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CHICAGO – This city is bracing for the worst and hoping for peace as world leaders and protesters gather for a two-day NATO summit that begins Sunday.
By Scott Olson, Getty ImagesChicago police hold back protesters outside the national campaign headquarters for President Obama on Monday.
By Scott Olson, Getty ImagesChicago police hold back protesters outside the national campaign headquarters for President Obama on Monday.
Thousands of police officers — including reinforcements from Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Charlotte — will be deployed; a no-fly zone will be enforced; and some commuter trains will be canceled. Businesses are boarding up windows; Lake Shore Drive and the Art Institute will close, and the Postal Service warns of delivery delays.Hosting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a 28-country military alliance, is a coup for President Obama's adopted hometown. The city also was to host a Group of Eight meeting of the world's largest economies this weekend, but it was moved to Maryland's Camp David. Obama arrives here Saturday.The Chicago NATO Host Committee spent $65 million and says the meeting will generate $128 million in spending. "This is a tremendous opportunity for Chicago to really promote itself on the national stage," Executive Director Lori Healey says.It's also a risk, says Allen Sanderson, a University of Chicago economist. "I just look at this as a perfect storm," he says. "The protests become the story." He also questions projected economic benefits. "If it goes well, we get a small positive bounce. If it goes poorly, we get a huge negative," he says.A dozen arrests already have been made, but Occupy Chicago and the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda say their rallies and marches will be peaceful. "We believe that when there's an injustice, it's the duty of humanity to take action and speak out," says coalition activist Joe Iosbaker.The hacker group Anonymous and Adbusters, a Canadian anti-consumerist organization, also plan protests. A group called Clown Bloq plans to protest in costume, wielding pies. Police estimate there will be up to 10,000 protesters; the Occupy movement hopes to have up to 50,000 of its activists there.Legal groups are offering free aid, and the Quakers' American Friends Service Committee is providing free medical service and training in non-violent protesting.NATO's agenda centers on Afghanistan, and memories of anti-Vietnam War riots here during the 1968 Democratic National Convention are fueling concerns. Healey says protesters "have a right to express themselves" but is certain police "are prepared to protect the citizens and the businesses" of Chicago.Police have been trained in baton use. Michael Shields, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, says, "I don't want a single Chicago police officer hurt, and I don't want a single citizen hurt."Alderman Ameya Pawar, a Democrat, expects peaceful protests. "The city should be celebrating protesters' right to protest along with showcasing the city," he said. The 1968 riots, he said, "are part of our history, but the city has come a really long way since then."For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
