogs elected pushed Obama to support Blue Dog compromise and the Blue Dogs last election lost tons of seats to Tea Baggers the next election.
By their fruits ye shall know them and Rahm’s fruits are letting the GOP steal our
lunch moneyDem seats won when Obama was elected to go Left not Blue Dog Right.Obama is in trouble in large part because every action Rahm supported turned out to be unpopular so unpopular that on the biggest issues to voters jobs, homes ending both wars etc Obama is to the Right of the American people.
Heavens! Did not know this. Thank you for the update.
*g* and ((wd)) and :)
THD !!
Peasant Party would send out a rousing “Huzzah!!” to TarheelDem, I’m pretty sure. Where are you, lady? Hope everything is ok?
Glad to hear TarheelDem and the others were unharmed. Attaboy, TarheelDem!!
Several people from Occupy Portland spent a few days with Occupy Salt Lake this past weekend, they were on their way to Chicago for the anti-NATO protests. Really nice folks. Hope they stay safe in Chicago.
I wonder where PP is too.
Thanks for the post, ysd. Recommended. Most here can conclude from Tarheel’s writings that he is a reasonable person, but I have had the pleasure of being face-to-face with the man, he is one of the gentlest people I have ever met, and I would bet my life that he would never choose to be anywhere near any type of violence whatsoever. This is yet another attempted frame by the pig police. When will it end?
Wish him the best.
Meanwhile, the right-wing extremist groups have militias, guns out the wazoo, and people are getting set up for having lighters & liquor bottles.
I’m almost surprised they didn’t “find” buckets of weaponized urine.
*heh* Formerly known as ‘chamber pots’…! ;-)
Mahalo, yellowsnapdragon and TarheelDem…!
No charges means no lawyer expenses, right? But if y’all need some cash, go to e-bay and offer FDL thank you notes for sale. Hellofway to screw up a mild mannered insurrectionist’s evening.
I once confused Tarheel Dem with someone else from somewhere else on the Internet. I was very clearly mistaken. Sorry, TD. Best wishes.
Well TarheelDem certainly gets a HUZZAH! from me and, although he’s a Southerner and would never used his fists, this might do for the satire and attitude:
“A British Tar” (from Essgee’s version of HMS Pinafore)