Iain and I watched the events in Chicago unfold yesterday in horror. It looked like a war zone in Chicago, as hundreds of uniformed police officers in blue riot helmets chanted as they pushed against protesters downtown to protest the NATO summit.
Protesters were told they would be allowed to march, but then their route was blocked. At one point, watching the live news coverage, I saw about six police officers roughly grab an older man with long gray hair and a long beard and push him to the ground to arrest him. (For what, I've no idea, but he was making no threatening physical gestures and was holding nothing. So, I guess he got arrested for mouthing off. Awesome.) As he fell to the ground, an entire swarm of police officers surrounded him, and he disappeared beneath them. It was deeply troubling.
Spudsy sent me this image, which is being circulated among Chicagoans (and others watching) this morning. That pretty much sums up the tenor of what I was seeing on the news.
Following are some pieces I've read this morning so far about events in Chicago over the weekend. Please feel welcome and encouraged to link additional items in comments.
Kevin at FDL: Occupy Journalists Stopped, Searched, Handcuffed & Interrogated at Gunpoint.
Tracey at The UpTake: Chicago Police Attack Press, Use Bikes as Weapons.
Matt at Nation Now in the LA TImes: NATO Protests Continue in Chicago; 2 More Face Terrorism Charges.
The Chicago Sun-Times' complete coverage, including lots of video, links, articles, and event schedules, is here.
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