Occupy City Hall

[LGBT]

Background
Since July, anti-war organizers in CANG8 (Coalition Against NATO / G8) have delivered letters and attempted to meet with the city regarding respect for the 1st amendment rights of protesters during the NATO and G8 summits that will take place in Chicago in May 2012. 

Our first communications were met with silence, and then repeated calls to city officials in charge of the permitting process were met with a run-around and then with continued silence. 

The G8 ("Group of 8" of the largest industrialized nations) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance are two of the institutions which bear some of the greatest responsibility for the wars and economic violence traumatizing millions of people around the world.  As such, the City should forthrightly commit to upholding the 1st amendment rights of protesters.

 

The Proposal

That Occupy Chicago participate in a non-arrestable action on Wed., Oct. 26 dubbed "Occupy City Hall."  The purpose of the action is to put pressure on Mayor Emanuel to publicly commit to giving march permits "within sight and sound" of the May 2012 G8/NATO summits in Chicago, and that Police Superintendent McCarthy cease making threatening statements against would-be protesters.  If by early next week, Occupy Chicago is still being stonewalled by the City over its demand for a permanent campsite, and/or other civil liberties demands, those concerns will also be part of the demands of the action.

 

Submitted by Andy Thayer [CCAWR - at - aol.com] on behalf of CANG8

[marymcmahon@clear.net]

Andy, I suggest you contact Alderman Joe Moreno who has come out in full support of the Occupy Movement.

121 N. La Salle Room 300 Office 5
(312.744.3063 312.744.3074)

2058 N. Western Avenue 
(773.278.0101)

I'm in his ward and have some experience in navigating the power structure of city management.

A cool head, a bit of patience, flexibility and facile negotiation based in a comprehensive out strategy is a good way to go.

Phone calls are the least effective way to go. One or two persistent people should be able to start the process by interfacing in person. It's all about collecting allies along the way, and always presenting why it is actually in their interest to help you.

Generalizations 3Regarding Alderman: Each alderman has a city hall office and a neighborhood office. Both places have staff that can accommodate a drop in visit. This is the best way to connect with a personal aide or better. Waiting for the Monday open house is often a delay tactic, they'll find some reason to not see you or rush through your time.

[marymcmahon@clear.net]

Oh, I think it is too soon for a joint confrontation of the administration. This will close doors to bot causes immediately and permanently.

The Occupiers should stay focused on the issue of securing a legitimate space and a practical strategy for maintaining their visibility this winter. It's coming fast.

[LGBT]

Mary,

I must respectfully disagree.  We currently have no permanent encampment and the mayor the other day strained credibility by saying he had nothing to do with the 200+ arrests last Saturday night.  I've looked up the ordinance, and the maximum penalty is $500.  500 times 200 is a lot of dough, and the mayor certainly has plenty to do with it. 

There is very much a community of interests -- people concerned with G8/NATO have attempted to interact with the mayor for several months longer than Occupy Chicago, and have gotten the same run-around, mixed with threats of mass arrests.  Hoping for the best while temps dip into the 30s and 20s is not an option.

The City appears to be pursuing a tried-and-true "negotiating" technique--vague promises, occasional verbal gestures, but delivering nothing in practice--all the while hoping that weather and exhaustion will diminish our forces.  That is not real negotiating--it's attempting to grind down and then defeat.

Andy

[marymcmahon@clear.net]

Andy, I think you missed what I'm saying completely. You do not sound interested nor open but filled with righteous inflexibility this make it difficult for you pursue strategies other than flogging the same old horse the same old way.

Saying you respectfully disagree prepared me nicely to door slam that was coming, face the fact they you may have wasted a lot of time and that's what's really bothering you.

There are a lot of people to learn from here that are getting turned off everyday, change it up.

[jdrtimm]

To be both frank and respectful, Mary, your tone in that last post does seem a bit condescending to Andy, who did not appear to be "door slamming" but providing some persuasive evidence against your strategy.

Personally, I'm not sure where I stand on this, but I do worry that your strategy may leave us out in the cold -- literally -- if we depend too heavily on self-interest-motivated promises. I'm a bit fed up with the non-committal, disingenuous tendencies of politicians across the board, whether it's because of them personally or because of our broken system. It may simply be time for us to firmly reject any breach of our rights as protesters in an ostensibly "free" "democracy." 

[LGBT]

I think our strategies must be driven by a realistic assessment of who we are dealing with. 

Mayor Emanuel was opposed to everything Occupy Chicago and anti-war activists in general stand for long before last Saturday night's arrests, long before CANG8 had our own problems with him, indeed long before he became mayor of Chicago.

In Congress he had a consistently hawkish, pro-Wall Street voting record.  In the private sector, he managed to get in on some astoundingly sweet sweet-heart deals that would make Goldman Sachs blush.  Elevated to the White House, he was a hatchet man against even moderately progressive candidates.  His dismissive remark about the left -- "f***ing retarded" -- pretty much sums up what a man of the people he is.

Let's not allow ourselves to be lulled by vague offers and promises put forward by those who work for him.  He wishes Occupy Chicago never occurred, and now that it's here, he wishes it to be destroyed as quickly as possible.

I don't put this forward in order to say that we should align ourselves with any other politician or electoral faction.  Occupy Chicago's strength is in the streets, and that is where our focus should remain.

Andy

[marymcmahon@clear.net]

I'm not suggesting that we align ourselves with anyone. I'm suggesting that we use all means possible. Rahm is not securely in a position to dismiss the people of Chicago's will, because he clearly does not have it... yet. Daley would have hosed you off the sidewalks after the first few days. Rahm cannot do this. Confronting him directly attributes a power to him he does not deserve and has not earned. Anything that can be done, using multiple tactics, to achieve the goal of securing an encampment is what I am proposing. 

I'm sorry if you think I was being anything less than supportive, I'm interested in accelerating the process, and a series of small wins, while keeping your grand plan off the table, is a legitimate tactic.

Using multi pronged initiatives can empower your argument, unite factions, act as outreach and utilize a broader base of the 99% acting in concert at once. 

[jdrtimm]

Cool, Mary, thanks for your ideas. I like what you're saying. Can you be more specific so that people can start to move forward with this kind of thing? For example, what do you propose we argue to Aldermen to win their support? How do you see it as in their interest to help us, exactly? 

[marymcmahon@clear.net]

Good start, remember their job is to deliver city services to their constituents. They also there to answer your questions and get things done with the city.

So, alderman are not there to serve anyone but their constituents. If you have someone who lives in Ward 2, or a business located in Ward 2 that's who Ald. Fioretti will be responsive to.