Chicago City Council Members Demand State of Emergency Declaration and Request National Guard

The city council cowards punted, voting to refer the resolution to the Committee on Public Safety. 

Chicago City Council held a special meeting on Friday, days after four alderman called for such a meeting to ask the governor to declare a state of emergency over recent violence and looting - a proposal the mayor previously said was "grandstanding" before apparently reversing course.

Four Chicago aldermen on Wednesday called for a special meeting of the City Council to consider a resolution asking Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to declare a state of emergency and deploy the Illinois National Guard to the city over recent unrest.

Alds. Leslie Hairston, Anthony Beale, Raymond Lopez and Anthony Napolitano issued the call in a letter to Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia. (from NBC5 Chicago)

Does Mayor Lightfoot even care about Chicago?

Mayor Lori Lightfoot accused the aldermen of "grandstanding." But after months of violence and destruction, is it really that? Or, more likely, is it a genuine attempt to get badly needed help?

"I implore each and every one of you. This is not personal. This is not grandstanding. This is a Hail Mary to save our community from the things that are happening every single day,” Alderman Beale said before the vote.

Mayor Lightfoot attacked the notion of bringing in National Guard troops. She recalled to the council the Kent State University shootings in May of 1970, where National Guard troops killed four students during a protest. But Lightfoot's analogy to Kent State is flawed: The Kent State students were not  looting, rioting, or committing aggravated assaults on people. Some windows were broken, but it was nothing like what Chicago has suffered for months now. 

"A group of Chicago City Council members requested that Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker immediately declare a state of emergency in Chicago and deploy the national guard in light of ongoing rioting and looting in the city." (from Daily Caller)

Lightfoot continues to refuse such action. Is this out of pure political stubbornness or some deep-seated hatred of her own city? 

Chicago Media Flummoxed by Anti-Fascist Mob Attack In Tinley Park

May 20, 2012 - A bizarre attack in a restaurant left ten people injured after they were attacked by a group with baseball bats and hammers. Three people were hospitalized, but other victims declined treatment, according to Oak Lawn Patch. Tinley Park, Illinois is a normally quiet suburban town about 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago (see map), but at 12:45 p.m. yesterday all hell broke loose at the Ashford House Restaurant at 7959 W. 159th Street.

The apparent reason for the attack: The victims are neo-Nazis. The attackers are "Antifa," or Anti-Fascists. The meeting that was attacked was the annual White Nationalist Economic Summit and Illinois White Nationalist Meet-and-Greet.

Antifa is a brutal international Marxist group that has "staged violence attacks all over Europe. Antifa targets members of right-wing groups and its member frequently go from country to country to beat the hell out of people they don't like. "One of the ongoing projects of the gang in Germany is to vandalize Thor Steinar clothing stores," says Council of Conservative Citizens. "The group claims that the Arab-owned clothing line caters to 'Nazis' by putting Viking/Norse imagery on some of their t-shirts." In other words, Antifa is a composed of hypersensitive commie thugs who love to bang hammers over peoples heads.

Editor's Note: Before we continue, I want to make it clear that I am no fan of neo-Nazis or fascists. However, I am also no fan of violent leftists who take it upon themselves to beat people up as self appointed vigilante posses. The White nationalists were not attacking anybody; they were dining and discussing. The attackers were not acting in self defense, and their actions are inexcusable. In short, the "anti-fascists" were acting very much like fascist SS troopers.

Cute logo for vicious vigilantes

The white nationalist group numbered about 12 to 15 people. Witnesses say there were about 15 to 18 attackers, who wore hooded black jackets. The attackers wore black hoods and masks. The incident itself is confusing, but the media response to it, and coverage of it, is also confusing. None of the local media explained what Antifa is or mentioned that this was not the first time that Antifa has acted violently in Chicago.

MEDIA CONFUSION:

Amazingly, the Chicago Tribune story on May 19 made no use of the words "fascists," "antifa," "racist" or "Nazi."  Perhaps reporters Dennis Sullivan and Dawn Rhodes just completely missed this important aspect of the story or, perhaps, the Tribune's editors decided it would be safer to simply omit it.

Weird logo for weird assholes

Fox Detroit did a lot better. They led a May 20 report about the incident with reference to an "anti-racist organization," which they identified later in the story as a group that calls itself "Anti-Racist Action (ARA)," which claimed credit for the horrible attack. According to the Fox report, "ARA claimed that the activists were privy to "anonymous inside information" about the meeting, which it said was organized on the White Nationalist website Stormfront. The ARA website published photos of the alleged organizers and their contact information." (The ARA website is http://antiracistaction.org)

One of the more confusing reports came in waves from Patch. Their initial headline on May 19 was "Mob Attacked Specific Group of People Inside Tinley Park Restaurant."  The story appeared under the same headline in several local Patch sites, all near Tinley Park. With the recent spate of black-on-white mob attacks in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case, such a headline was immediately confusing to readers. "Specific Group?" What the hell does that mean? To Patch's credit, they did break the story. However, it was other news outlets that sorted out the facts and present them in a cohesive, easy-to-read manner. While Patch mentioned an "anti-racist website," they did not give the name of that website or a link to it, nor did they identity the ARA as the owner of the website - or as the perpetrators of the violence. The Patch team talked to people at the restaurant and to police, but did not do any very basic research on the Internet to learn anything - or tell anything to readers - about the ARA.

Patch logo: P in the grass

Palos Patch's story on May 19 started with, "At this time, it has been reported that a group of 15 to 18 people dressed in black entered the establishment and began an altercation with a specific group of people dining in the restaurant." However, Palos Patch gives no indication as to what was meant by "this time." Their story had no time stamp. They offered a link to "real time updates" from other Patch reporters at the Tinley Park Patch. While there is some good information there, it is a difficult read because the updates are in little chunks and in reverse chronological order, like a disjointed email conversation. It was, to put it crudely, a clusterpatch.

The absolute worst report, in my opinion, has to be from NBC Chicago. They completely missed the reality of the story, as indicated by their headline: "Men With Bats, Hammers Invade Wedding Shower." Wedding?!? Hey, NBC, this was not about a wedding shower. Sure, there was one going on at the Ashford House Restaurant, but the ARA was not there for that. NBC made no mention of the white nationalists, either.

Let's go back to Patch, this time the one in Oak Forest, Illinois. They posted an update on May 20 at 5:32 p.m. with the headline "Target of Saturday's Attack Believed to be White Supremacists, Mayor Says." Okay, fine, Patch has acknowledged the white supremacist angle of the story... more than 24 hours after most other reports did. In fact, Oak Forest Patch got that from the Chicago Tribune, in the story referred to above. The Trib posted that story at 1:16 p.m. today, four hours before Patch's update. Sadly, that Tribune story, as I already pointed out, made no mention of the ARA. Neither did the Patch "update."

Bottom line: All of the attackers are white. All of the victims are white. Police were holding five people as of the afternoon of May 19. For the best coverage of this Chicago-area story, go to Fox News Detroit.

Black Bloc Tactics Exposed: Yes, Anarchists Really Are Violent

INSIDE LOOK AT ANARCHIST TACTICS: "BLACK BLOC" AND VIOLENCE

Such nice kids.  Photo source: TheBlaze

"Black Bloc" Tactics are used by anarchists in the United States and worldwide. Dressed in all-black "uniforms," the black bloc thugs are out to vandalize and destroy both private and public property. Here is a look at how black bloc anarchists operate, with excerpts from a self-professed anarchist's online "pamphlet" that gives how-to advice to his violent comrades.

Black bloc wants violence. You can this clearly by the way a line of black bloc thugs, at 0:27 in the video below, walk right up to a line of police and deliberately shove into them. The cops reacted as they should have, and exactly as the black bloc'ers expected them to. If you are ever near a "peaceful" protest, keep your eyes open for people dressed in black, especially with their faces partially or fully covered. Put as much distance between you and them as you can, because their intention is to provoke the police to violent action. "Antifa" (so-called "anti-fascists") make frequent use of black bloc's violent methods and tactics.


If somebody gets hurt by their tactics, they feel no guilt. They advocate the injuring and even killing of police officers. While the majority of "Occupy" movement people do not support such tactics, the black blocs are tied to Occupy. Black bloc goons are in Chicago for the NATO Summit.

Here's an "inside look" at Antifa / Black bloc (VICE, 2017).


There is simply no equivalent of black bloc activity within - or even loosely associated with - the Tea Party movement. Although many Occupiers are peaceful protesters, videos show again and again that plenty of them join the black bloc thugs in their destructive actions, or simply stand aside and allow them to freely throw their Molotov cocktails, rocks, and whatever else is at hand. Some Occupiers, like those in the videos here, openly say that they support the "right" of some to use black bloc tactics.

MIKE CASTLE has a lot of insider info about black bloc tactics on his website. Castle, a self-described "technologist," says of himself, "I make software, mostly for the web and Android, as Roasted Vermicelli. I talk about stuff on Off the Hook. I also bike, cook, and agitate for a better world."

I suppose Castle's idea of a "better world" is one in which self-appointed SS-wannabe amateur storm troopers use anarchist methods to trash innocent merchants' storefront windows.

Of black bloc, Castle says that "The Black Bloc has gained alot of publicity in the past two years. What people dont understand is that the Black Bloc is not an organization or a group. It is a tactic. It helps reinforce security and execute our goal in the presence of high-profile demonstrations.

Typical black bloc "uniforms" 
Source: http://exile.wordpress.com/tag/black-bloc/

From Seattle WTO to the most recent action in Genoa, the Black Bloc has certainly been the main focus by the media and the police in major demonstrations. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce newer and better tactics into the struggle."  That, and more, can be found at one of Castle's web pages, where he presents "a pamphlet" for his fellow anarchists.

"In it's essential form," he wrote, "each participant of a Black Bloc wears somewhat of a uniform.... The idea of wearing this uniform is that if every single person in the Bloc looks relatively alike, it is hard for the police to determine which individual did what."

"For instance," Castle advised, "if a Black Bloc participant throws a brick at a store window and runs into the Bloc, she will easily blend in with everyone else.

However, if a person wearing normal street clothes happens to throw a brick and run into the Bloc, chances are that she will have been filmed or photographed and later caught by the police."

Anarchists are violent. Castle admits this. He advises his fellow black bloc'ing anarchists to "wear the uniform" to keep them from being identified by police.

"Law enforcement has been known to film and take photos of random activists and keep files on those individuals," wrote Castle. "This can lead to problems in the future. It's better to be safe than in jail."

"Be creative," he urges his fellow black-clad thugs. "Build off the info on this site and never give up."

Still not convinced that these people are bent on being destructive?

"This pamphlet is essential reading for anyone who is associated with groups that advocate and/or utilize sabotage, theft, arson and more militant tactics," Castle's "pamphlet" says. "The advice herein also applies to anyone who is associated with groups that practice civil disobedience, especially since membership often overlaps and gossip travels freely between groups."

I'm all for civil disobedience, as long as it is actually civil. Castle and his fellow hoodlums, though, don't seem to understand that utilizing sabotage, theft and arson is not civil. In case you're still not convinced that these people are dangerous - very dangerous - you need to read Castle's section about weapons. 

"Homemade explosives work very well in riots," he noted. "There is a huge history of the military using homemade explosives in war, so if it works for them, it can work against them. Click on the links for construction methods."  Those links lead to details about how to make the following items (descriptions are Castle's):

• Molotov Cocktails-The most popular choice in street fighting weaponry. A very useful and effective explosive, made purely of house hold items. 
• Smoke Bombs-These easily attainable or homemade items are great when dealing with illegal situations. It can shield any media or police cameras from catching anyone on film participating in an illegal act. It can also disorient the police when they are advancing on the crowd. For construction methods, click on the link. 
• Fuel-Fertilizer Explosives-These will create an overwhelmingly large explosion and should be practiced in large faraway places like the desert before using. Make sure that you will not injure anyone that you do not intend to injure. 
• Pipe Bombs-Not really the best explosive to use in a street fight but it still works. Causes lots of good damage. 
• Draino Bomb-A small bomb that is very risky to use. To be used on cars only. Be careful! 
• Soda Bottle Bomb-A somewhat biowarfare bomb made from aluminum foil and pool acid. The fumes should not be inhaled by anyone you do not want to inhale them. 
• Match Head Bomb-A small bomb of match heads. Not too fabulous. 

Mr. Castle is a compassionate advocate of terrorism, so he gives this loving advice to his readers: "Remember: Be careful and responsible with these explosives. Don't blow yourself up, or any of your comrades! Don't get caught!"

Three NATO Protesters Charged in Chicago Terror Plot, PLUS Special Insider Info About Black Bloc Anarchists (UPDATED)

See section below about "black bloc" anarchist tactics

May 19, 2012 - Three anti-NATO protesters in Chicago, arrested on Wednesday, have been formally charged with providing material support for terrorism, conspiracy to commit terrorism and possession of explosives.

Prosecutors allege that the trio was planning to attack Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's home, Barack Obama's campaign headquarters and more. The three men are Brent Vincent Betterly, 24, of Oakland Park, Fla.; Jared Chase, 24, of Keene, N.H; Brian Church, 20, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Mugshots from Chicago Police Department
Left to Right:  Brent Vincent Betterly, 24, of Oakland Park, Fla.;
Jared Chase, 24, of Keene, N.H; Brian Church, 20, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

"The suspects were each being held on $1.5 million bond," reports USA Today. "They apparently came to Chicago late last month to take part in May Day protests. Six others arrested Wednesday in the raid were released Friday without being charged.

Chicago police Lt. Kenneth Stoppa declined to elaborate on the case beyond confirming the charges against the three who were still in custody. Police identified the suspects as Brian Church, 20, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Jared Chase, 24, of Keene, New Hampshire; and Brent Vincent Betterly, 24."

UPDATE, MAY 20: Fourth person arrested: Chicago-resident Sebastian Senakiewicz, 24, was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of terrorism/false threat...

Chicago Police say the three men are self-described anarchists, members of the "Black Bloc" movement, which, says The Guardian (UK), "that has disrupted international gatherings in the past, were arrested on Wednesday and charged on Friday with conspiracy to commit terrorism, providing material support for terrorism and possession of an explosive incendiary device."

"The men had been making Molotov cocktails out of empty beer bottles filled with gasoline and fitted with cut bandanas for fuses," Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said in a press conference. [See video, above.] "It is pretty clear from the evidence they were making the bombs," Alvarez said. "There was a lot of discussion about making these Molotov cocktails and what they were going to do with them."

However, The Guardian and many other media are getting the Black bloc (small "b") wrong. It's not a movement, it's a method of protest.

The Chicago Sun-Times got it right. They accurately reported that "Participants wear black clothes, bandanas, masks and anything else to conceal their identities from the police. Black blocs first drew the attention of mainstream America in 1999 during demonstrations against the World Trade Organization in Seattle. A black bloc went on the offensive, bashing windows of many businesses in downtown Seattle including Starbucks, Gap and other businesses with a global reach. Black bloc vandals also damaged property during the 2010 G-20 meeting in Toronto."

Black Bloc Tactics:

Typical black bloc "uniforms" 
Source: http://exile.wordpress.com/tag/black-bloc/

A guy named Mike Castle has a lot of insider info about black bloc tactics on his website. Castle, a self-described "technologist," says of himself, "I make software, mostly for the web and Android, as Roasted Vermicelli. I talk about stuff on Off the Hook. I also bike, cook, and agitate for a better world."

I suppose Castle's idea of a "better world" is one in which self-appointed SS-wannabe amateur storm troopers use anarchist methods to trash innocent merchants' storefront windows.

Of black bloc, Castle says that "The Black Bloc has gained a lot of publicity in the past two years. What people dont understand is that the Black Bloc is not an organization or a group. It is a tactic. It helps reinforce security and execute our goal in the presence of high-profile demonstrations."

They are worldwide, these destroyers. "From Seattle WTO to the most recent action in Genoa," said Castle, "the Black Bloc has certainly been the main focus by the media and the police in major demonstrations. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce newer and better tactics into the struggle." Still not convinced that these people are bent on being destructive?  READ MORE about Black Bloc here...

Related: An Intimate History of Antifa - New Yorker Magazine

Muslim Anti-Christian Riots in Egypt (and Happy Thanksgiving)

Somebody, please tell me again: Why is Islam called the "religion of peace?" I'm trying to understand, really, but it's just so damned hard when I keep seeing stories like this one from the Assyrian International News Agency (emphasis added): Upper Egypt (AINA) -- On Monday November 23, 2009 Muslim rioters looted and burned Coptic Christian businesses in the village of Abou Shousha, which lies 25 KM from Farshoot [300 miles south of Cairo]. The terrorized Coptic inhabitants of Abou Shusha have stayed indoors, their shops are closed and their children are being kept away from school. They fear a repeat in their village of the Muslim violence which engulfed the town of Farshoot less than 36 hours earlier (AINA 11-22-2009).... The Middle East Christian Association (MECA) reported that at least three large Coptic stores and a pharmacy were looted and burnt in Abou Shusha and that the fire brigade arrived one hour late, although their headquarters is only 8 KM away from the village. "They gave the pretext of being busy in Farshoot, which is untrue, as Farshoot had a quiet night," said Wagih Yacoub of MECA. "Coptic and Muslim neighbors tried to put the fire out." A video posted by Free Copts shows the Abou Shusha fires. FULL ARTICLE at aina.org... The religious makeup of Egypt is 90% Muslim (mostly Sunni) and 10% Christian (9% Coptic Christian and 1% other Christian) according to the CIA World Factbook. This round of riots has been going on for days now. An earlier report from AINA (via CNN's iReport) tells us that the violence started "early morning on Saturday, November 21" in Farshoot, but also in nearby villages Kom Ahmar, Shakiki and Ezbet Waziri. Farshoot has been "the scene of ongoing Muslim mob violence against Coptic Christian inhabitants. The mob looted, vandalized and burnt Coptic property, while Copts hid indoors fearing to venture out. Reuters Cairo reported that a witness said "chaos is overwhelming (in the city)." A report from Bikya Masr explains further: "In recent weeks, Egypt has witnessed an increase in sectarian violence between Muslims and the Christian minority. As usual, these attacks took place in Upper Egypt. This time, it was reported that a young Christian man allegedly distributed a CD 'containing images that distort the reputation of a Muslim girl.' The Christian man’s father was killed in retaliation." Full Article at Bikya Masr... You got that? A guy distributes a nasty CD, and a mob kills his father. Such a peaceful bunch, those savages. Such a peaceful, tolerant religion! What a backward, primitive, hellish place Egypt is. Pyramids and the Nile, tributes to dead times. The living Egypt is a swamp of tribal "justice," brutish people, filth and bigotry to a degree that most Americans cannot imagine. Remember the Christians of Egypt, America, on your Thanksgiving Day, and thank God Almighty that multiculturalism has not yet done to the United States what it has done for centuries in so much of the rest of the world. Say a prayer for the persecuted in Egypt and elsewhere on this harsh planet. Thank God every night when you go to bed that you live in a place where the guy you flipped off in traffic yesterday is not likely to gather his tribe and burn you out of your mud hut village. Thank God for the people who risked their lives to found this nation, so that people from around this troubled planet could finally, after thousands of years of suffering, have an island of sanity and peace in a sea of violent madness. Thank God that your ancestors, perhaps even you, were able to make it to these shores. Pass the cranberry sauce. RELATED ARTICLES: The Jawa Report: Anti-Christian Riots Spreading in Egypt Egypt: “Muslim Mob” of 3000 Attack Christian Businesses ... Hundreds Riot in Egypt Over Muslim Rape Claim - Daily Religious Intensified Persecution of Christians in Iran Archbishop: Iraqi Christians suffer "'religious persecution Palestinian Christians Suffer Under the Palestinian Authority ... Persecution of Christians in Pakistan - Frontier India World ... Persecution of Christians in China, late October Chinese Christians Condemn Obama Backgrounders: Mubarak in denial about the plight of Copts in Egypt - 2006, Jihad Watch Turkish Persecution of Christians Becoming More Brazen - 2005, Jihad Watch Egyptians Worried About Sectarian Violence - 2005, Voice of America Persecuted Countries: Egypt - Persecution.org Christian Persecution Blog: Prayer Over Persecution of Christians Gates of Vienna: Cultural Genocide Against Christians News Media Ignoring Persecution of Christians Around the World Leave a Comment Conservative T-Shirts Follow CNB on Twitter RSS Feed

Iran Protesters Killed, Violence Increasing

In the wake of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-election on Friday, June 12, thousands of protesters are in the streets. Many have been badly beaten by riot police. There are now reports that at least three protesters have been killed. The man who ran against Ahmadinejad in last week's election, Mir Hossein Mousavi, is urging his disappointed followers to act nonviolently. Many Iranians suspect that the election may have been rigged in favor of Ahmadinejad. In a government crackdown on opposition, more than 10 Iranian reformist leaders - supporters of Mousavi - have been arrested, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday. According to ynetnews.com, "The al-Arabiya network has reported at least three people dead in riots that broke out in Tehran following the results of the Iranian elections." Facebook, YouTube, Friend Feed, Twitter and other social networking sites were reportedly blocked on Saturday. (Source) Some are still able to get their messages out, however, such as these folks on Twitter, probably through third-party applications. BBC reports that "Some of the protesters in Tehran wore Mr Mousavi's campaign colour of green and chanted 'Down with the dictator', news agencies report." Photo source: http://threatswatch.org/rapidrecon/ RELATED: Riots Erupt in Tehran as Iranian President Ahmadinejad declares victory - LA Times Violence escalates in Iran, first deaths reported, communication cut off - breakingtweets.com West concerned by Iran fraud claims - Aljazeera.net Iran arrests 10 leaders of reformist groups - Agence France-Presse/Inquirer.net World reacts to Ahmadinejad election - Washington Times Iran news coverage - Guardian.co.uk Iran: True Revolution Against False Revolution - netwmd.com See Comments... Visit Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed ChiNewsBench is on Twitter

DAY TWO: RIOTS SWEEP GREECE

Local police fatally shot a 15 year boy. That is tragic. Students are fighting police, resulting in Greece's worst rioting in years. Stores are burning. Homes are damaged. People are injured. Will the violence and destruction bring the dead boy back to life, and what did the innocent victims of the rioting have to do with the police action? ATHENS (Reuters) - Thousands of youths rampaged through Athens and the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Sunday, burning dozens of shops and vehicles in a second day of rioting after police shot dead a 15-year-old boy. Greece's worst protests in years erupted in the capital late on Saturday after the shooting of the teenager, and quickly spread to Thessaloniki and the tourist islands of Crete and Corfu. Full Story from Reuters... The Baltische Rundschau reports that last night "two policemen were arrested over the killing. The officer who fired that fatal shot was charged with manslaughter, and his colleague with being an accessory." Additionally... Riots rocked Athens and other university towns across Greece yesterday after a teenager was shot dead in a midnight confrontation with police in an inner-city district frequented by extremist youths. As news of the shooting spread hundreds of hooded and helmeted protesters poured into three central districts in Athens, hurling petrol bombs and stones at shopfronts, banks, parked cars and squads of police trying to control the mayhem. Twenty-four policemen were injured. Patrons in bars in the popular Monastiraki district fled as the youths, chanting “Death to the pigs”, set fire to doorways and gutted at least one office building. Looters emptied the shop windows. Full Article... The Mail Online has a good report and photos.