Thursday, February 16, 2012

Chicago Buys 3,000 Face Shields for G8 & NATO Summits

So as the NATO/G8 summits get closer, we're bound to hear more and more about what the city is doing to prepare for the expected protests (see old Sloopin post's here). The more we hear, the more we get the sense that the South Loop could become a hot bed for demonstrations (and potentially violence). Anyway, a reader recently sent us a link to an NBC7 post about the city buying 3,000 face shields and an activist group calling for 50,000 protesters to descend on Chicago:
The city of Chicago is spending about $193,000 on face shields for police officers ahead of the May G8 and NATO summits.

The city secured about 3,000 of the new shields from Colorado-based Super Seer Corp. as part of an emergency contract awarded by Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration. It signals the first purchase made under an agreement allowing the mayor quick turnaround contracts to bid-companies.

Other cities that have hosted similar meetings have encountered thousands of protests, and Chicago is preparing for the same. A national activist group already has called on 50,000 demonstrators to descend on Chicago in May.
Yikes!

(Hat tip: FS!)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bottle up the protestors and send them up north. It's more "fun" up there anyway

Anonymous said...

Great, I'm buying 3,000 flower stickers to place on each one of those shields!

MarkChicago said...

Who are these losers who protest?

Anonymous said...

Should have planned these summits in the dead of winter, then just like the Occupy protesters, you would have a lot less to deal with.

Anonymous said...

Hope those face shields come with instructions to lift them up first before attempting to eat free hamburgers and fries at SRO.

Anonymous Coward said...

This is a freak-out about wild-eyed anarchists throwing pee and poo at cops.

The efficient transfer of property taxes to Super Seer Corp has to be justified somehow: "The Hysterical Fear of Urine & Feces".

Thankfully, media and the public are happy to go along!

- AC

Anonymous said...

I will be throwing urine filled balloons at any protesters near my building

scottyboysloop said...

Gonna be a week to get out of town!

Anonymous said...

I agree with the previous post, if I hear one chant or drum beating from my apartment I will fill a balloon with whatever I can find and throw it off my balcony.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of "policing" (or the lack thereof), all concerned sloop residents should read the community alerts issued by the CPD today. Watch the news and read the details at chicagotribune.com. Apparently there is a string of armed robberies and muggings take place on the green line, just south of the sloop. It's a good read as it provides detailed descriptions of the perps. Someone tell me again why we want more green line stops in our hood?

Anonymous said...

Saw a cover story about the green line muggings on Ch 5 news last night. Kinda shocked that this isn't a bigger story on this blog as the last two muggings took place on Northbound trains leaving 47th street L station - just two stops from Roosevelt!!!

Further, you would have to be blind not to notice an uptick in gang taggings and gang-banger-types on the L platform at Roosevelt.

BRENDAN said...

Don't bring up the Greenline stops.... If you're against it then that just means your a closed minded racist that knows nothing about infrastructure..

Anonymous said...

Mark: so all the news reports (in the papers and on TV) about these strings of muggings should start by saying: "stay tuned for a racist story about actual crimes committed last night"?

You're blanket response of "anyone who complains about crime is a racist rather than a concerned citizen" is getting really old.

MarkChicago said...

Anon, you can't quote someone by making up your own quote.