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LOCAL News :: Media : Peace : Protest Activity

The Death of Malachi Ritscher

Last Friday, Malachi Ritscher burned himself to death on the side of the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago during the morning rush hour. Near Malachi's remains, police found a camcorder with videotape inside and a homemade sign that read "Thou Shalt Not Kill".
Click on image for a larger version

m19-ds3.jpg
Malachi Ritscher shortly before his unconstituional arrest by the Chicago Police. This is one in a series of photos shot by good samaritan Dan Sloan, which helped Malachi win a suit against the city.
The only attention that this case has received was a blurb in the back of the Chicago Sun-Times (www.suntimes.com/news/metro/123692,CST-NWS-bodyfire04.article ) and a mention on the local televised news. Each venue has treated the event as a mere suicide and an explanation for slower-than-usual traffic that morning. The only further explanation for Malachi's actions are likely on the videotape that was confiscated at the scene, and it is highly doubtful that the public will ever find out the contents of that recording.

Malachi was a well-known participant in the Chicago art and music scenes, as well as a prominent anti-war protester. In August 2006, Malachi received a settlement in his case against the city of Chicago after he was unconstitutionally arrested by Chicago police for exercising his first amendment rights. Malachi was not merely a "nut" who was hellbent on ending his life. Instead, Malachi was a conscientious individual whose death was his ultimate protest.

It is likely that no further attention will be brought to Malachi's death in the mainstream media. Malachi should not have died for a mention in the paper, completely stripped of his intention.

I hope that this humble notice will serve as a spark for dialogue within this community.
 
 

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Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

The Chicago Reader broke the story about how local musicians have good reason to believe it was Malachi (the body had not been ID'd yet officially) and about Malachi's suicide note and obituary yesterday: blogs.chicagoreader.com/post-no-bills/
 

Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

 

Re: Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

Jenna, your link did not take me to more news about the death of Malachi Ritscher. Can you double check it because I would really like to read what has been posted and couldn't find it on the Utah site. Thanks.
 

Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

It's really too bad the only people who will read about him are sadly the people who already agree with him.

RIP Malachi And Will
 

Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

The most respected French daily newspaper, Le Monde, just published today an article about the story:

www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3222,36-834560@51-829608,0.html
 

Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

i don't see suicide as very honorable

he could of done so much more for the world by continuing his activism and demanding social justice

also, Buddhist monks did this in Vietnam, but when they did it was to protest the intensely coercive Vietnamese dictatorship that wouldn't allow them to practice their faith, and harassed everyone

While I can see some parallels, we aren't in that situation yet by a long shot

And trust me, if it ever does, I won't be burning myself in the street, I'll be throwing trash can fires at squad cars

Aka, the honorable thing
 

Re: Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

Batek bere buruarekin amaitzea gauxa, gutxienez, interesgarria da, ez du inork, edo ia nihork molestatzen, eta gainera zure tontakeri sedo kristianoak, guzitz nazkanteak dira.
Jaungoikoa ez du existitzen!. Egia esanez, Vietnam eta Iraken arteko hilen artean ez dagoz ezberdintasunaz.
Malachi, gixajoa, kokotaraino zegoen, inpotentziaz beterik, gure Lurra bezela.
 

Re: Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

Deniz Yeter everyone. moronic assumptions of the century. when a religion depicts an herb, lets say cannabis, as a sacrament and the coercive American Fascistship says no way jose. we are effeectively in the situation u so stupidly said was a "long shot". its people like u who fuckin make me puke. after all the chaos in the streets who suffers more we do. how? futher corporate cleanups and rebuilding furtherly shitty places of existence. u must be a fed. look at mexico right fuckin now before u throw one single can. think outide the box goddamn garbage thrower. great thinkers of our society witness this idiot as mankinds crowning achievement.his honor is promoting further chaos. wonderfuckinful. guess were all set and ready to jump on the Yeter-wagon now.
 

Re: Re: Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

dear oh dear, mr weedboy (above) your incoherent ramblings lead me to believe all that marajuana is scrambling your brain and making you paranoid. have you seen your doctor lately? he will no doubt confirm a diagnosis of schizophrenia and prescribe to you some different and legal drugs that will nail down that hyperactive brain of yours. i am no anti-drugs crusader in a white cape, au contrare - i believe moderation (oh yes that old cliche) is the crux, any drug used "recreationally" [remember when 'recreation' used to mean jogging or exercise, sport etc?] by which i mean NOT VERY OFTEN AT ALL probably cant do you all that much harm. (even heroin. and yes -even the aforementioned legal drugs.) The problem is maintaining this occasional use, which requires just as much self control as not doing it in the first place. Before you jump to strange conclusions about me and my life, I will add that i heavily smoked marajuana for about four years, and i have no doubt my time doing that has sent me a bit 'funny.' And no, i am not on medication, except alcohol.
What does this have to do with that Malachi bloke doing himself in? Pretty much nothing, like weedboys comments. In regards to his suicide - I will agree with Denis Yeter on this point, what's so honourable about burning yourself on the highway? How does it differ from a suicide bomber? (oh, I know, he didnt take anyone else with him, but why not? He definetely would have made the headlines, if that really was the poor buggers intention) Who made and what are and where can I find the parameters for the honorable causes of suicide? The iraq war and afghanistan and indeed the whole war on terror is a thing worth protesting about, but i guess in america you can only protest with your vote. Oops, I forgot, your voting machines are electronically rigged, and most of you dont vote anyhow. Please dont take this to heart, oh patriots, but I thank God I'm not an american.
I suppose Malachi achieved one thing, anyway, I will now have something to talk about at the pub when the subject of politics comes up.
Rest in peace Malachi.
 

Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

Bakoitzak nahi duena egiten du , berak aukera hori hautatu zuen , gutxi esan ahal dugu horretaz. Zaila da; ene ustez holan amaitzeko era; gutxienez begirunea eta errespetu, ohorea, behar zaio.
Gora Zaldi Eroa!.
 

Re: Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

Gora ETA!
 

Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

Thank you for posting this story. Hopefully, it will reach many more people and perhaps, awaken a spark in the hearts of our young people, as well as our current and future leaders.
¡Sigue la lucha!
 

Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

He gave his life for a larger peace.

He died for life before he died of shame.

Let's honor that, then mourn and praise.
 

Retaliate By Striking Back, Do Not Strike Inward

Maliachi's revenge would have been better if he had taken some of those over paid politicians and bureaucrats hostage and set them on fire and then released the video.

The USA government allowed me to be attacked after reporting criminals and murder and explicit discrimination at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in San Francisco.

I was almost killed on the highway in an attack and then the government turned against me and they do so to this day.

I believe in an eye for an eye, do not jab out your other eye, take one of theirs.

Never again serve the regime in power. Separate your family from their or "IT's" paradigm. The time has come for a war in America and we can not win, so just remove yourself from the criminal leadership of this damned nation.

Mobile Audit Club has music and proof of abuse and videos of abuse. No one cares, and I do not have any political criminals or those who allow or force injections linked to the site. I want some of them beheaded in the USA and have the video put online.

www.angelfire.com/zine2/democracyordeath/index.html
 

Re: The Death of Malachi Ritscher

Es comprensible que Malachi perdiera la fe en un mundo mejor, pero sobre todo muy triste su decisión de quitarse la vida así. Sin embargo su muerte dió los frutos que el deseaba. Que fuera comentado, por todos los que sepan que se suicido en protesta. Sigamos comentando su muerte, para que nunca se olvide.
 

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