Occupiers Target Chicago 'Mayor 1%' Emanuel's Anti-Protest Ordinance

Monday, January 9, 2012 by CommonDreams.org
Occupy Rogers Park, Occupy the South Side campaign against Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's NATO/G-8 ordinance; "This measure is a permanent attack on public protest in the City of Chicago."

Last month, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced anti-protester legislation for the upcoming NATO and G-8 summits in Chicago.

Chicago's WBEZ reported:

"During the summits, which could draw thousands of protesters, Emanuel wants to increase the minimum fine from $25 to $200 and double the maximum fine to $1,000. His proposed ordinance would also close parks, playgrounds and beaches overnight for longer periods of time."

This past Tuesday, Emanuel clarified that these measures would in fact be permanent, and not just during the time of the summits. From WBEZ:

In fact, Emanuel said his proposal to dramatically increase fines for protesters who resist arrest - even passively - should be permanent. Some of the other sweeping powers the mayor is seeking - one would allow his office to unilaterally approve some city contracts - would expire once the May summits are over, he said.

This morning, Occupy Chicago reacted harshly to Emanuel's plan, which they call the 'Sit Down and Shut Up' ordinance. From the Occupy Chicago website:

This ordinance consists of a host of bureaucratic tools created by and for the 1% to relegate, abridge, fine, arrest, and silence our speech. It is an attempt to bully and intimidate with increased police power and fines the brave working people who demand the ability to participate democratically in the organizing of our society. It is an attempt, by the 1%, to restrict and regulate the voice of the people when it upsets the structure that put them in power. The timing of the ordinance demonstrates that it has nothing to do with public safety but that its sole purpose is to stifle the voice and trample upon the constitutional liberties of all the people of Chicago. It is the blatant criminalizing of any public assembly that does not serve the interest of the 1%. It is the handcuffing of democracy. Occupy Chicago condemns this ordinance and demands that they be revoked. Those who are on the side of the democracy of the 99% will stand with us.

This morning, Occupy the South Side and Occupy Rogers Park delivered a warning to all of the city's aldermen, indicating that if they supported the mayor's resolution, they should expext strong resistance.

From their letter to the aldermen:

As you are no doubt aware, Mayor Emanuel sponsored this ordinance and has promoted it in the media as a "temporary" measure aimed at controlling protesters during specified events taking place later this year. As you've surely read, the Mayor has since been forced to retract his claim that these changes were ever meant to be temporary. Another blatant inconsistency is that the ordinance applies to the entire city, while the NATO and G8 summits occur only downtown. Other inconsistencies in the presentation of this ordinance are similarly problematic.

Given what the ordinance actually says, it cannot be construed as an effort to protect the integrity of G8 and NATO conferences. This measure is a permanent attack on public protest in the City of Chicago. The consequences of this attack will be far reaching, and will be felt by protesters throughout the city, most of whom will never have any connection to the protests associated with these events.

As you are also aware, we celebrate the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 16, 2012. Dr. King's legacy is not one of obedience to municipal authorities, but rather the inspiring story of a man who led a community that was willing to face down oppressive lawmakers by violating exactly the type of ordinance the Mayor is asking you to support.

It is difficult to overstate the contrast between celebrating the life and work of Dr. King on Monday, and codifying the suppression of dissent on Wednesday.

Occupy Chicago intends to keep the campaign up until January 18th, when the vote on the ordinances is scheduled.

Emanuel Could Leave White House in October to run for Mayor of Chicago

(Another snake to leave the White House. With the exodus of Emanuel and Summers, that leaves Geithner and just a few other snakes who serve corporate/financial industry interests and who have Obama's ear. With the addition of better advisors to counsel Obama to legislate for the will of the people instead of corporate/bank interests, Obama could actually rebound from his first two years in office. That's too much to hope for, isn't it?--jef)

***

Emanuel, Eyeing Chicago Run, Could Leave the White House in October
By MICHAEL SCHERER / WASHINGTON Wednesday, Sep. 22, 2010

White House aides are preparing for the possibility that Rahm Emanuel may step down as chief of staff as soon as early October if he decides to run for mayor of Chicago, according to a person familiar with deliberations in the West Wing.

One issue hastening the timing of Emanuel's departure is concern over whether he can build a campaign operation while holding down the second most powerful job in the Federal Government. If he chooses to go forward with the mayoral race, Emanuel intends to be sensitive to the fact that his dual role could create the appearance of using his government office to his personal advantage, say two people familiar with internal deliberations.

Like other White House staff, Emanuel has been briefed by the counsel's office about the importance of not using government resources for personal endeavors. In recent days, he has been working the phones of Chicago political and community leaders; he has fielded a poll testing his chances; and he has met with Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., a potential rival in the crowded field. "His consideration of the mayoral race does not interfere with his official obligations, and he is fully aware of all the applicable requirements for conducting these deliberations," says an aide close to Emanuel.

The aide says Emanuel will not make a decision about whether or not to run this week, but was otherwise vague about when the decision would be made — or exactly when he might step down. Congress is scheduled to enter recess on Oct. 8, in advance of the Nov. 2 midterm elections.

If Emanuel, a former Chicago Congressman, decides to run for mayor, he must gather 12,500 signatures by Nov. 22 in preparation for a Feb. 22 primary. Already, however, Emanuel has found himself hampered in his exploration of a mayoral run by his day job, which is among the most demanding positions in government, starting as early as 5 a.m. and continuing late into the evening. Several potential mayoral candidates, including Jackson, former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun and Representative Luis Gutierrez, are also beginning the process of exploring candidacies to replace Mayor Richard M. Daley, who announced earlier this month that he would not seek a seventh term.

The White House has already begun preparing a list of replacements for Emanuel, who could be replaced by an interim chief of staff if a suitable candidate is not decided upon in time. Names that have been floated as possible replacements for Emanuel include Deputy National Security Adviser Tom Donilon; White House legislative strategist Philip Schiliro; White House counsel Bob Bauer; and Ron Klain, the chief of staff for Vice President Joe Biden.

White House aides have been emphasizing the abundance of choices when it comes to the possibility of replacing Emanuel. "No one is indispensable, and if he decides to go, there are many here ready to fill the breach," senior adviser David Axelrod said recently on NBC's Today Show.

Emanuel has long made no secret of his desire for the job of Chicago mayor, saying most recently on the Charlie Rose show in April, "I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago." Among his considerations is the fact that his wife and three children, all under the age of 14, recently relocated from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area, where the children began the school year just weeks ago.