Occupy Chicago demonstrators block LaSalle Street bridge, Loop streets

[marmar]

By Ryan Haggerty
Tribune reporter

6:52 p.m. CST, November 17, 2011


Demonstrators from Occupy Chicago and other organizations blocked traffic on the LaSalle Street bridge downtown for less than half an hour this evening and marched through the Loop this evening, blocking traffic.

Video from the scene showed the demonstrators sitting in the middle of the road, with police officers standing by. Dozens of protesters were issued tickets, and the bridge was open again to traffic by 4:45 p.m.

Thousands of people taking up the entire width of LaSalle Street began marching north from Jackson around 5:45 p.m. and then moved on to other Loop streets. Police on bikes and on foot escorted the march and directed traffic.

The protesters are chanting "We are the 99 percent" and, "Whose streets? Our streets," the chants echoing off the buildings lining LaSalle. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-occupy-chicago-demonstrators-block-lasalle-street-bridge-20111117,0,2986894.story

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. :)

[frazzled]

2. I marched in a crowd of 400,000 in Chicago ...

in 2006 (official police estimate--the organizers say it was even much more) for immigrant rights. People gathered in Union Park for speeches and then we marched all the way to Grant Park, through downtown. It took hours and hours from the front of the line passing a point until the back caught up, all abreast in the streets--that's how humongous that march was. Staggering. Probably 200 times bigger than what you are seeing on the bridge today.

And these marches were repeated in other cities all over the country. Nothing happened. The media really didn't even cover it. Still no immigration reform.

Just to say, don't get too excited about these bridge blockings.

[marmar]

3. ???

I guess I'm not quite sure why you felt the need to juxtapose the immigrant rights' march against an Occupy event. Occupy is an ongoing thing.

[frazzled]

4. ????

I don't get why you don't understand my point. (And the immigration movement has been ongoing for many years, with annual marches much bigger than anything OWS has yet seen).

My point is that don't think you are succeeding in accomplishing anything just because of a march. I've marched many times in my life, for many causes.

[marmar]

5. Again, it's not a march.....it's an ongoing occupation, not a one-off thing.

Or is that too obtuse a concept?

[frazzled]

7. Again, the immigration reform movement is not just a march

It's an ongoing thing--and a hell of a lot more organized, focused, and long-standing--ongoing, as you say-- than OWS yet is.

I simply don't understand your point or your defensiveness. This OP is about people sitting on a bridge this afternoon for less than 30 minutes: it's ostensibly about how great such public actions are. So I gave a warning not to be too optimistic about them. And now you're trying to deflect the conversation by being extremely vague and changing the subject to long-term, ongoing projects. Well, l'm one-upping your ongoing projects, and the cautionary lesson still obtains.

Sorry to ruin your party, but I'm just trying to inject some realism into the discussion (such as it is) here.

[marmar]

8. "Sorry to ruin your party"

You're not, so don't worry about that. And the OP was posting a story from the Chicago Tribune - not 'ostensibly about how great such public actions are.' So I'm not quite sure what you're 'one-upping'.

[riderinthestorm]

6. I was there at the beginning at Thompson square

I was in Chicago for other business but made sure to stop by and lend a presence for this. I wish I was able to stay til the end, for the march but the vibe was electric and the cause is definitely growing!!!