They find the money for repression

January 19, 2012

I JUST came from a Chicago City Council meeting where I watched civil rights shrivel up and die.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed a measure that would allow police from outside the city to be deputized in order to help control protesters for the upcoming NATO/G8 meeting in May--a meeting Chicago citizens have been concerned about due to the fact that it will cost a TON of money to transport, house and feed all those rich people who are coming to Chicago, to sit around and talk about how much money they have, I suppose.

This is the same mayor who has drastically cut school funding and public aid, and took away free public transit for seniors because...well...it cost too much.

But when asked how the city planned to fund this meeting, along with the materials, armor and weapons used by the swelled police force, the City Council looked back and forth at one another and simply said they don't know yet.

Which probably means that the City of the Big Shoulders will probably have to shoulder more economic burdens when we can't afford to pay teachers. When we can't afford to give families the money they need to eat. When we can't afford to allow senior citizens to get on the bus for free.

Oh, but we can apparently afford to make more arrests and raise fines on protesters. But say you're a citizen who simply wants to be heard, not engage in violent protest, riots or any other destructive behavior? How do you get your point across without coming across as a danger?

Well, the city doesn't have an answer for that either. So far, there is no definition of a peaceful resistance method. It's up to the police to determine whether you're peacefully resisting or not.

But, you know, if the deputized cops do happen to overstep their imaginary boundaries, they'll be subject to the same disciplinary measures as members of the Chicago Police Department... Like when Chicago police beat up a female bartender for no reason and were never subject to any legal repercussions.

Is this really America? Really?!
Liz Soles, Chicago

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