Sorry, Factz, but the figure of 1000 was arbitraily issued by the CPD command staff to reporters on the scene at Oak, Michigan, and Dearborn - which the Trib and CST took as gospel. This does not make it 'factual' anymore than anyone else's crowd estimates. For example, the latest AP wire report cites "thousands" of M-19 protesters in Chicago.

The unpermitted feeder marches that were blocked at Dearborn and Oak during and after the press conference at Oak and Michigan probably never exceeded 1,100 total, - not surprising considering the degree of preemptive police intimidation, but the later rally was actually much larger, and the CIMC estimate of 2500-3000 participants is in the ballpark.

Indeed, the M-19 Coalition distributed a flyer urging those who arrived at Oak and Michigan but could not risk arrest to ignore the police sanctioned route on Clark St and make their way downtown anyway they could with stacks of anti-war leaflets to pass out on the way. And many did just that.

Other protesters who chose to remain at Dearborn and Michigan location also successfully resisted CPD efforts to force them onto Clark, and were able to march down Dearborn to the Federal Plaza rally after an hour long negotiation with the police in the street. But several groups, eager to avoid arrest, and arrive at the rally on time, capitulated to police demands, and split off to march down Clark minutes before. It was an estimate of these two parallel marches south to Federal Plaza that CPD Chief of Patrol Maurer gave to reporters on the scene, -- not the total number of participants in the day's activities.

The CPD also has a checkered history of undereporting crowd sizes, a point underscored several years ago in a federal court case in which CPD witnesses understated the maximum capacity in Federal Plaza, and were refuted by testimony from other experts - who actually measured that capacity. To be fair, crowd estimates are difficult at best, which is why the US Park police and DC's Metro PD - who previously used an aerial photos and a grid map system for estimating large crowds- now have a policy of not releasing estimates when it comes to large demonstrations in the nation's capital. A practice the CPD might emulate.

You also describe an incident today when a protester 'punched' a horse without "provocation". Eyewitness accounts report that this arrest was precipitated by a protester sustaining an injury when the horse lurched forward and stepped on the kid's foot near Federal Plaza. Said eyewitness accounts and the medical record produced by that arrestee's injury will no doubt be introduced as evidence in court.

Documentable arrests today included:

1. Andy Thayer, Chicago M-19 Organizing Coalition
2. Brad Little, veteran Quaker peace activist
3. Dan Dale, Interim pastor at Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ
4. Pat Voegel, AFSC
5. Dan Johnson,
6. Eric Lawerence
7. Michael Sladnick

The initial Indymedia report got it wrong by 1, based on eyewitness accounts. The corporate media somehow got it wrong by 2, based on inaccurate police reports. IMC will update these figures as new info becomes available. Will the Chicago Tribune?

The next time you decide to pop off about 'absolute facts" you might try doing some real research. Then again, based on the news sources you seem to depend exclusively on for info, no doubt you're still looking for WMDs in Iraq.