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