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niketown news conference and protest

A press conference and rally is set for Wednesday, November 1st, at City Hall which is bounded by Randolph, LaSalle, Washington, and Clark streets in downtown Chicago.
PROTEST & PRESS RELEASE
Press conference with rally to be held in protest of the niketown 9+1 arrests.

On Tuesday, September 26th, ten people were arrested while participating in a nonviolent demonstration against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The protest was part of global day of action, which took place in fifty cities worldwide. Demonstrators sought to highlight the destructive policies these institutions levy upon the world’s poor and the environment, as part of the expanding movement against corporate led globalization.

In Chicago, arrests occurred as demonstrators marched down Michigan Avenue approaching Niketown, a company constantly targeted by activists for its exploitative child labor practices. After being surrounded by police officers, protesters found themselves being violently attacked by members of the First Tactical Unit. Brandishing their billy clubs they forced their way into the crowd, throwing some people to the ground and others into paddy wagons. Those arrested were charged with violating the city’s masking ordinance, while one of the demonstrators was falsely charged with aggravated battery.

This kind of oppression, aimed at the movement against multinational corporate power, has become widespread as police all over the world seek to silence growing dissent. Over the course of the last year, thousands of protesters have been arrested, beaten and even tortured for voicing opposition to institutions like the World Bank, The International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization. If we succumb to these repressive measures we will effectively be giving the world’s corporate elite a free hand to divide up our world, plunder its resources, and destroy the lives of its people.

A press conference and rally is set for Wednesday, November 1st, at City Hall which is bounded by Randolph, LaSalle, Washington, and Clark streets in downtown Chicago. We will come together to dispel preconceived ideas about the previous event’s purpose and outcome with eyewitness accounts and masked marauders, with the hope that parallels will also be drawn on the likeness of disguised trick-or-treaters and masked peaceable protesters given the timing.

With such short notice we are in dyer need of other concerned citizens to voice their support and testimony in opposition to the martial law imposed on the activists of Chicago. People that attend the news conference are encouraged to speak out, wear masks and make posters in defiance of this injustice. If you have any suggestions for media contacts or organizations that might be inclined to come to our news meeting, let us know and spread awareness.

For more information please call:

Edward Voci (312) 786-0200 ex. 19 OR Neal (773) 588-7966 OR Josh (312) 455-8072
 
 

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