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!)