Slightly Less Bloody Protests and Clashes At Chicago NATO Summit

[Exarch]

Despite the Chicago Tribune's attempt at downplaying the anti NATO/OWS/American Spring protests, it's pretty clear that there was a fair amount of vehemence against those at the summit and what it represents:

By Matt Pearce
May 20, 2012, 1:44 p.m.
This post has been corrected. See note at bottom for details.

It’s been a busy 24 hours in Chicago as protests against the NATO summit continued for a second day. Two more activists faced terror-related charges on Sunday, a police van apparently struck a protester Saturday night, and activists said police drew guns on a group of citizen journalists.

Activists charged

Police said Sebastian Senakiewicz, 24, of Chicago, "had been planning/conspiring with more than two other individuals in the building of explosives, including molotov cocktails which were to be used/detonated during the NATO summit," according to the Chicago Tribune.

Mark Neiweem, 28 — whom authorities also believe to be from Chicago — "engaged in dialogue with a subject, during which time he provided same subject with a list of ingredients that are used in the construction of an explosive device," according to a police report cited by the Tribune. He was charged with attempted possession of explosive/incendiary devices.

Prosecutors are expected to reveal more in a court appearance later Sunday. Police wouldn’t say whether the pair had any connection to the three men charged Saturday with making Molotov cocktails to attack President Obama’s campaign headquarters and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emaunel’s home.

Authorities said the three who were charged Saturday bought fuel at a gas station, poured it into beer bottles and cut up bandannas to serve as fuses. Their defense attorneys countered that it was actually two undercover officers who brought the Molotov cocktails to the charged men’s apartment.

The charges come three weeks after authorities arrested five self-described anarchists with attempting to blow up an Ohio bridge on May Day, coinciding with major leftist rallies in the United States.

Police van amid crowd

A police van apparently struck a protester as it drove through a crowd on the Jackson Street Bridge in Chicago on Saturday night, according to a video report on YouTube.

The video’s caption, whose details could not be immediately confirmed, identified the van as Chicago Police van number 6751.

Other footage showed protesters moving to stand in front of the van as it drove through the crowd, with some slapping it with their hands.

The protester was taken away by ambulance. Police spokeswoman Melissa Stratton said Sunday that the van's driver was punched through the window and that one of its tires was slashed, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Other YouTube footage shows a man clinging to the front of a police van — apparently a different one — kicking his feet as the van drives forward without slowing until another protester runs forward and possibly attempts to slash its right-rear tire. Further footage from NBC Chicago appears to show the man moving away from the van safely.

'Guns drawn'

The Occupy movement has been a flashpoint between aggressive policing and free speech over the past year, and those tensions have continued with the NATO protests in Chicago.

On Saturday night, activists said, about 12 police vehicles stopped a car filled with independent journalists including Tim Pool, who runs a prominent Occupy Wall Street videostream, Luke Rudkowksi and Geoffrey Shively.

YouTube footage shows officers stopping the car and then later driving away, with one journalist saying the police had shut off his live video feed. Rudkowski tweeted, “Had guns drawn on me searched and interrogated while handcuffed.”

“Homeland Security wanted to know what i was wearing who i was with and where i was staying,” Rudkowski also tweeted, adding, “this is freaky.”

“Also CPD (Chicago Police Department) slammed hard drives against running boards 4 or 5 times each,” Shively tweeted.

Neither Chicago police, Rudkowski nor Pool immediately responded to requests for comment.

For the record, 5:20 p.m. May 20: An earlier version of this post said Sunday was the second day of the NATO summit. It was the first day of the summit but the second day of protests.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/n...,7727510.story

As shown by these vids, blood is shed by the police




What has NATO become now that the people it's supposed to protect have risen up against it? They say NATO is now a vehicle for imperialist ambitions (PFANAC anyone?)

[Glista]

Risen up ? Just some hipsters venting out. When people rise, Chicago will burn like in 1871

[Admiral Piett]

Can this even be considered OWS?

[Atlassmurf]

Oh, you´re Russian. Please tell me how Russia is a better place to live in.

[Kanaric]

Can this even be considered OWS?

They dont seem to be associating with that. I'm sure some of those people are there though.

I see no mention of them anywhere

[Border Patrol]

He's not Russian, he just prefers RT because of the tabloid journalism with an anti-western spin.

[Babur]

He's not Russian, he just prefers RT because of the tabloid journalism with an anti-western spin.

Yeah it is about questioning more except about Putin of course

[Heathen Hammer]

NATO is just a tool for America and certain other European countries to spread their imperialist agenda. It should be disbanded, plus EU having its own military alliance would make more sense economically.

[priam11]

NATO is just a tool for America and certain other European countries to spread their imperialist agenda. It should be disbanded, plus EU having its own military alliance would make more sense economically.

Given the present state, you need to think that last part a bit more thoroughly.

[Babur]

NATO is just a tool for America and certain other European countries to spread their imperialist agenda. It should be disbanded, plus EU having its own military alliance would make more sense economically.

The EU is facing an existential crisis at the moment

[Fernandez_1492]

The EU is facing an existential crisis at the moment

What's the existential threat that EU is currently facing?

[Heathen Hammer]

The EU is facing an existential crisis at the moment

Exactly - "at the moment". But the crisis will pass, but NATO will remain a problem. Perhaps it should be replaced by some sort of European defense treaty? It would bring same economic benefits of NATO, but without disadvantages (such as getting involved into America's pointless and unwinnable wars such as Afghanistan).

[Armenum]

It's funny when people just focus on "police brutality" but don't understand you have several anarchist hooligans within such protests whose intention is to cause chaos and such heavy response by the police. When you start instigating/attacking police at such a tense situation, don't expect to be received warmly.

[Tiberios]

RT as a one of the OP's sources? Really? Because they couldn't possibly be biased against NATO

As for the summit, protests are to be expected and I'm not surprised it escalated.

It's funny when people just focus on "police brutality" but don't understand you have several anarchist hooligans within such protests whose intention is to cause chaos and such heavy response by the police. When you start instigating/attacking police at such a tense situation, don't expect to be received warmly.

Please Lord Mov, no reason to bring logic or facts into this. We all know that only the police initiates violence. Never protesters.

The documented footage of the whooping ONE guy with a bleeding head? In which he may or may not be part of a group that was encouraging starting a riot?

Clearly that video is evidence of massive police brutality.

[mrmouth]

RT as a one of the OP's sources? Really? Because they couldn't possibly be biased against NATO

People who align themselves with Russia and China, or are just a conspiracy theorist, have quite obviously rejected any of the undeniable proof that RT is nothing more than state sponsored media.

But even beyond that they have also rejected any of the reports and criticisms from media watchdog groups and other media entities, and individuals on the world stage. This would include other media within Russia, Russian politicians, and an ex-KGB agent.

[Tiberios]

People who align themselves with Russia and China, or are just a conspiracy theorist, have quite obviously rejected any of the undeniable proof that RT is nothing more than state sponsored media.

But even beyond that they have also rejected any of the reports and criticisms from media watchdog groups and other media entities, and individuals on the world stage. This would include other media within Russia, Russian politicians, and an ex-KGB agent.

That certainly seems to be the case. I'm just quite amazed that some people still use RT as a source despite the numerous occasions where it has been mentioned that it is not a reliable source.

[Babur]

That certainly seems to be the case. I'm just quite amazed that some people still use RT as a source despite the numerous occasions where it has been mentioned that it is not a reliable source.

It seems that every week there is a thread with RT as a source, it's the mouthpiece of the Russian government.

[Heathen Hammer]

People who align themselves with Russia and China, or are just a conspiracy theorist, have quite obviously rejected any of the undeniable proof that RT is nothing more than state sponsored media.

It has been pointed out numerous times that any mass media has a political agenda, including RT. It is obvious that RT has pro-Russian and anti-American bias but at the same time it is obvious that FOX or CNN has pro-American and anti-Iranian bias, for example.

But even beyond that they have also rejected any of the reports and criticisms from media watchdog groups and other media entities, and individuals on the world stage. This would include other media within Russia, Russian politicians, and an ex-KGB agent.

Again, almost any more or less influential media has been numerously criticized for promoting a certain political agenda. The only rational way to approach mass media is to take perspectives of outlets with different and conflicting agenda. In other words BBC, CNN, RT all together would give a better picture than only one of them alone, since one outlet may report things that other ones would conveniently "forget" about.

It seems that every week there is a thread with RT as a source, it's the mouthpiece of the Russian government.

Every weak there is a thread with a mass media used as source which represents some country's political agenda? Stop the presses!

[frozenprince]

Again, almost any more or less influential media has been numerously criticized for promoting a certain political agenda. The only rational way to approach mass media is to take perspectives of outlets with different and conflicting agenda. In other words BBC, CNN, RT all together would give a better picture than only one of them alone, since one outlet may report things that other ones would conveniently "forget" about.

The thing about it being that many times when RT is used as a source, there is usually not another source brought in to help put the issue into perspective. Many people, like Exarch, link to a group of sites with a heavy anti-american bias about issues dealing WITH the US.

If he could provide other sources that arent blogs or the like, then we could have a reasonable discussion about it. But as of right now this is nothing more than trying to turn a failed "protest" in which a bunch of people incited a mini-riot then FLED, into something that its just simply not. He made a rather sucessful troll, and props to him, but theres nothing more than that here.

[fkizz]

It has been pointed out numerous times that any mass media has a political agenda, including RT. It is obvious that RT has pro-Russian and anti-American bias but at the same time it is obvious that FOX or CNN has pro-American and anti-Iranian bias, for example.
Again, almost any more or less influential media has been numerously criticized for promoting a certain political agenda. The only rational way to approach mass media is to take perspectives of outlets with different and conflicting agenda. In other words BBC, CNN, RT all together would give a better picture than only one of them alone, since one outlet may report things that other ones would conveniently "forget" about.

This. I see BBC, Local Media, Aljazeera, Financial Times, ocasional New York Times, ocasional RT, all together so they fill each others gaps due to thier conflicting biases.

Any mass media is biased. The horror of RT I see here is exagerated, well its obviously anti-west, but should be intersting to hear what the anti-west media comes up with, even if you don't agree.

Fox News is probably seen better here than RT for the single fact of being Pro USA#1 for example.