Posted May 19, 201213 yr NATO Summit protests have begun to intensify in downtown Chicago, though as of Saturday morning have almost entirely gone without a hitch. Most people have taken Friday and Monday off from work, though I still went to the office anyway to grab photos from above. I've noticed an incredible police presence. During lunch on Friday, I'd bike down Randolph street and see cops standing side by side for an entire block. Ground zero these past two days for protests has been Daley plaza. They've been very peaceful and well organized. I really hope it continues to stay that way. But Sunday and Monday are the big days when the meetings are in progress and will test Chicago's capabilities to maintain order and peace. So far the only mishap was a NATO banner was torn down from the Michigan Ave bridge. The cops yelled at the man to get down from the bridge tower (after he rang the bell that hasn't sounded in maybe 80 years) and dispersed the crowd. The banner was put back up a few hours later. No arrests were made today despite the thousands of people out on the street. This thread will be updated this weekend with photos First march was on Thursday. I think this one started from Grant Park and moved up North Michigan Ave. It wasn't anything different than the weekly scheduled protests we see around the city and followed a common march and rally route. National Nurses United marched from the Wrigley building plaza on over to Daley Plaza. There they held a rally and a concert by local guitarist Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine. Here you see the National Nurses United march peacefully across the Michigan Ave. Bridge. Notice the lack of traffic. Traffic and business had dropped off dramatically this Friday because most people stayed home. Many trains and parking garages were reported empty. My normal bicycle commute home on Friday involves snarled standstill traffic on Michigan Ave, today I had a whole lane to myself the entire way. A march down Wacker Wacker Dr Michigan Ave Bridge Notice they pulled down a section of the banner Riot Police Sorry the images are kind of blurry. I'll walk around with the big camera tomorrow and gets some better pics. When I hold my phone out the window I'm always nervous I'm going to drop it so my hand gets shaky.
May 19, 201213 yr yeah but nato? what a blast from the past. i thought that went out with the cold war.
May 20, 201213 yr Thanks! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 20, 201213 yr Can anyone explain what the purpose of the protests are and why the anti-Nato sentiment?
May 21, 201213 yr ^ Oh gosh, that's a very complicated answer and will probably leave you asking more questions. I don't want to get sucked into a debate because I'm really neutral on the hundreds of issues....some entirely irrelevant. I'm sure someone else can explain. Walking around the protests with a friend today, some people asked what movement we were with. We just said we are residents and spectators. We accepted no materials from anyone. The only communication was asking police where we could walk or stand to get pictures. Virtually no one at the rallies or marches was from the city, except for the local police and journalists. Everyone had Chicago maps and seemed to be asking where the blue line was, despite that it was miles away. Photo from Saturday, before all the protests and the dignitaries arrived. This is the historic Motor Row, and this was the hot zone where protesters faced off in a skirmish with police. Don't worry, with the exception of some tipped over barricades, the neighborhood was left intact and undamaged. A Ford car dealership is sealed up tight in the event of mayhem. The protests never made it down this far. But better safe than sorry. The Stevenson Expressway runs past the McCormick Center and has been closed all the weekend. Heavy duty steel fencing that was purchased for the Lollapalooza music festival has great utility this year. A long march down State Street. If you chose to pass the police line into the march, you couldn't exit until further down the route. This was to prevent the march from departing a designated route. The march hits Michigan Ave Eventually it made its way to the south loop. A neighborhood that had been uncertain as to how the events would unravel. On the move. You can see these are state police. Note the secured building in the background. More state police Falling into formation You shall not cross... Well actually you could at the very end. This was some sort of sliding formation that reacted to crowd densities. Cermak and Wabash, just a block from where there were some problems. There was a police order to move westward. After a slow start, most people complied and walk towards a park then dispersed. Not really many photos of the actual people protesting but we chose to stay safe behind police lines and not get anywhere too close. I wanted to see most stuff out of curiosity without getting in the middle of it. The worst thing I experienced was the 90 degree heat. More photos to come.
May 21, 201213 yr Good coverage, and smart of you to observe from a safe distance. With huge crowds if things turn ugly they can do so very quickly, and having a camera can attract the attention of both protesters and law enforcement. Edit: The "Locomobile" logo on the boarded-up building is the name of one of America's earliest manufacturers of motor cars. The "Loco" is a reference to "locomotive" (not "crazy"); the earliest cars introduced in 1899 and built for three years were steam cars. The subsequently-introduced internal-combustion cars evolved into a premier brand, with luxury features, premium workmanship, and high performance. Locomobile was one of many American automobile makers to fail in 1929 with the onset of the Great Depression.
May 22, 201213 yr In 1968, the cops sported punching gloves filled with lead shot that enabled them to punch a peace activist and break his nose, jaw, or cheek bones.
May 22, 201213 yr how about the protestors who showed up with sticks & bats to pummel the police this year? Idiots. What a huge drag on the Chicago economy too - all the overtime for local & state police, all the lost business revenue from people who stayed home, avoided the city, the businesses that had to board up windows prematurely or close during the protests...
May 22, 201213 yr In 1968, the cops sported punching gloves filled with lead shot that enabled them to punch a peace activist and break his nose, jaw, or cheek bones. And this past weekend the police had class, and many turned the other cheek when a few protesters threw punches. Quite the difference.
May 22, 201213 yr ^ Not for much longer. The building is being closed and we're moving down Michigan ave to Millennium Park
May 23, 201213 yr Holy Crap! I used to live and work right there at the Chicago Firehouse restaurant. Wow
May 23, 201213 yr ^ Not for much longer. The building is being closed and we're moving down Michigan ave to Millennium Park Closed? What do you mean? That's where Crain's is now, right? (I worked in 360 about 25 years ago when UPI was on the 15th floor.)
May 23, 201213 yr This article says Crain's is moving down the street and mentions hotel conversion possibilities. http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2012/01/04/-the-crain-communications-building.php
May 24, 201213 yr There's alot of skepticism on the hotel project, but the owner has done some very complicated, but historically sensitive restorations and renovations. The building floorplates are absolutely terrible in terms of planning and layout for a hotel alone, but a condo-hotel conversion might work. The building is more suited for office needs, but whatever.
May 24, 201213 yr Yes, the building does have a odd footprint and layout. But I've got fond memories -- overnight shifts with vampire journalists on the 15th floor 1985-87, big-hair metal bands in the lobby and elevators en route to WLS studios, Paul Harvey doing his news show, etc.
May 24, 201213 yr Great pics. Some of those overhead shots would look pretty awesome with a tilt shift filter. Great job being part of "history" without being part of history
May 30, 201213 yr Yes, the building does have a odd footprint and layout. But I've got fond memories -- overnight shifts with vampire journalists on the 15th floor 1985-87, big-hair metal bands in the lobby and elevators en route to WLS studios, Paul Harvey doing his news show, etc. I'll miss it greatly. I don't wanna leave. It's been beautiful to photograph, inside and out. I'll miss cruising in on that smooth marble floor on my longboard. Musky, I've actually done a few, but I'm not very good at the technique.
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