David Orlikoff

[Mark]

Mark sent a message using the contact form at http://occupychi.org/contact.

David Orlikoff of the Direct Action Committee (among others) was arrested twice in the last two weeks while participating in OC actions. The first time he was leading the action against the American Economic Association downtown on January 7th. He was told to put away a banner he was carrying with someone else on the sidewalk. He was told he was interfering with pedestrian traffic, which he initially argued as there was no pedestrian traffic. Upon being instructed a second time he complied but was arrested anyway.
The second time was last week at City Hall about Sit Down and Shut Up. He was on the second floor chanting loudly at the point we all realized they had closed us out off the voting session when an officer arrested him for battery claiming David hurt his ears when he chanted so loudly. Later, when David was in the lock up, they upgraded his charges to aggravated battery entirely making up an incident where David is supposed to have head butt the officer.
It is clear that David is being targeted simply because he is a protester, if a particularly vigorous and vociferous one.
The downtown districts have for some years, now, been under a police commander that has been targeting protesters and leveling gratuitously inflated charges against them. He is behind Andy Thayer's felony charges and those of the Holy Name Six as well as similarly dubious charges against numerous other protesters, including some aggravated battery charges that were either for incidents that were completely made up or not at all calling for such a serious consideration.
I believe that the proper response to this is collective, public action on the part of OC which I am trying to organize. I would nevertheless appreciate any help your committee could give us.
Could you please contact me with your advice or any help you could give us? Please, either reply to this message or call me at 312-589-0088.
Thanks very much,
Have a nice one.