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BooMan Trinube’s regular blogger TarheelDem subject to pre-emptive early Chicago crack-down on protesters.
Activists Disappeared Ahead of NATO Summit Continue To Be Held Without Charge
One of the activists released is a regular myFDL blogger, who blogs under the name “TarheelDem.” He left a comment this morning:
“Note to friends here from TarheelDem. I was one of the persons arrested in an early morning police raid in the Bridgeport neighborhood early Thursday morning. I was release with no charges this morning (Friday). I am fine. There are still five or six in custody. (Tracking down where folks are held has been difficult for the NLG.) Calls to Rahm Emanuel’s official voicemail would be helpful. The folks at Occupy Chicago and NLG worked rapidly and effectively to ensure our release. The whole charge is transparently bogus and meant for the media to reduce turnout to the march on Sunday. The permitted march will be relatively safe, providing you leave fairly soon at the end of the march (unless you want to risk arrest yourself by intentionally staying). A large turnout is crucial. Everyone who can make it to Chicago should; a larger crowd makes the entire effort safer.”
Another one of the people arrested in the raid and released is Darrin Annussek, an out-of-work social worker from Philadelphia who has been marching from city to city since November as part of “Occupy the Highway.” He was part of “Walkupy May Day” and walked all the way to Chicago to protest the NATO summit.
The person leasing the apartment, William Vassilakis, wholly condemned the raid, saying “I could not be more disgusted, enraged, terrified, by and generally totally disappointed with the city of Chicago.”
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
