Prison escapees still at large

Authorities believe the three inmates escaped Sunday from the maximum-security prison in Michigan City through underground tunnels and pipe chases.

Grand Beach Police Chief Dan Schroeder said authorities were maintaining a heavy presence in the town because they don't know if the escapees still are in the area.

"This is a large area and there's all different kinds of places they can hide," Schroeder said about the heavily wooded community.

The escapees could conceal themselves in the woods, in the tops of trees, in a ditch or a creek, behind homes or on the beach, Schroeder said. "Hiding (in Grand Beach) is really not that much of a trick actually," Schroeder said.

Many residents of Grand Beach -- including those who commute from Chicago for weekend and summer stays -- said they weren't scared. They continued to keep their doors unlocked and taking walks up and down the quiet streets. Many residents use golf carts to get around.

from the Trib

Suburban teens go on vandalism spree

Mount Prospect police today announced the arrest of one person in a string of vandalism incidents on the north side of the village, and said more arrests are possible.

Sean M. Dudczak, 22, of the 1100 block of Boxwood Drive in Mount Prospect was arrested Thursday and charged with four counts of criminal defacement to property, police said.

Those four charges involve graffiti to a Jewel grocery store, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, AMC movie theater and a Steak and Shake restaurant, according to a news release from the Mount Prospect Police Department..

The department has been investigating dozens of criminal defacement to property cases over the past month, mainly on the north side of the village, and anticipates making further arrests, Police Chief John Dahlberg said in the release.

Dudczak faces an Aug. 3 court date in Rolling Meadows court on the four charges, which are Class A misdemeanors, police said.

from the Trib

Damn

Tenant charged with killing landlord and burning his body

A Chicago man accused of using garden tools, an ice scraper, a BB gun and a pipe to allegedly beat his landlord to death before setting his body on fire, is eligible for the death penalty, Cook County prosecutors said Sunday.

Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil denied bail for Martin Vega, 27, who was renting an apartment from William Hallin, 67, in the two-story home Hallin owned in the 5000 block of South Talman Avenue in Chicago's Gage Park community. Vega is charged with first-degree murder.

Around 6 p.m. Friday, Hallin went to collect rent, and Vega didn't pay up, Assistant Cook County State's Atty. Emily Stevens said. Hallin then noticed Vega had a dog in his apartment, which was not allowed, officials said. Hallin told Vega he would have to move out, and a bloody fight ensued, officials said.

Vega allegedly pushed Hallin down stairs then delivered blows to Hallin's head and body with various weapons and tools, Stevens said in court. Vega allegedly took Hallin to the basement, where Hallin began to cry and beg for his life, Stevens said. To shut Hallin up, Vega put a shirt in his landlord's mouth, then beat his skull with a lamp, Stevens said.

Vega then choked Hallin with a rope and put him on a rug in the basement, Stevens said. He threw gasoline from a lawn mower on the rug and on Hallin, then lit the rug on fire, Stevens alleged.

from the Trib

Four more cars torched on North Side

Four cars were torched in a Lincoln Square parking lot early this morning, Chicago police said. It was the second time multiple cars were set on fire in the city over the last eight days, but the two incidents did not appear related.

At 3:40 a.m., a woman heard her dogs barking and looked outside to see four vehicles aflame across her rear alley in a parking lot in the 5600 block of North Western Avenue, Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak said.

There were no known injuries and the fires were contained to the four vehicles, which included a Jeep, a Pontiac Grand Am, a Ford Contour and a Buick. It was not known if there were other cars in the parking lot at the time, Kubiak said.

The Chicago Police Bomb and Arson Unit is investigating.

from the Trib

Police from 68 DNC protests to hold reunion

eThe reunion, the policeman's son said, was simply for Chicago cops who worked together some 40 years ago -- something he wanted to do for his father and his father's friends.

But the span of four decades has not been long enough to eradicate the searing memories of the 1968 demonstrations during the Democratic National Convention. And when "Chicago Riot Cops Reunion" organizers wrote on their Web site that "the only thing that stood between Marxist street thugs and public order was a thin blue line of dedicated, tough Chicago police officers," the fight was back on.

"Are these guys nuts?" asked Marilyn Katz, a protester at the 1968 convention in Chicago and now a president of a communications firm here. "Do they think it's really good PR for them?"

Chicago Copwatch, an activist organization that tries to document police misconduct, swiftly organized a counter-rally at Ashland Avenue and Lake Street at 6 p.m. Friday, the same night as the reunion. They plan to a march to the Fraternal Order of Police lodge, where the reunion is being held.

from the Trib
see also Copwatch

Police officer robs benevolent association

A 10-year Cicero police veteran was charged with theft today after allegedly stealing more than $70,000 from the department's benevolent association, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said.

Gerald Bossolono, 46, was arrested as he showed up for work today by investigators with the Cook County State's Attorney's office, Alvarez said in a press release. He served as treasurer of the Cicero police benevolent association.

from the Trib

17 vehicles set on fire in Ukrainian Village, Humboldt Park

Police and firefighters this morning found at least 17 vehicles set on fire in three locations on the West and Northwest Sides.

Seven vehicles were found in the 1600 block of North Keeler Avenue, an additional six were found in the 1600 block of North Spaulding Avenue, three others were found in the 1800 block of West Erie Street, and one found in the 3200 block of West Wabansia Avenue, police said.

The vehicles on Erie were found around 5:30 a.m., said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Quention Curtis; the others were found about an hour later.

No information was immediately available on suspects or motive. The fire department and police bomb and arson unit are investigating.

from the Trib

solidarity?

a total destroy to the protesters in Iran!

video here from CNN (trigger warning - street violence; yeah, fuck the corporate media, whatever)

Blow Up Mathias

Blow Up Mathias is the first issue in Chicago's new Insurrectionary Anarchist periodical. We strive to create theory for actions and actions from theory

.

from ZineLibrary.info

CPDk

I like to keep up with an interesting blog called Second City Cop. It's humanizing, and you can also hear pigs wish for the days when they could wantonly beat individuals on the street.

In the area of 76th and Exchange, the following graffiti was spotted by a reader of ours and he felt it necessary to bring it to everyone's attention. We agree:

The e-mail also stated this has been popping up with alarming frequency around the north end of 004 where there was a recent "Shots Fired at the Police" incident. Additionally, an individual was stopped wearing a t-shirt with the "CPDK" on it. The explanation given? It stood for "Corrupt Police Department Killer" but we highly doubt that. No word on what happened to the individual wearing the shirt, or the shirt itself following discovery. We know what would have happened in the old days.

We miss the old days.

-courtesy Second City Cop

To begin again from a slightly different position

Marx’s concept of ‘species being’ is for some a way of re-connecting with fertile currents in the communist left. Howard Slater explores Frére Dupont’s recent book Species Being and Other Stories as a vehicle of exodus from left orthodoxies.

from Mute

Chicago police freed of spying limits

A federal judge has dissolved decades-old legal restrictions placed on Chicago police because of their infamous Red Squad.

U.S. District Court Judge Joan Gotschall voided the consent decrees today in response to a joint motion from Mayor Richard Daley's administration and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The city agreed to the decrees, which limited the police's ability to gather intelligence, to resolve a class-action lawsuit in 1982.

The restrictions came in response to the Red Squad that spied on political activists in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2001, the courts eased the rules, arguing that the decrees made it difficult for police to combat terrorist groups.

from the Trib

50 parking meters vandalized on North Side

About 50 coin-fed parking meters were vandalized today in the three adjacent North Side neighborhoods of Andersonville, Edgewater and Uptown, according to Chicago police.

The coin slots were obstructed with an adhesive thought to be glue or putty, Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez said. The putty is removable "if they have something to scrape it with," Perez said.

The meters have also been sprayed with silver paint. Officials are on the scene.

Police said the meters are in the 5100 block of North Clark Street, the 5500 block of North Sheridan Road, the 1000 block of West Argyle Street, the 4900 block of North Winthrop Avenue and the 4900 block of North Kenmore Avenue.

Since the city leased the parking meters to a private company earlier this year, they have been the target of controversy, with complaints of price increases, computer glitches that made some pay boxes inoperable, non-working and mismarked meters.

It was not immediately known how long it would take to affect repairs or if police would refrain from writing tickets at the damaged meters.

from the Trib

Evanston targets alley scavengers

As barbecue grills, bikes and an occasional lawn mower disappear from alleys in Evanston, officials are studying how to regulate "junk metal pirates."

The scavengers often drive beater pickups and usually target discarded appliances and other castoffs. But some are grabbing items not meant to be carted away, said Suzette Eggleston, superintendent of streets and sanitation.

There's another problem besides the pilfering. The city loses money when these rogue haulers drive off with old washing machines, furniture and other large pieces left in alleys, she said.

Homeowners are charged a pickup fee that starts at $25 and is tacked on to water bills. Last year, these collections generated $89,000, money the community wants to keep, Eggleston said.

Given the recent thefts and lost revenue, Evanston is studying how to regulate the scavengers, possibly through a licensing arrangement.

"We want to establish some controls over them," Eggleston said.

from the Trib

Police Brutality at Bash Back! Convergence

Just hours ago [the night of Saturday, May 30], a bunch of radical queers took to the streets in Boystown Chicago, singing chants and dancing to music being blasted through a boombox. Minutes after we started marching, cops showed up. We proceeded to march and wait for them to tell us to get out of the street. But they didn't. Instead they ran a police car into the back of the march, running over one person. Then they proceeded to run out of the cop cars with their weapons raised high and chase down whomever they could. Randomly picking some people out of the crowd, they beat them continuously, dragging them through the streets, pushing people down, etc, yelling faggots as they hit them.

from Rusty's Blog, more to come as available

Chicago cop killed

On Monday, just after midnight, Valadez and his partner responded to a call of shots fired in the 6000 block of South Hermitage Avenue, authorities said. Two rival gangs were shooting at each other, one of the sources said, but when Valadez and his partner arrived, the gunfire had ceased.

They got out of their vehicle to search a nearby lot for weapons and to interview an individual walking nearby, the source said. Then a car pulled up with alleged gang members inside. Someone fired at the officers, who were in plainclothes, striking Valadez in the head and leg, the source said..

from the Trib

Bank robbers caught after daring chase

A Calumet City police officer was shot during a nearly three-hour police pursuit of three suspected bank robbers after the men crashed their vehicle on the Bishop Ford Freeway during a police chase and fled the scene.

The incident also sparked a lockdown of Carver Military Academy, 13100 S. Doty Ave. from 2:25 p.m. until about 5:45 p.m. as a precaution to students as authorities searched for the suspects.

As of 5:45 p.m., all three men were in police custody, according to Calumet City police Chief Edward Gilmore.

The incident began after the three alleged suspects robbed the Citibank at the River Oaks Mall in Calumet City at gunpoint about 2:15 p.m., according to Illinois State Police Sgt. Juan Valenzuela, who said it appeared the suspects involved in the robbery were in pursuit by Calumet City police when their vehicle crashed on the Bishop Ford near 130th Street near the Beaubien Woods Forest Preserve.

As the police chase ensued, the men blew a tire on their car and attempted to flee, according to Gilmore. At about 131st Street and the Bishop Ford, the men abandoned their car and attempted to flee.

The men fired shots at police and an officer was shot in the leg. The police officer was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said. The officer suffered a through-and-through gunshot wound to the leg and was said to be in "stable" condition Tuesday evening, Gilmore said.

One of the suspects was shot by police while fleeing the scene. The man ran into the woods along with another suspect behind the Carver Military School but surrendered to police and emerged from the woods about 3:35 p.m. near 135th Street and the Beaubian Woods Forest Preserve, Gilmore said.

The man had a gunshot wound to the arm and was taken by Chicago Fire Dept. personnel to Roseland Community Hospital in "stable" condition, Fire Media Affairs spokesman Will Knight said.

more at Sun-Times

Man smashes Mag Mile windows

A 61-year-old Near North Side man has been charged for allegedly breaking the window of a Magnificent Mile business and throwing a table through a Gold Coast restaurant window Tuesday night.

Robert Grilly, 61, of the 400 block of East Ohio Street, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor criminal damage to property, police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak said.

Police responded at 11:30 p.m. to a report of a man who broke the window at the Apple Store at 679 N. Michigan Ave., according to Kubiak.

After that Grilly also allegedly threw a table through a window at Rosebud restaurant at 720 N. Rush St., Kubiak said.

from the Sun-Times

ADF Suing Bash Back! and Jesse Does

The work of devoted Bash Back!ers and allies determined that this morning’s hysteria is the result of the Alliance Defense Fund, a notorious anti-womyn, anti-queer, racist organization. The ADF decided to sue Bash Back!, Bash Back! Lansing and individuals because the authorities would not file a single criminal complaint regarding an action at the Mount Hope Church in Lansing last fall. But that’s not all! Those pesky evange-fascists are trying to identify and out up to 20 other people involved with Bash Back! in the hopes that criminal charges will be placed against them. Fourteen people and 1-20 Jesse “John” Does are named on the complaint.

from Bash Back News

Alleged Bash Back!ers Being Served With SubpoenaThroughout Midwest Subpoenas

update: initial reports were sketchy, but these are actually civil suits being delivered.

At least 23 people associated with Bash Back! are named in a subpoena that has been served to people in Milwaukee and Lansing. As of right now we believe Feds are trying to serve queermos in Chicago and other Midwestern Cities. Agents have been showing up at the homes of friends and family of Bash Back! members. BB! News is under the impression that this has something to do with the BB! Consulta in Lansing, Michigan last fall. When we know more we will let y'all know.

Remember we are members of a loving, tight nit community. While we have our differences we also have our friend’s backs. Don’t let them scare you. Loose Lips Imprison Queers.

With Love, Solidarity, and Rage,

from Bash Back! News

Finding Our Roots: Notes on an Impossible Meeting

“Ultra-Platypus is here to embrace the degeneration.”

A few friends met in Chicago this weekend to attend a workshop titled: “The Left is Dead”: “Ultra-Cutronism” and the “Anarcho-Autonomous” Milieu

The intended discussion (”Ultra-Platypus has been trying to figure out what this anarcho-autonomous milieu is”) was not to be had, for the Platypii caught wind of their own flatulence, though for once the stench was too hefty for them as they saw the modified “Ultra” attached and came running. The Platypii showed up in two large groups, one in the back left corner of 6 or 12 people (they all sat close and huddled together, but as more than half the room was immensely boring I wasn’t sure who was simulacra of leftist Platypii or not) and one in the front right corner of 3 others (they came in late). Throwing eye and hand gestures from back corner to front right corner of the room, whispering amongst their small circles, all to try to make the most ideological correct response at the oedipal moment when the name of the father (Platypus or Cutrone) is disgraced.

And disgraced it was, as the presentation, to the chagrin of anyone with a serious intent to revive the corpse of the left, was utterly absurd, hilarious, and a well-performed satire. As the slideshow of riot porn, naked boys, and S&M photos were rolling, the presentation switched from discussing the Tarnac 9, to violent denunciations of the leftists we still are (”We’re meager and pathetic.”), the three point program and strategy (see above), and a general silence and defiance from the presenter who knew to not engage with the Platypii on their own loopy ideological circular dialogue for any reason whatsoever.

Some snippets of words spoken by the presenter: “Demand for total social revolution falls flat…My individual actions do nothing…Our greatest hindrance to experimentation is the left…” and “What to do with your friend networks?…abnormality… Exert power. Be strategic…Build a war-machine…Attack the Left.”

Coining a non-existent splinter group only to see the Platypii show up was partly expected, it was their big day to show how smart they were! Well, to be honest, we actually knew they were coming from the stupid listserv discussions they were having. The Platypii showed up, went on a power trip, made everyone a little too tense, asked for a critique, and were answered by the presenter in a show of eloquence: “No, I do not give a fuck about Platypus."

excerpted from Principia Dialectica

Des Plaines: Workers threaten sit-in at Harmax factory

Hartmarx Corp. garment workers voted on Monday morning to stage a sit-in at a Des Plaines factory if a new owner tries to shut it down.

The plant, where suit jackets are made, halted production for about 15 minutes Monday morning so workers could vote on union leaders' recommendation to be prepared to stage a sit-in to save their jobs, said Ruby Sims, president of Local 39C of Workers United, which is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union.

The workers voted in favor of a sit-in by show of hands, Sims said. During a sit-in, workers refuse to leave the factory.

Workers at Republic Windows and Doors drew national attention to their cause in December when they staged a six-day sit in after their Chicago factory shut down abruptly. The workers won back severance pay and health-care benefits. And when the factory reopened this year under new ownership, some workers returned to their jobs.

Chicago-based Hartmarx filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January and is in talks to be sold. The apparel maker employs about 3,000 unionized workers including 600 at the Des Plaines factory.

from the Trib

UWM Teaching Assistant Arrested in East Side Vandalism

Police arrested a University of Wisconsin Milwaukee graduate student and teaching assistant on Monday after he turned himself in.

What police want to know: is he part of group of 20-to-30 anarchists intent on committing violence?

The vandalism was extensive and expensive for east side businesses. Windows were smashed late Friday night by an apparent anarchist group wearing black ninja costumes.

They did more than $25,000 in damage at five businesses near Prospect and North.

Alert eyewitnesses saw several people leave in a car that lead police to an east side home.

It's where the UW-Milwaukee teaching assistant lives.

He wasn't interested in talking to us about his arrest. But police searched his home and found black clothing including hats and gloves, a sling shot and some material on anarchism.

Police are now searching his computer.

The suspect's lawyer Robin Shellow said, "They have found nothing that distinguished him from tens of thousands of university and college students across the country."

So far, police have only one suspect but they are looking for as many as 20 or more. Are they students? Where they recruited? Is there an anarchist movement on campus? Those are questions police are trying to answer.

UWM student Nick Adams doesn't think there's an anarchist movement on campus but he says if the allegations are true against the teaching assistant it will another black eye for the campus.

"It doesn't make anyone look good at all," said Adams, "We already have enough problems as it is."

The district attorney is still reviewing the case - charges could come Thursday.

from TMJ

One-upping the anarchist ATM smashers

Chicago police are searching for a driver who slammed a pickup truck into a South Side convenience store and stole an automated teller machine inside.

Officials say the truck smashed into the store's door and front window early Tuesday. Store owner Chan Park said he doesn't know how much money was inside the ATM that was taken.

The store, a Lucky Mart at 2900 W. 87th St., was closed and no one was hurt. Police say they were notified of the theft when the burglar alarm went off and a witness called. They say the witness followed the truck after it left.

Authorities are also examining footage of the theft filmed by surveillance cameras.

from the Trib

Ninjas trash Milwaukee businesses

Broken glass littered the sidewalks in the North Avenue area near Prospect and Farwell, as group of suspected anarchists left their mark in that section of Milwaukee's east side.

The vandals are accused of breaking windows late Friday night at a U.S. Bank Building, Whole Foods Market, Bruegger's Bagels, and Qdoba.

Witnesses told police that a group of about 20-30 vandals dressed in black and wearing masks committed the vandalism.

Police are looking into whether the damage was related to a protest earlier in the evening by a group of self-titled "anarchists" in the Riverwest area.

video here

New Pilsen-area newspaper released at May Day

We will be distributing copies of a new pilsen-area radical newspaper "Paloma Negra" at this year's May Day actions.

Paloma Negra is a radical, independent, anti-profit community newspaper in Pilsen that connects local issues to the global resistance against oppression.

Paloma Negra es un periódico independiente, radical, sin ánimo de lucro y comunitario en Pilsen que conecta temas locales con la resistencia global contra la opresión.

The topic of this special May Day edition is immigrant and labor rights.

Pick up a copy at Lichen Lending Library 1921 S. Blue Island OR you can download a printable PDF copy of the newspaper at www.palomanegra.info/palomanegra-1-mayday.pdf

If you want to help distribute copies, participate in the next issue, or have general comments or questions contact us at info (at) palomanegra.info

from http://www.palomanegra.info

Mke: Solidarity Attacks with I-69 Arrestees

On Friday the State of Indiana arrested two people in connection with resistance to the construction of Interstate 69.

We are entirely unwilling to accept such actions by the State. To express our deepest solidarity with those arrested, we attacked four condominiums in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood. We smashed windows and glued locks. In particular, we targeted "green" condo developments. Next time we will be even more dreadful. The most revolutionary form of solidarity is to deepen conflict. We have identified the same faults, and are glad to be the contradiction that will rip them wide open. We won't stop until we've derailed, burned and scattered the ashes of the "unstoppable train" that is this social order.

As always, eternal war on capital in all of its ugly permutations and forms.

Yours,
the wild ones.

from Milwaukee IndyMedia

Woman tears up grass doing 'donuts' in Millennium Park with stolen ambulance

A northwest suburban woman allegedly stole an ambulance from a hospital in Park Ridge Monday evening and drove it into downtown Chicago, tearing up the grass in Millennium Park before she was arrested.

Estera Bulbucan, 25, of the 9100 block of North Lincoln in Des Plaines, was charged with damage to public property, a misdemeanor, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, a felony, according to Central District police.

Bulbucan allegedly stole the private ambulance about 5:30 p.m. from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, 1775 Dempster St. in Park Ridge, and was arrested about 7 p.m. at 30 N. Michigan Ave., near Millennium Park, police said.

A police report stated that Bulbucan was observed sitting in the driver's seat of the Advance ambulance, and as park security approached, she drove off in circles, tearing up the grass in the park before the security officers flagged down Central District tactical unit officers, who stopped her and determined that she did not belong in the vehicle. She was arrested and charges were approved about 10:40 p.m. Monday, according to police News Affairs.

from the Trib

STFU

I don't mean to contribute to the hysteria that tends to develop in the immediate aftermath of someone's arrest, so first I'll recommend re-reading Harold Thompson's classic Staying Free by Shutting the Fuck Up: Anarchist Survival Guide for Understanding Gestapo Swine Interrogation Mind Games (that's a mouthful).

A couple folks in Indiana were arrested today related to anti-I-69 organizing, and folks at the Finding Our Roots check-in point here in Chicago have noted that a pig was asking questions and showed a photo of someone they are still looking for, although it is unknown if these two situations are related.

If you are an activist who has experienced harassment because of your political beliefs (or your perceived political beliefs) please call the National Lawyers Guild "Green Scare Hotline" 1-888-NLG-ECOL.

warrants & updates here

Boy calls pigs on their shit, gets ass beat

Chicago police are looking into an accusation that police beat an autistic 16-year old boy whose parents say got "scared" and ran from officers, WGN-TV is reporting.

The boy's parents said the incident took place about 10 p.m. Wednesday near their place of business in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side. They said he was standing outside when he was approached by two officers. The boy ran and police chased him, cornered him and one officer hit him so hard with his club that the boy required eight staples in his scalp, the parents told WGN.

"It's not nice hitting other people like that," the boy told the station. "Try asking more nicely."

from the Trib

Parking meter revolt continues

Over the course of the past few weeks, readers have sent us more photos of vandalized meters, and we've come across them, as well. Meters clogged with expanding foam and super glue, stolen meter heads and parking meters knocked over by cars.

A reader named Gary, who sent the photo of the bent meter, when asked if he thought it was the result of vandalism stemming from the meter rate increases said, "All I can tell you is that this meter was straight a few days ago, but after the rates went up, I found this meter like this."

pics and more at Expired Meter

Anarchist attacks around Chicago Wednesday

Why do we fight? Why do we even attempt to fight the totality of domination and exploitation? If what we seek is a world in which we are free to truly express our desires, then we must create it by destroying all relations based on power and commerce. These three targets were chosen for that reason.

Last night, April 22nd, an Olympic ad was defaced and altered in East Pilsen. This target was chosen simply because we refuse to allow the city and its corporate pals to celebrate the intensification of capitalism and the displacement of people.The three sided ad originally had glorified pictures of athletes and the word "Imagine". The largest side now reads "NEVER" and has a nice big circle A as well. The right side now reads "Imagine RIOTS".

The next target was a building owned by capitalist land lord Podmajersky. Podmajersky is a major force in the gentrification of Pilsen. Once you look, you can see his high rise condos and buildings that plague the area all around. Two windows were smashed on a building owned by Podmajersky near his headquarters on Halsted. A third window was smashed with a parking meter that bore a message. The message reads "Dear Racist Capitalist Scum, You and your tenants are displacing us. This is our response and it is only the beginning." And we left a winking smiley face at the bottom just for you, Podmajersky!

But do we really need a campaign to attack all these oppressive institutions? Do we need any other reason then to destroy all relations based on domination and capital? To highlight this point, a large window was smashed and another window was damaged on a Standard Bank near the Sheridan red line. We did this for no other reason than to attack an institution that perpetuates our misery and feeds off our exploitation. Do we want the system to change or do we want its total abolition? Even if the city doesn't get its corporate circus and even if all the capitalist scum like Podmajersky stop gentrifying our neighborhood, we will continue to attack. Insurrection ends when domination does.

Towards a Spring Social War!

from Chicago IndyMedia

an interesting related article from the Sun-Times

Finding our Roots, April 24 - 26

Finding our Roots has posted its schedule and descriptions of the workshops for this weekend's conference.

Saturday 11-12:15
Department of Space and Land Reclamation: 8 Years Later
Gentrification: Containment, Displacement, Yuppie Infestations, and the Resistance to Come Which Way To Nowhere? A Short History of Anarchist Spatial Theory and Practice

Saturday 12:30-2
“The Left is Dead”: “Ultra-Cutronism” and the “Anarcho-Autonomous” Milieu
Bash Back 101: Tactically Queering Environments
Let’s Organize the Hood: Organizing in Poor Communities of Color and Among Impoverished Populations

Saturday 3-4:15
The Politics of Nonviolent Action
Mad Liberation and Safe Space

Saturday 3-6
Collective Living Spaces: A Roundtable Discussion
Teaching and Organizing In, Around, Alongside, and Between the Spaces of Academia

Saturday 4:30-6
Spaciality and Transformation
Prison as a Liberated Space: Anarchism and The Revolutionary Prison Movement of the 1970’s

Sunday 11-12:15
Anarchist Alternatives to Coerced Living Spaces
Creating and Maintaining Anti-Authoritarian Queer Space
The Seizure of Space and the Public Sphere: Enduring Lessons from the Zapatistas

Sunday 11-2
Relationship Anarchism: A 3-part Workshop

Sunday 12:30-2
Creating Safe Space in an Unsafe World: Supporting Survivors Whilst Respecting Their
Autonomy
Grey Pollution and Electronic Toxicity
Leisure’s Role in Space and the Anarchist Movement

Sunday 3-4:15
Demilitarizing Space
Public Sex and Social War
Sobriety Within the Struggle
A Return to the Land

Closing plenary, Sunday 4:30-6
A History of Anarchist Spaces in Chicago

Tweens trash car dealership

MILWAUKEE--Surveillance video shows several suspects destroying dozens of brand new cars parked on the Don Jacobs car lot at night. The damage is severe... broken windows, ripped interiors, dents, and smashed windshields.

"We can't believe how much damage they did," Don Jacobs General Manager Andy Haros said.

from TMJ 4

Chicago Insurgent Network's First Strike at the City Of Chicago and the IOC

There has been a recent spark of sabotage among Chicago's residents in regards to the coming Olympic bid, the economy, and gentrification in general. An Olympics 2016 "Imagine" billboard was altered near the intersection of Diversey and Elston Aves last night. The buildboard now reads a truer sentiment: "Imagine (A) Social War". To give them a taste of what we meant, 30 parking meters and 2 ATMs were disabled; later in the night, the locks were glued shut on a Chipotle and a T-Mobile store.

The infamous CPD have scared us into hiding for too long. Spring is here, a season of renewal, and the time to act is now. The city continues to demean us with their Olympic advertising and corporate pride, giving free 2016 shirts to the same members of our communities who'll be displaced if we recieve the bid; all the while using symantics like Obama's: "hope", "change", "imagine". The state won't wait to destroy our communities, so we can't wait to fight back.

The words echoed on the billboard, foretelling of SOCIAL WAR, are just the beginning. We will continue to strike, in the dead of night, when you least expect it. Though, there is one thing you can expect: an all out riot on the streets of Chicago in 2016, and continuous, more and more rapid struggles and direct action from us here in these communities, already ravaged so much with poverty, stricken with fear, and with (almost) nothing left to lose.

from Chicago IndyMedia

Murderous Chicago pig confronted at courthouse

A melee broke out this afternoon after a bond hearing for a Chicago police detective charged with drunk driving and causing an auto crash two days ago that killed two people.

Joseph Frugoli, 41, was ordered held in jail in lieu of a $500,000 bail at the noontime hearing.

As the hearing ended, dozens of friends and relatives of the two victims spilled out into the halls of the Cook County criminal courthouse. Moments later, loud shouting could be heard echoing from the hallway near the courtroom and a fight then broke out, causing several Cook County sheriff's police officers to rush from the courtroom, their radios bursting with chatter.

Officers eventually pushed the crowd outside the main entrance of the courthouse, then across California Avenue onto a grassy area. Tense moments ensued, as people in the crowd hurled epithets at the police.

As of about 12:45 p.m., 10 officers stood guard in front of the courthouse and much of the crowd remained.

Cook County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Patterson said the family and relatives apparently became infuriated at the bail amount, and left the courtroom talking loudly. Once outside, they confronted passersby "insisting this was a travesty, that the police are covering this up, that because he's going to be released it's all a conspiracy," Patterson wrote in an e-mail.

from the Trib

Direct action against potholes

What to do when there are potholes on your street and the city won't pave them fast enough?

Patch them yourself.

That's what a West Side organization did today. Residents from the Austin neighborhood bought four bags of Quikrete from Home Depot for $50 and used shovels, rakes and a roller to fill about seven holes on the 4800 block of West Van Buren Street.

"The city's not doing it so residents need to take the matter into their own hands," said Elce Redmond, organizer with the South Austin Coalition.

The group fronted the $50 for the bags of asphalt mix. Neighbor Ernest Roberts luckily had a 50 pound roller in his garage -- left behind by a previous owner.

Roberts complained about Mayor Daley's slow efforts in repairing potholes in the neighborhood.
"He's too slow to getting around to here," he said.

Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Brian Steele said that the agency plans repairs based on the volume of 311 pothole complaints and the amount of traffic streets experience.

CDOT received just one call about potholes in the 4800 block of Van Buren in the last two months, he said. The agency has repaired about 300,000 potholes since Dec. 1 and hasn't received state funding for resurfacing since 2006, he said.

from the Trib

FYI

New sport-utility vehicles arriving in Chicago police districts have officers concerned after discovering gaps in the cage between the back and front seats.

The gaps have been covered with a heavy-duty plastic and secured with Velcro, police sources said. But some officers are concerned a detainee could still break through.

The gaps have been covered with a heavy-duty plastic and secured with Velcro, police sources said. But some officers are concerned a detainee could still break through.

Greg Bella, a Fraternal Order of Police official, said he worries a detainee "could push the plastic, reach around and choke the guy in front."

thanks to the Trib

Protestors to convince IOC Olympics are bad

A small group of protesters has gotten the attention of the International Olympic Committee inspection team that’s in Chicago to take a closer look at the city’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Nine people from the group No Games Chicago carried a banner that read "Shut Down the Olympic Bid" this morning outside the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago, where the IOC evaluation team is staying.

Soon after, a spokeswoman for the protesters said they’d gotten word that the IOC team would meet with them later today.

from the Sun-Times

New Midwest anarchist zine

Although I disagree with their assertion the Midwest is a dead-zone of radical activity, a neat little zine has come out called Words & Letters. It seems to be based more toward the Great Plains areas and is a welcome addition to the developing activity in the Midwest.

Anarchist Olympics: Chicago 2016 mural defaced

Someone defaced a 2016 welcome mural on the Mural Building in the 1700 block of North Ashland Avenue, in an incident that was discovered this morning. Police were called to the building about 7:55 a.m, authorities said.

The damage appeared to have been inflicted with paintballs and workers were already on the scene about an hour later, painting over the splatters.

The former warehouse, which faces the Kennedy Expressway just south of Armitage Avenue, was the site of traffic-stopping ads featuring then-Chicago Bulls player Dennis Rodman for now-defunct clothing retailer Bigsby & Kruthers.

from the Trib

Anarchist Olympics begin: Local Artist Collective Welcomes the IOC

This past week has left us feeling inspired. The bus stops ads, corporations supporting the bid, flags everywhere, buses themselves, the Olympic spirit has gripped the city. Never have we felt such a sense of pride in our greater community. We owe it all to these fine people, who have been kind enough to grace us with their presence for the week. Word got out about the soiree they were having last night, and we felt the need to do something to show them how the city feels, much more than dinner and drinks ever could. We couldn't hide our passionate pride for one more day.

April Fools you fucking idiots!

Last night we paint bombed two billboard monstrosities overlooking the Kennedy expressway. They were Olympic advertisements, just like the ones you see every time you turn your head. Except bigger. We kindly suggest fellow citizens to find friends, some eggs, or paint and bombard the advertisements that are trying to sell gentrification, police oppression, profits for the rich, and annoying tourists.

We Won't Pay!

Fuck the corporate circus, Sabotage the Olympic bid.

edited for readability, from Chicago IndyMedia

Bossnapping: Insurrectionary adventurism or opportunism?

PARIS (AFP) — Bosses across the world are having to break bad news to employees as companies go under. But that can be a risky business in France, where some furious workers have taken to holding their managers hostage to demand better pay-offs.

In the latest outbreak of "bossnapping", workers at a pharmaceutical factory were Wednesday holding their boss in his office for a second day to force him to improve their redundancy packages.

"This action is our only currency. But there is no aggression," said union representative Jean-Francois Caparros from the plant owned by the US industrial conglomerate 3M in the central town of Pithiviers.

The detention came less than two weeks after workers held the boss of Sony France hostage for a night and barricaded their factory entrance with tree trunks. They freed him only after he agreed to reopen talks on their pay-off.

In neither case did police intervene to free the managers, in a tacit recognition that such radical tactics were part of negotiations and that no harm would come to the bosses.

more from the AFP

Bash Back: Solidarity With All Cop Killers

On March 26th, Bash Back! operatives dropped a banner from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union. The banner read only: "We (heart) Lovelle Mixon."

There have been a ton of Web arguments over the banner and the situation.

Vandalism at parking meters up after rate hike

Chicago motorists are venting their anger about higher parking meter rates tied to a 75-year, $1.15 billion lease — with a spike in vandalism and a drop-off in on-street parking, the private contractor acknowledged Wednesday.

“We’ve certainly seen an uptick in the amount of vandalism at the meters. That suggests to me that some people are unhappy with the increase in the meter rates," said Mike Kuziak, chief operating officer of LAZ Parking, the operator hired by Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners.

"We've increased our resources to respond to meter maintenance issues to make sure the integrity of the system remains intact."

Kuziak said he was "not authorized to talk about revenue" and, therefore, could not put hard figures behind the anecdotal evidence supplied by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Carol Marin that a boycott is brewing to protest rates that require motorists to pump 28 quarters into Loop meters for two hours of parking.

But he said, "Clearly, as the rates have increased, there are people who are unhappy about it, and there are people who will seek alternative parking. That will free up more spaces on the street for the benefit of the merchant community."

Marin reported Sunday that she had observed open meters on Clark Street in Lincoln Park, on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park and on Columbus Drive around the Sheraton Hotel during midweek, mid-day hours, when it would normally be difficult to find a space.

A barrage of angry e-mails only bolstered her contention that the empty spaces signal a backlash to the rate hikes, elimination of free Sunday parking and to the contractor's decision to issue parking tickets to "supplement" the city's enforcement efforts.

from the Sun-Times

No to contracts, no to Olympics, no to police

Saying it has been "backed into a corner," the Chicago police department's patrolman's union announced today it will be having an "informational picket" at City Hall next Thursday to protest the lack of a contract.

The picket will happen the same day the International Olympic Committee is set to come to Chicago. Buses will drive officers from meeting points around the city to City Hall for a picket at 11 a.m.

Forward with the FOP General Strike!

from the Trib

"Snitches get stitches"

A convicted drug dealer from the West Side has been charged with attacking a 73-year-old man who routinely called police to report him, Chicago police said today.

Police say Bennie Hale, 21, learned that the manager of a laundromat in the 5400 block of West Chicago Avenue, had been calling police whenever he allegedly saw Hale selling drugs in his business place and nearby.

Hale allegedly confronted the man, hitting him on the head and body with his fists, and damaged the victim's office and office equipment. Hale fled, but police later arrested him.

Hale, of the 4300 block of West Washington Boulevard, was charged with aggravated battery of a senior citizen and is due in court this morning. He was paroled in August after serving prison time on a 2007 drug conviction and has a 2006 conviction for manufacture/delivery of cocaine, according to the Illinois DoC Web site.

from the Trib

NSM rally under the arch in St. Louis

The National Socialist Movement, America's Nazi Party[,] announces that it will rally under the Arch in St. Louis, Mo.[,] on Sat., Apr. 18th[,] from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

This is the same group at the blunt end of the anti-fascist riots in Toledo a few years ago.

This week, Calgary saw a cat-and-mouse chase of a neo-Nazi by Canadian anti-fascists. Some wack claiming to be a spokesperson from Calgary ARA condemned attacks against the Aryan Guard, but we're hoping this was a slip of the tongue and not ARA going soft on fascism.

Banner drop in Pilsen

Published at Chicago Indymedia with some discussion of gentrification there.

River Forest cop cars vandalized and set ablaze

An arson investigation is underway following a vandalism spree that damaged four River Forest government cars early Friday, including the burning of a squad car and a community service officer’s car.

Police Chief Frank Limon said besides the two police vehicles, two of the village’s Public Works Department vehicles had windows smashed out. All four were parked just west of Village Hall. One of the squad cars was extensively damaged, the other is being repaired, Limon said. “We know it wasn’t accidental,” said Limon.

“We’re looking at everything and anything.”

from Pioneer-Local