Chicago pulls permit for nurses rally planned for NATO summit

[dana_b]

By David Heinzmann Tribune reporter

4:36 p.m. CDT, May 8, 2012

The city of Chicago today yanked a permit for the first demonstration planned for the weekend of the NATO summit in a dispute over where the National Nurses United can hold its rally May 18. The organization says it has begun talks with American Civil Liberties Union lawyers about a challenge to the city’s about-face. "If the nurses are a threat to Rahm Emanuel, then heaven help the U.S.," said RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United.

Chicago's Department of Transportation approved the march from the Sheraton Hotel in Streeterville to Daley Plaza months ago, but on Tuesday the California-based group received word the city had changed the terms, according to DeMoro.

In a letter to march organizers, city officials said they needed to move the ending rally of the march from Daley Plaza in the center of the Loop to the Petrillo Music Shell because the nurses' group had recently added rocker Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine, as a speaker and performer.

Michael Simon, an assistant commissioner of the Department of Transportation, wrote that the city was changing its mind "to accommodate changes to your event, including a performance by a nationally known musician and a significantly increased number of expected attendees."

more at the link:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-pulls-permit-for-nurses-rally-planned-close-to-nato-summit-20120508,0,2184773.story

I think it's funny (odd) that they're afraid of nurses and a political musician. That tells me that I'm in the right profession and listen to some good, powerful music.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Of course! Not surprised at all. nt

[Selatius]

2. Gotta love free speech zones that they try to pigeonhole everyone into. nt

[pinboy3niner]

3. On noes! Tom and a Guitarmy of nurses!!!

Who knows? Some of them might even be ARMED with sphygmomanometers!

[Zalatix]

4. Nurses should rally anyway. The cops wouldn't be dumb enough to arrest nurses.

Where will they get medical care if the nurses are in jail?

[frazzled]

5. Daley Plaza isn't big enough for a big rally

with a name brand musician. Some of the other groups were asking for Petrillo, which is in Grant Park and can accommodate tens of thousands. That's where all the summer music festivals are, as well as Lollapalooza.

I always thought Daley Plaza, which is a government building (and where the city courts are—I did jury duty there recently) with a concrete plaza in the middle of the Loop, with large buildings all around, was a horrible place for a large rally. I think the nurses should be happy to be given Grant Park. If it was good enough for the rally for Obama on election night 2008, I think it's a great place for a NATO rally. It's where all the big marches end up here in Chicago. It's bigger, and it's definitely safer for everyone. It's not a marginal place at all: it's where many huge events happen here.

I'm not seeing what the problem is.

[former9thward]

9. Daley Plaza is the center of the city.

That is why political rallies are held there. People can see them and the media covers them. Grant park is off the Loop and very few people would see a rally there. Rahm knows what he is doing.

[frazzled]

14. Political rallies are held equally in Grant Park

And you know that. The application for the rally at Daley Plaza was made for 1,000 people. It is now anticipated that there will be significantly more people than that, especially with the addition of Morello. It's on Friday, a workday. If it were on Saturday, they could have it there. If they don't have the musician, they could have it there. The march down Michigan Avenue will be the same; the only difference is where the march ends.

Everybody is making a mountain out of a molehill here. Grant Park is a fabulous location for a rally. Here are some recent ones there:

Sept. 5, 2011: Labor Unions rally at Grant Park
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8342101

Immigration rally, Grant Park, 2006


Occupy rally, Grant Park 2011

[annm4peace]

15. Months of planning have gone into this

why approve the location and then yank it ????

There will be more "yanks' on permits.. the powers that be like to pull it close to the date to disrupt the planning for Peaceable Assemble. They need to do it close enough to the date so that it will be hard to go through the courts.. yet not so close that many can object.

As you can already see by "Frazzled" response those protesting should be happy for the new location.

[friendly_iconoclast]

17. You should hang out at the Gun Control & RKBA group. There are a couple of Rahm apologists there.

You'll get a far warmer welcome there than you're getting here in GD...

[Bennyboy]

6. EVERYONE IN AMERICA

should go to Chicago during the summit. FUCK THESE FUCKING FUCKS. Just ake the fucking city over. FUCK THESE FUCKING FUCKS. Rahm is a piece of shit.

[dana_b]

7. I wish I had the $$

I would LOVE too!

[frazzled]

8. You are really showing your misunderstanding of this issue

The nurses are not being prevented from marching or rallying: they are being offered a larger and safer venue for the end-point rally that is, frankly, better than the original one. I can see, however, that people here are simply cruising for a bruising: looking for some reason to smash windows. That's precisely why Grant Park (where the Obama rally was held) is a better choice than the concrete and glass jungle around Daley Plaza.

[marmar]

10. "looking for some reason to smash windows"

WTF? Where are you getting that from?

[former9thward]

11. Daley Plaza is unsafe now?

Yeah the nurses can't wait to smash some windows. Right.

[dana_b]

19. I know, right?

That's what we nurses are known for - smashing windows and raising hell!!

[Bennyboy]

13. Throws Rahm through window at Daley Plaza

... Yeah you are right if so. And I probably did let my utter and absolute hatred of Rahm cloud my judgement on the issue.

[pinboy3niner]

12. They should be afraid. The nurses have organized free buses from a dozen cities:

http://99solidarity.net/chicago/the-peoples-summit/


Today's update:

Chicago Bus Trip Sign-Ups Update: Today’s Goal is 650
Posted on May 8, 2012 by georgefranklin

Fellow travelers, today’s goal is 650 signups and as of 2:30 PM we are at 538. It’s time to pick up the pace today. Tell your friends and fellow occupiers to get signed up today and lets blow right past this goal!

Sign-ups by city as of Tuesday, May 8, 2012, at 230pm EDT

New England
Burlington, VT 4 – up 1 since the last update
Manchester, NH 6 – up 0
Boston, MA 33 – up 1
Providence RI 8 – up 0

Eastern Cities
New York City 236 – up 18: Congrats NYC! You’re filling your fifth bus!
Philadelphia, PA 16 – up 0
Washington DC 43 – up 3
Atlanta, GA 44 – up 3

West Coast
Los Angeles, CA 77 – up 11: Congrats LA! You’re filling your second bus!
Oakland/Bay area, CA 41 – up 5
Portland, OR 36 – up 2

http://99solidarity.net/2012/05/08/chicago-bus-trip-sign-ups-update-todays-goal-is-650-2/

[Blue_Tires]

18. Can any Chicago DUers explain how Rahm got voted in so easily??

or was there no decent opposition?