Chicago Riots 1968, 11 killed. Definitely experienced in criminal and brutal activity.
May 12, 2012
Tens of thousands of demonstrators will descend on Chicago,
Illinois this month to protest the annual conference of NATO nations, and
police are preparing with the help of one million dollars’ worth of weapons and
riot gear.
Chicago’s law enforcement agencies have invested as much as $1
million on riot-control equipment, including at least one long-range acoustic
Demonstrators and organizers alike have both described the plans
for marches and rallies against the NATO Summit later this month as being
peaceful in nature. Law enforcement wants to make sure that they keep the
events non-violent, though, and will aim to do so with a major new arsenal of
riot gear.
The LRAD, a sound cannon-like device that has been linked to
causing permanent hearing loss, is being touted by the Chicago Police
Department as a necessity for public safety.
“This is simply a risk management tool, as the public will receive clear information regarding public safety messages and any orders provided by police,” Chicago police spokeswoman Melissa Stratton tells the Guardian, adding that it will be available “as a means to ensure a consistent message is delivered to large crowds that can be heard over ambient noise.”
Police officers are believed to have used LRADs the last time
that several world leaders attended a major conference on American soil.
Employing the machine against protesters during the 2009 meeting of the Group
of 20 leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was believed by The New York Times to
be the first instance the device was deployed on demonstrators in America.
During that episode, police assaulted protesters by launching
tear gas canisters and stun grenades into the crowd ~ but only after crippling
them with the sound cannon, of course.
“This is a device that has the capability to
inflict permanent hearing loss on people,” attorney Vic Walczak tells
the Guardian. He represents Karen Piper, a university lecturer, who claims to
have suffered irreversible hearing damage at the hands of a LRAD during the
2009 G20 protests. Walczak adds that the device is “more dangerous than a Taser” and that “It should not be used outside the
battlefield.”
In recent months, the weapon has been reportedly dispatched with
law enforcement agencies that have been deployed to monitor protests across the
US waged in association with the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Several offshoots of OWS, along with the National Nurses United
group and thousands of protesters outside of Chicago, are expected to converge
on Chicago for the protests this month.
The Guardian reports that the main action is slated to occur on
Sunday, May 20. To additionally ready law enforcement officers, the US Federal
Protective Service drafted plans to send armed agents into downtown Chicago to
patrol the city and prepare for protests as early as the first of the month.
Chicago’s mayor, former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel,
told reporters that he was not made aware of that decision.
ED: And if you believe a word that creature utters, you are in
for a great surprise, and not one that will put a smile on your face. A grimace ~ perhaps. A smile ~ never.
Emanuel was informed, however, that a planned protest scheduled
to coincide with the conference ~ one that the city issued a permit to ~ may be
larger than originally anticipated. As a result, Emanuel reportedly issued that
the city revoke the permit, which had been authorized months earlier to
National Nurses United.
Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against the Machine, tells
Rolling Stone that he plans to participate in the protest, with or without the
city’s authorization.
“Chicago is my hometown and the mayor is making
me feel mighty unwelcome,” Morello says to the music magazine. “I don’t care what they say or do, I’m
coming to rock out and speak my mind.”
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