UPDATE: G8 Camp David and NATO Chicago Protests

UPDATE: G8 Camp David and NATO Chicago Protests

by Sue Basko

UPDATE MAY 12

TRANSPORTATION TO MAY 20 NATO PROTEST - how to get to Petrillo

UPDATE MAY 6, 2012

FREE BUS TRIPS TO CHICAGO NATO 

from NYC, LA, Oakland, and other cities.

UPDATE MAY 4, 2012 

NATO SECURITY PLAN BOOKLET
click to download 

UPDATE: APRIL 28, 2012

According to news reports, Chicago police will not enforce the Illinois Eavesdropping Law during the NATO Summit in Chicago.  This means live streamers are free to record audio with their video without fear of prosecution under the eavesdropping law.  Please see this news article at the NorthWest Times. This is great news, since many streamers are expected to show up at the summit and protests.

G8 CAMP DAVID: Protests are being held May 18 – 19 in Frederick, Maryland, the second largest city in Maryland.  Occupy Frederick is organizing the protests to be legal, peaceful and non-confrontational.  Please respect this.  Planning is ongoing and help is welcome. Groups that plan to attend should act now to get in on the planing. If you would like to be in on the planning or plan to bring a group, email me and I will connect you to the right people.    OccupyPeace@gmail.com   

CLICK HERE FOR detailed G8 Camp David May 18-19 PROTEST SCHEDULE  

Want an inside look at Camp David? See  this blog: ABOUT CAMP DAVID

The parks surrounding Camp David will be closed during the G8.  Some camping has been arranged elsewhere.  Again, email.  Since Frederick is a major city, there are also plenty of hotels.

Friday, May 18 is an Economic Forum planned by Occupy DC in conjunction with Occupy Frederick.  Saturday, May 19 is a family-friendly block party with music, information, etc.

As information becomes finalized, I will post it here and it will also appear on this site: http://www.occupyg8-2012.org/

NATO CHICAGO: 

The main protest is on Sunday, May 20, starting at noon.  This is a legal, permitted, insured, family-friendly, safe protest event. Please respect this.  It has taken many people a great deal of hard work and great expense to put this event together - so please respect it.

Sunday May 20 Schedule:

12 noon -  RALLY in Grant Park by Petrillo Bandshell.  This is in downtown Chicago one and a half blocks east of Michigan Avenue, between Monroe Street and Jackson Drive.  

1:45 PM - 4:00 PM  – MARCH kicks off after the rally.  This is a fast 3 mile march that takes 2 hours and 15 minutes.  The march will be in the street on a designated route and no off-shoots or detours will be allowed. The march heads toward McCormick Place, which is patrolled by the US Secret Service, which  has said it will have snipers, drones, etc.  Please be aware.  The march is planned to be peaceful, lawful, permitted, and family-friendly.  Please help keep it that way.

7 PM  new indoor location please email if interested World Indie Media First Amendment Event for live streamers, youtubers, bloggers, indie radio and TV, podcasters, indie filmmakers, indie music, indie writers, photographers, etc.  This is not a protest, but a First Amendment gathering. IF YOU WISH TO HELP OR ATTEND,  PLEASE EMAIL: OccupyPeace@gmail.com

ABOUT CHICAGO: 

Where to Stay:  Chicago has no Occupy camp and there is no place to set up a camp in Chicago.  Some people not from Chicago have posted about camping in Chicago, but this is pure fantasy.  There is no place anywhere near Chicago to camp.  There is, however, a fantastic all-ages hostel right downtown.  You will need a reservation. There are group rates.  The hostel serves free breakfast and has a kitchen and social rooms.   If you plan to cook in the kitchen, there is a Jewel Foods, which is a big grocery store, about 4 blocks south of the hostel on Roosevelt and State.

There are also hundreds of hotels in all price ranges. I strongly suggest you stay actually in the downtown area bounded by Lake Michigan on the east, Franklin Street to the west, Congress to the south and Division Street to the north.  Some Public transportation to the south may be cut off during the summit, so you are best to stay downtown or north of it.

Chicago Police: I have heard stories about Chicago from people who obviously know nothing about it.  Chicago police are very friendly and have a commitment to facilitating protest.  They will usually be very present, but they lay back and do not bother people.  However, they will not tolerate any going in the street or “taking” a street at an unpermitted protest.  Also, they will not tolerate any form of property damage or vandalism, throwing anything, acting rowdy, or going where you don't belong.  Neither will people from Chicago tolerate any such things.  I have been told that holding tents are being erected on the grounds of Cook County Jail, for use for protest arrestees.  To be blunt – if you don’t follow the law in Chicago, you will end out spending your trip in one of those tents.  There are lots of fun and interesting things to do in Chicago, and I hope you choose to do those things instead.  

Transportation: You don't need a car in Chicago downtown area.  If you fly into Midway, you take the Orange Line CTA train downtown. If you fly into O'Hare, you take the Blue Line CTA train downtown.  These trains are connected into the airports, though hearty walking is involved.
     CTA TRIP PLANNER. 

Bikes: While downtown, you walk or might take any train or bus line or hail a cab.  A bike is also great and there are bikes for rent. THIS PLACE rents bikes, skates, etc. and does Segway and bike tours. THIS PLACE also rents bikes.  In Chicago downtown, you'll see lots of groups touring on Segways, people riding carriage-style bikes that hold four people, groups of skateboarders, and bikes.

Eating: Chicago downtown is full of thousands of places to eat at all price ranges.  Great food in lower price ranges can be found at Subway, Cafe Baci, Panera, Corner Bakery, hundreds of other places.  As a Chicago tradition, most places post a menu outside so you can check prices and selection.

FACILITIES:

Occupy Chicago – outdoor day time HQ is Lasalle and Jackson, but only when an actual gathering has been called.  Indoor HQ is at 500 West Cermak. Occupy Chicago has never had a camp.

MultiKulti – 1000 North Milwaukee. Indie Media Center that can be used by people coming for protest.  Also has drum circles, jam sessions, events.

Chicago Cultural Center - Michigan Avenue, entrances on Randolph Street and Washington Street.  Randolph Street entrance has Visitors Center with maps, brochures, and helpful people.  

 MORE INFO ON CHICAGO AND NATO PROTESTS
WORLD INDIE MEDIA GATHERING

      

Conspiracy: What is it?

Conspiracy- What is it?

by Sue Basko

Conspiracy is when two or more people plan to commit a crime and at least one of them takes some step toward the furtherance of that crime.  If the plan is to overthrow the government, there does not need to be any step taken, just the plan is enough for conspiracy to exist.   CLICK HERE to read what it means to “advocate the overthrow of government.”  

There are federal conspiracy laws and most states have state conspiracy laws. 

Conspiracy charges can turn a small incident into a major crime.  Sometimes police recklessly use conspiracy charges to harass protesters.  For example, Occupy San  Diego protesters planned to heckle a speech by the mayor, and then they did interrupt the speech.  They were charged with a misdemeanor of disturbing a public assembly and also with felony conspiracy charges.  Apparently these charges were later dropped, but such high charges lead to high bail demands, often spending many days in jail until the bail is lowered,  expenses, and fear. 

Federal conspiracy charges are often lodged against people allegedly planning domestic terrorism.  There has been a whole string of these cases lately and they go something like this:  the FBI sends in a person who befriends the subjects.  The FBI agent becomes whatever the subjects need – a sexy female neighbor, a friend to go out with to a pancake house, a confidant.  The agent lays the groundwork so the subjects open up and talk about their interest in breaking some law – for example, their interest in battling the police, or their desire to put bombs someplace.  The agent also helps them take some step in furtherance of that goal.  Bam!  – they are arrested and charged with felony conspiracy to commit domestic terrorism.

For conspiracy to exist, the plan does not have to be completed, and never is, if there is an agent involved.  The subjects are arrested so the act cannot be completed. 

For conspiracy to exist, the plan does not even have to be possible for the subject to complete.  

If a person joins a conspiracy after certain statements are made, they can be held accountable for those statements.  If you join up with a group of two or more planning to commit a crime, you may be inheriting their prior statements.

You can leave a conspiracy before any act is committed, but the withdrawal must be clearly stated.  This is interesting because I think in most instances where a person has become involved in a criminal plan and wants to get out, they will not announce this to the other members, but will merely shy away.  Perhaps it would be wise for such a person to make a clear statement to someone else.  If there is actually a serious plan to harm any person or property, it may be wise either to report this to the police, or wiser still, to tell a lawyer and ask them to help you officially withdraw from the conspiracy.

CLICK HERE to see a concise write-up on federal Conspiracy law.

FEDERAL CONSPIRACY STATUTE:

18 U.S.C. § 371 : US Code - Section 371: Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud United States

If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

If, however, the offense, the commission of which is the object of the conspiracy, is a misdemeanor only, the punishment for such conspiracy shall not exceed the maximum punishment provided for such misdemeanor.

   ..

Top 3 Ways to Get Arrested at an Occupation Protest

Top 3 Ways to Get Arrested at an Occupation Protest

by Sue Basko

The Top 3 Ways to Get Arrested at an Occupation Protest are:

1) Being in a park after closing time. 

 2) Camping where camping is illegal.

3)  Not following reasonable orders or instructions from the police.

Better Planning for Your Protest: Plan your protest so it does not involve being in a park after closing or does not involve camping illegally.  If you hope to do those things, try to get cooperation from your town or city.  Some municipalities have been very cooperative.  For ideas on how to plan your protest, see these posts:

Top 7 Things that Get People Arrested at a Protest

ARRESTED AT A PROTEST: HOW TO PLAN FOR IT

Starting an Occupation Protest - Legal Considerations

FREE Download - Occupy Poster by Aaron Kuehn

Permits for Protest Marches

Occupy Protests and the First Amendment

Where You Can Protest in Chicago and How

25 Ways to Occupy Without Camping

Time, Place, and Manner Restrictions on Peaceable Assembly

Oakland Police Department Crowd Dispersal Policy

Anonymous vs PERF

Agents Provocateurs: What and Who They Are

Undercover Cops at Occupy Protests

FBI Infiltrators in Protest Groups

what to do if arrested at a protest