At approximately 1:00 a.m. CST on October 16, 2011, hundreds of
Chicago police methodically encircled Congress Plaza in Grant Park
before arresting 175 Occupy Chicago protesters who remained past the
park's 11:00 p.m. curfew.
Occupy Chicago forces followed the lead of the Occupy Wall Street
Protesters who have successfully entrenched themselves in Zuccotti Park.
Seeking a more permanent site for their occupation, Chicago
demonstrators erected a tent city in Congress Plaza after an earlier
march and rally at 7pm on Saturday, October 15th.
The earlier rally began at the intersection of Jackson and LaSalle
near the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Chicago Board of Trade,
the site of the group's 23 day occupation. In solidarity with the
"Global Day of Action," over 2000 people gathered at the peaceful but
noisy rally. Iraq Veterans Against the Afghanistan War held a banner
along Jackson Boulevard while across the street others toted cardboard
signs that exclaimed, "Wake Up!" and "I'm a human being. My life has
value!" A pickup truck spray painted with the movement's Twitter
hashtag, "#occupychi," circled the block pausing briefly to receive cheers from the crowd.
Following the rally, protesters took to the street. They filled
Jackson Boulevard chanting, "The people united will never be defeated,"
and in Spanish, "El pueblo unido jamás será vencido" along with
other calls familiar to the Occupy Movement. Flooding southbound
Michigan Avenue, the protesters brought traffic to a halt as they flowed
into Congress Plaza.
Two days earlier, at the Thursday, October 13th General Assembly,
Occupy Chicago participants voted to relocate from their stronghold at
Jackson and LaSalle to an undisclosed location. After Saturday's rally,
participants then began erecting an encampment in Congress Plaza, the
site of the group's daily meeting. Participants were aware that their
actions would draw the ire of city officials and the Chicago Police
Department (CPD), but unanimously, the group decided to establish a more
permanent location.
For 22 days, Occupy Chicago had had zero arrests. They have complied
with local ordinances and worked closely with the CPD to coordinate the
logistics for demonstrations. However, tonight's attempt to occupy a new
public space brought Occupy Chicago into direct confrontation with the
Chicago police.
By 10:30pm, approximately 50 police cruisers and police SUVs lined
the roadways surrounding Congress Plaza. Dressed mostly in black except
for their protruding blue collars, officers on foot crept up slowly
until they had created a perimeter encompassing the four sides of the
park. Eight other officers on horseback moved into position along
Michigan Avenue. Members of the CPD were professional, courteous, and
unresponsive as the protesters bellowed passionately, "The CPD is the 99
percent" and "1. We are the people. 2. We are united. 3. This
occupation is not leaving."
After 11:00pm, a Chicago Police Captain informed the occupants of the
plaza that they were in violation of a specific municipal ordinance,
and that they needed to vacate or faced being arrested. Heedless of
these warnings, demonstrators instead locked arms to form a barrier
around the encampment.
Across Michigan Avenue, a crowd of nearly 1000 supporters gathered in
solidarity outside Roosevelt University. Buoyed by Occupy Chicago's
ubiquitous drumming squad and a Sousaphone, the indefatigable crowd
clapped, chanted, cheered throughout the ordeal: "The whole world is
watching!"
During the next two hours, the police and protesters readied for the
impending showdown. Occupy Chicago's social media team streamed live
video from the event to over 2000 people. Likewise, participants used a
live Twitter feed (#occupychicagoand #occupychi) to deliver updates and photos to their nearly 14,000 followers. Updates were also posted to the group's website (http://www.occupychi.org) and their Facebook page.
As the cries of "We are the 99 percent" echoed from the supporters
across Michigan Avenue, the demonstrators in Congress Plaza broke into a
number of songs: Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," Bob Dylan's
"The Times They Are a-Changin'," and unexpectedly, Queen's "Bohemian
Rhapsody" (impressive in its near entirety).
By 1:00 a.m., the police began their arrests. Harsh white light
blanketed the demonstrators in an angelic glow, and the black cloaked
mass of officers oozed through the plaza like an amoeba, slowly
ingesting one protester at a time. Unlike the violent clashes seen in New York and Rome, Chicago police politely asked demonstrators:
"Would you like to leave? If not, we will arrest you. Which do you
prefer?" Most, if not all of the encamped protestors, chose to be
arrested. Officers stood the individuals up, turned them around, and
handcuffed them using plastic "zip" security ties. A handful of
demonstrators refused to stand and were carried away by the officers.
Demanding their constitutional right to free assembly, the crowd of
about 150 non-violent demonstrators waited patiently for the slow moving
police procession to reach them. As each individual was taken into
custody, another demonstrator would stand behind them holding an
American flag. A voice from above the plaza cried out, "Tell me what
democracy looks like." Those below calmly awaiting arrest called back
proudly, "This is what democracy looks like."
Meanwhile, a handful of officers indiscriminately dismantled and
dragged tents across the plaza. Personal belongings were collected by
the police and by members of Occupy Chicago. As the tents began to
disappear in a flourish, someone yelled, "Get into the tent!" The door
unzipped and twenty individuals cloistered themselves in the last
remaining tent.
In a matter of minutes, police had reduced the once bustling and
vibrant encampment to this single, gray, nylon structure, dubbed the
"Liberty Tent." Demonstrators inside ignored repeated police requests to
exit the structure. One hundred bystanders watched as the police cut
the fabric and exposed those inside. Police forces then hauled the
resistant demonstrators to awaiting police trucks, and later, a CTA bus.
By 3:30 a.m. the plaza was largely cleared, and the singing and
dancing supporters across the street had migrated to the police station
to await the release of their fellow Occupy Chicago members. Those
arrested received a court date and a $150 citation, and many vowed to
return after getting much needed food and rest.
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