NATO Protesters to Announce Response to Court's Ruling In Press Conference 11:30 AM, Friday, March 30

CHICAGO – Organizers with the Coalition Against the NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda (CANG8) will announce their next steps in response to Administrative Law Officer Raymond Prosser's ruling against them at a press conference to be held at 11:30 AM, Friday, March 30 at the office of the 8th Day Center for Justice, 205 W. Monroe Street, 5th floor.

CANG8 criticized the role of Mayor Emanuel in the decision denying them their preferred march route and rally location for Sunday, May 20th, 2012.

“Mayor Emanuel lied to the people of Chicago,” said National Lawyers Guild attorney Jeff Frank, who represented the protesters in court on Tuesday. “He said the City had the ability to police this summit and at the same time protect the First Amendment rights of ordinary civilians. Now, in denying the permit, he’s said the City doesn’t have sufficient resources for the requested NATO protest route. This is part and parcel of Emanuel’s approach to governing -- say anything to deflect valid criticism, and then torpedo those promises later.”

CANG8 had asked the City to allow them to push the date of a previously approved rally and march forward by a day from May 19 to May 20. The City rejected that proposal late last week, refusing to change the permit date by a day -- for exactly the same gathering and route they had already approved when both the G8 and NATO meetings were planning to converge in Chicago.

“The city doesn’t want voices of opposition to the NATO war in Afghanistan or to the G8 agenda of poverty for the 99%," said CANG8's Joe Iosbaker. Iosbaker had applied for and received a tentative permit for Daley Plaza for May 19th. “In December, the City said that Daley Plaza would be open for First Amendment activity during the G8/NATO summits.”

The City has now not only denied a permit request for a First Amendment activity at the Plaza, it has defended its denial in an administrative hearing.

Joe Lombardo of Albany, New York, co-coordinator of the United National Antiwar Coalition, a member of CANG8, said, “At our national conference this past weekend attended by more than 500, we voted to mobilize to come to Chicago on May 20 to protest NATO and the G8. We consider the City’s denial of our protest site and march route to be a violation of our right to protest. We will do all within our power to reverse this decision.”

For more information, email CANGATE2012@gmail.com or go to www.CANG8.org