Chicago Police Say Fines For Protesters Won’t Increase During NATO, G-8 Summits [View all]

[Purveyor]

By Associated Press,

CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has backed off on a proposal to increase by hundreds of dollars the fines for anyone who resists arrest during two upcoming summits of international leaders — wiping away one of the most contentious issues among protesters’ concerns that the city was intent on squashing their right to protest.

The decision was announced Tuesday as the City Council began dealing with how to balance security with free expression during the G-8 and NATO summits scheduled for May.

The proposed increase — doubling the maximum fine to $1,000 — had been part of a security ordinance that alderman ultimately passed during a council committee meeting on Tuesday. Aldermen said that, without the increase, the proposal is likely to win approval when it returns to the full council on Wednesday.

In addition, the city scaled back a provision on an ordinance that critics said would have required anyone applying for parade permits during the G-8 and NATO summits to provide detailed information about the signs they planned to carry.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/chicago-police-say-fines-for-protesters-wont-increase-during-nato-g-8-summits/2012/01/17/gIQA9nHG6P_story.html