#DanRyanShutdown roundup
Monday, Jul 9, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This was one of the harsher responses to the governor’s tweet before Saturday’s march on the Dan Ryan Expressway, but it’s still representative…
* And then after the march began, we got stuff like this…
Dude got it from both sides all day.
* Mayor Emanuel and pretty much everyone else focused on the word “chaos” in Rauner’s tweet…
* But Rauner explained what he meant in a follow-up…
* And the CTU, among others, wasn’t buying Mayor Emanuel’s bluster…
* Meanwhile, in another part of town…
* Some coverage…
* A guide to yesterday’s Chicago protests on the Dan Ryan – for people who are new to all this (and trolls): This is just politics! It’s just a publicity stunt. Yes. You’ve captured the exact reason why protests happen: to publicize issues and put pressure on political decision makers. But I’ll agree with you on one point: The posturing by the mayor and the governor yesterday was not particularly insightful or helpful. Especially when you consider the mayor and the governor have both tried to crush unions and teachers, two groups that provide economic and educational health to the affected communities.
* Pfleger, Emanuel, Rauner and Cupich: The inside story of the Dan Ryan shutdown: Sneed has learned Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who cut his teeth watching his mother as a young civil rights activist, decided to use his voice to facilitate the Rev. Michael Pfleger’s anti-violence march Saturday morning down the Dan Ryan Expy. “I made a few phone calls,” Emanuel said in an exclusive interview with Sneed. That included one to Gov. Bruce Rauner, who got on board with a game plan that initially aggravated Pfleger but then didn’t play out as envisioned — enabling the South Side priest to accomplish his goal of shutting down all inbound lanes of the expressway.
* Pfleger, protesters shut down Dan Ryan Expy: There’s a historical significance to marching along the Dan Ryan Expressway — a roadway some believe was built in the early 1960s to separate white communities and poor, black ones. To the west of the new interstate were Comiskey Park, home of the White Sox, and neighborhoods such as Bridgeport, home to then-Mayor Richard J. Daley and his clan. To the east rose the Robert Taylor Homes, a high-rise public housing complex that became notorious for its violence.
* Anti-violence protesters shut down Dan Ryan: ‘Today was the attention-getter, but now comes the action’: After the protest, Tracey Brumfield held up a poster at Marquette and State with pictures of her 26-year-old son, KeShawn Slaughter, who was shot and killed in April 2017 in the far South Side’s West Pullman neighborhood. The poster also had a message written on it: “Enough Is Enough. Stop Violence.” “These guns need to be off these streets,” Brumfield said. “I feel like some of the parents, y’all need to check these kids’ rooms. Check under these beds. You know what I’m saying? Guns be right in your house. You don’t even know.”
* Anti-violence protesters shut down part of Chicago freeway: Illinois State Police, which had warned earlier in the week that any pedestrian entering the expressway would face arrest, said early Saturday that an agreement had been reached for protesters to march on a portion of the roadway. Officers and vehicles lined up, forming a barrier to keep protesters in two northbound lanes, allowing some traffic to pass in other northbound lanes. But Pfleger and protesters insisted there was no agreement and that they would shut down the entire northbound roadway, with Pfleger noting the city closes major roads for parades and other occasions. The crowd began creeping into other lanes — a situation Pfleger said had the potential to become dangerous. Illinois State Police, which has jurisdiction over expressways, announced around 11:30 a.m. that they were shutting down all northbound lanes of the expressway. Protesters then began walking northbound along the route.
* Anti-violence protesters shut down inbound Dan Ryan: ‘The people won today’: Aldermanic candidate Anthony Driver and another demonstrator threatened to force the closure of the two open lanes by breaking police barriers. They were warned they might be killed by a speeding car if they did so. “They are killing us already!” Driver said. “There shouldn’t even be a negotiation. They knew we have been planning this march for over three weeks. These lanes should have already been shut down.” For more than half an hour, Pfleger and other marchers helped pass out water between talks with police, before state police agreed to shut down all inbound lanes for the march about 11:30 a.m. Afterward, Pfleger credited CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson with helping force the issue, saying Johnson “stood up to the state police to let them know it was now a matter of safety.”
* The first 100 questions about Rev. Pfleger’s Dan Ryan protest
* Father Pfleger says Governor Rauner tried to create chaos: Another mother, Sonia Davis, whose son, Tyrone White, 41, was, killed in Chatham said, “His case is still unsolved. I call the police. They never call me back. It’s like my son doesn’t exist. I am grateful to Father Pfleger for doing things like this so people can see that we are parents out here suffering. We need help with our kids cases.”
- Not Rich - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:30 am:
Unclear on the concept here?? Bring ‘awareness” to whom? EVERYONE north of I-80 is well aware of the senseless gang violence in the City.. I do not see Father Pflegler engaging the actual gang members, it seems its everyone else’s fault but them..
- Perrid - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:31 am:
This really isn’t the point of the post but I just can’t ignore the banner, I don’t have it in me:
“Gun Rights Stops Gun Violence”…
Come on now.
“My house is burning, the only solution is MORE FIRE!”
Ignoring the violence and death from guns that are bought and owned legally, the more guns there are in circulation legally the easier it is to get guns illegally. That’s just math, the more opportunities for something to go “wrong” (meaning someone who should not have a gun having a gun) the more times it will go wrong. So your solution to the problem is literally exacerbating the problem. Argh.
- Roman - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:31 am:
Memo to CTU: I’m no fan of the mayor either, but it might be useful to curb your Rahm Emanuel obsession for a few months and direct all fire toward Rauner between now and November. One war at a time.
- wordslinger - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:32 am:
–This is unacceptable. We had clear parameters that allowed the protestors to be heard while respecting law and order. Instead, they chose instead to cause chaos.–
“Law and order…. chaos….”
I was wondering why the dogs in my neighborhood started howling.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:38 am:
===I do not see Father Pflegler engaging the actual gang members===
Then you’re not bothering to look.
- wordslinger - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:44 am:
–Then you’re not bothering to look.–
Willful ignorance, the foundation of a closed mind.
- Chris Widger - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:48 am:
==“My house is burning, the only solution is MORE FIRE!”==
At the risk of being too cute, more fire actually is one of the solutions to combating forest fires. A lot of pro-gun people also unironically advocate for the position you’re attacking (”an armed society is a polite society,” etc). The answer, of course, is a hefty and expensive insurance regime governing guns that leads to a de facto ban for all but the wealthy.
- Arsenal - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:50 am:
Rauner just came off as hysterical.
- A Jack - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:55 am:
I am glad the mayor and the police showed restraint. Chicago has made some progress since the protests of 1968.
- SSL - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 9:57 am:
Mike Pfleger loves to see himself on TV, so mission accomplished. What else did he accomplish besides further polarizing people.
Is there anyone who isn’t aware of the violence in Chicago? If so, this grandstanding did nothing to make them aware.
On another note, I did see JB blow up a bunch of toilets on TV this weekend.
- Pundent - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:01 am:
=Rauner just came off as hysterical.=
Depends on who his message was intended for.
My guess is that when he says “put an end to this kind of chaos” he has a specific voter in mind.
- Chris Widger - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:01 am:
==I am glad the mayor and the police showed restraint.==
Even moreso than being merciful, this is actually the best way to negate the protests. If the police are completely blocking off the road and the superintendent is walking with protesters, it’s no longer a protest; it’s a 5K.
- JS Mill - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:03 am:
I am not a fan of Pfleger and never have been but I must say those in his congregation absolutely love him.
There have been many protests in Chicago and I don’t recall Rauner commenting on many of them. Other than campaign season I wonder what makes this one so special?
- 47th Ward - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:11 am:
===I wonder what makes this one so special?===
It was on an interstate, giving ISP jurisdiction and thus requiring the Governor’s attention.
- cdog - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:12 am:
Rauner botched the “chaos” tag. Surprised?
Emmanuel and the sanctuary-city/open-border/promote-the-disrespect-of-basic-laws/bus-in-protesters crowd that he hangs with, do have an agenda of chaos.
How many years has Rahm been in office? He’s been useless when it comes to real change for the real problems facing this community.
The AfAm community of Chicagoland will unfortunately probably continue to suffer until there is a paradigm shift in leadership.
Let’s just call it as it is. Obama, Durbin, Emmanuel, and all others aligned with these “leaders,” have failed a huge hurting segment of Chicago.
The silver lining is that folks are waking up to this ruse, but the nightmare costs have been tragic.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:16 am:
Some people are damned both ways—damned if they don’t rise up in protest and damned if they do. When there are Black Lives Matter protests, some ask why aren’t the protesters out demonstrating against violence in their own neighborhoods. When people protest the violence in neighborhoods, they get criticized and accused of grandstanding and creating chaos.
I believe this country needs to make it a top priority to invest in lower-income neighborhoods and residents. Instead the GOP gave massive tax cuts to multibillion-dollar businesses and the wealthiest, and a damaging and deadly budget crisis created by Rauner, to pit people who suffer the most from violence against unions.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:17 am:
People who use deplorable as a Twitter handle are super cool and edgy, and their thoughts and opinions on the matters of the day are always well reasoned and coherent. /s
- Shemp - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:27 am:
So beyond a traffic jam, what was accomplished? Did it change any lawmaker’s mind on regulations? Did it change a voter’s mind? Did a perpetrator of violence suddenly see the light because traffic was snarled?
- don the legend - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:31 am:
==So beyond a traffic jam, what was accomplished? Did it change any lawmaker’s mind on regulations? Did it change a voter’s mind? Did a perpetrator of violence suddenly see the light because traffic was snarled? ==
Right. Protests that don’t yield immediate change are useless. /s
- wordslinger - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:33 am:
–The AfAm community of Chicagoland will unfortunately probably continue to suffer until there is a paradigm shift in leadership.–
“Paradigm shift,” that’s fancy word-salad. What’s it mean, in this context?
- DaleyMail - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:34 am:
Amazing that the Mayor was able to spin this away from his own failed policies. In essence, the march was a call to action against his administration failing to address issues outside of downtown and the North Side (though now that the chaos is spreading??).
Rahm is an abject failure as a leader and even more so as a human being. If he didn’t have Trump and Rauner to point fingers at, he’d be exposed for the fool that he is.
- Anon - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:35 am:
This should be a huge embarrassment for the state. I was down there watching from a bridge.
They came locked and loaded. Hundreds of officers, and a chain of vehicles ranging from snow plows to IDOC buses. Millions of dollars in cost.
Then the protesters refuse to budge, say they want to shut it down. And they remove their vehicles and assist in shutting things down.
What? A wall of vehicles, buses ready to carry those arrested… and you defer to their request in minutes? Why bring all that stuff out for no reason?
- lake county democrat - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:36 am:
If he really wants to turn minds/votes, he should try this on the Edens during a midweek rush. Might turn them the opposite of how he intends, but they don’t call us swing districts up here for nothing.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:40 am:
“Did a perpetrator of violence suddenly see the light because traffic”
Was landmark legislation passed because MLK and others demonstrated? How about collective bargaining for municipal workers in Memphis, or the bus boycott in Alabama?
- Chris Widger - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:44 am:
==What? A wall of vehicles, buses ready to carry those arrested… and you defer to their request in minutes? Why bring all that stuff out for no reason?==
Nah. It could have been a giant public safety risk if a small number of protestors wanted to take over other lanes and the police fought it. Better to give them their space until they get tired and go home. CPD has handled protests this way for years. As long as you don’t give protesters their desired attention or photo ops, everyone goes home and is happy.
- Archpundit - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 10:54 am:
===When there are Black Lives Matter protests, some ask why aren’t the protesters out demonstrating against violence in their own neighborhoods. When people protest the violence in neighborhoods, they get criticized and accused of grandstanding and creating chaos.
This. Not to mention the endless number of marches against violence in African-American neighborhoods that don’t get covered.
=== I do not see Father Pflegler engaging the actual gang members,
Are you kidding me? Pfleger has done an enormous amount of work with gang members. Seriously–if you don’t want to know anything about what he does, why are you critical of him?
- wordslinger - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 11:04 am:
==So beyond a traffic jam, what was accomplished? Did it change any lawmaker’s mind on regulations? Did it change a voter’s mind? Did a perpetrator of violence suddenly see the light because traffic was snarled? ==
You could build that silly strawman for any single act of protest.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 11:32 am:
Why shut the expressway??? March down state st to city hall and air you grievences. That is where decisions get made. BTW what alderman, state reps and senators were there?? And the south side AG Rauol???
- Anonymous - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 11:33 am:
That traffic jam no doubt made some hourly worker late for their job. It may have even caused someone to lose time visiting a sick family member or friend.
There has to be a better way to express your views than walking out into traffic while threatening public safety and inconveniencing the very people you want to persuade.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 11:34 am:
===March down state st to city hall and air you grievences===
Riddle me this, Batman: Why do you, yourself believe you get to tell protesters where and when they can protest?
- wordslinger - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 11:43 am:
–That traffic jam no doubt made some hourly worker late for their job. It may have even caused someone to lose time visiting a sick family member or friend.–
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m sure that kept you up all night, that concern.
You could have made your same argument about the Selma Bridge.
I bet some of Rauner’s twitter followers think that Alabama troopers and concerned citizens properly restored “law and order” from “chaos” in that one.
- Real - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 12:35 pm:
The truth is Rauner and Rahm Emmanuel are both frauds. They both care nothing about the anti-violense protest or finding solutions to the cause of the protest. Rauner is just trying to play to the sentiments of the alt right base to help him in his reelection effort while Rahm is trying to play sentiments to the black and brown communities of Chicago to help him in his re-election effort.
That entire twitter fight between them was nothing but WWE phony talk. They probably planned it in advance. Rahm was part of the Laquan McDonald coverup now all of a sudden he wants us to believe he is om the side of protesters? Get out of here! Vote Rahm and Rauner out!
- Sox Fan - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 3:11 pm:
===They should march through englewood===
They marched through the busiest street in the neighborhood. And I believe the Dan Ryan has been impacted as much as anywhere by gun violence. I’m having a hard time finding a better place for them to protest.
- dmc - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 3:19 pm:
Sox Fan. How about 63rd Street - once the heart of a booming community of Englewood. So sad.
- Sox Fan - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 6:03 pm:
DMC, if they marched down 63rd street, would they have received any publicity?
- Rabid - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 6:17 pm:
Rauner failed, thought they were going to play frogger
- Rabid - Monday, Jul 9, 18 @ 6:22 pm:
Farmer Bruce sent out snow plows, what were they going to plow
- honestly - Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 12:36 pm:
They should have been treated as any other mentally ill people wandering out on the interstate would have been. Mental health eval and counseling in padded rooms.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 12:44 pm:
–They should have been treated as any other mentally ill people wandering out on the interstate would have been. Mental health eval and counseling in padded rooms.–
Like those crazies that blocked the Selma Bridge?
You seem nice.