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That 70s show

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* Press release…

After staging a mock trial of billionaire Governor Bruce Rauner at Wellington Avenue Church in Chicago yesterday, 300 seniors, religious leaders and workers piled into school buses to deliver an arrest warrant at one of the Governor’s mansions. Organizers of the event say Gov. Rauner is guilty of trying to balance the budget on the backs of seniors and people who are struggling to get by, instead of raising revenue from the wealthy and big corporations.

“Governor Rauner’s talk about ’shared sacrifice’ is a joke,” said Jessie Avraham, a member of Jane Addams Senior Caucus. “Big corporations and the wealthy aren’t ’sacrificing’ anything, they reap the rewards when they don’t pay their fair share. The Governor’s budget cuts threaten the very survival of seniors who would have to sacrifice quality of life; for many, the cuts could mean a death sentence.” […]

This Event was organized by a broad-based coalition of community groups from around Chicago including Jane Addams Senior Caucus, Action NOW, ADAPT, Community Renewal Society, Grassroots Collaborative, Fight for $15, Indiana Illinois Regional Organizing Network, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, ONE Northside, National People’s Action, SEIU Healthcare Illinois/Indiana.

A “mock trial”? At a church?

* Photos…

And we’re supposed to take this seriously why?

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:00 am

Comments

Right out of the Saul Alinsky playbook.

Comment by Peters Post Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:04 am
Weren’t the trials in Salem held in churches?

Comment by Arthur Miller Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:04 am
Why? To get attention, which apparently worked…

Comment by The Equalizer Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:04 am
Winnetka residences;

“Get off our lawns!”

To the post,

The only thing accomplished is the Village of Winnetka having more people around, and Rauner’s neighbors, in their slippers and house coats, drinking lattes from their own espresso machines, standing on their doorsteps, shaking their heads… and yawning.

It’s 60 and 30 people, not 9 mansions.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:05 am
==And we’re supposed to take this seriously why?==

Given the list of groups who put this on? Serious discussion and them do not mix well together

Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:05 am
===Right out of the Saul Alinsky playbook. ===

Alinsky would never do something this pointless.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:06 am
===To get attention, which apparently worked… ===

Nobody else covered it but me. And the attention I gave them was mocking. So… Pointless.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:06 am
Hey, Rich, you carried it as a news item, complete with pictures; looks to me like they wanted press coverage, and they got it…

Comment by downstate commissioner Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:08 am
===you carried it as a news item,===

I carried it as an opinion item.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:09 am
Someone should remind these people who passed the FY15 budget trap that created this mess. This is equally stupid and unbelievable.

Comment by Phenomynous Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:09 am
“And we’re supposed to take this seriously, why?” Because they’re serious?

Comment by Levois Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:09 am
Oh, a school play. How quaint. Ugh.

Comment by A guy Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:10 am
Wow, I bet someone’s grade-schooler got a ‘B’ for that arrest warrant. Keep up the good work!

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:12 am
They are not serious.

Serious groups understand the process of why 60 and 30 is to their advantage right now, and tweeting dopey things touting an “arrest” at a “mansion” isn’t moving or dictating a serious look at their concerns.

Actually, this is the type of inimitable that has multi-millionaire neighbors donate to have “their voices heard” through Rauner.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:14 am
The public has to push back somehow. Pointless, maybe, but at least its getting IL citizens other than Unions to band together and protest the Reverse Robinhood of IL

Comment by BlameBruceRauner Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:15 am
‘Actually, this is the type of situation that has multi-millionaire neighbors donate to have “their voices heard” through Rauner.’

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:15 am
Always amazed how all the folks get time out of their work day to hold these events. My boss is not that generous.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:15 am
I dunno Rich, if Rauner’s 1% neighbors start complaining about the old hippies impacting their property values he may get some pressure he’ll actually respond to.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:15 am
If you think mock trials do not happen in churches, you have never attended a passion play on Good Friday.

Comment by anon Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:16 am
This was a ridiculous waste of time and demonstrates how clueless these idiots are.

Comment by Cassiopeia Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:17 am
I guarantee you these same people were testifying at every approp meeting and have been meeting with legislators since budget day 1. To just look at this as an isolated event is missing the point.

Comment by Chicago Hack Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:18 am
Downstater is right. You posted it, Rich.

Sorta passive-aggressive.

Comment by Georg Sande Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:18 am
They missed a whale of a Bulls/Cavs game. Anyone who thinks Derrick is soft, check out that charge he took from Lebron coming at him with a full head of steam.

Comment by Wordslinger Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:18 am
A “mock trial”? At a church?

As a kid, I attended a mock trial at a Missouri Synod Lutheran church. The jury deadlocked, and I don’t think Pontius Pilate was ever retried on those charges in that jurisdiction.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:19 am
And we’re supposed to take this seriously why?

Because if you can get 300 Illinoisans TO DO ANYTHING in concert before the axe really falls, I think there is a good chance that Illinois could see HUGE numbers when it does. Getting Illinoisans to do anything is worse than herding cats. Is this a stunt? Of course! But I much rather have this than what I fear will happen where I work for the State in East St. Louis. It’s not your building that will get burned down when the social service cuts hit and are felt. Look the points in this demonstration are valid. I just got off the phone with I guy trying to take care of his brother who just had a stroke. He’s got to get him in a nursing home, get his medicaid squared away so that he can get him in. He lives in St. Louis and can’t afford to care for his brother. Now if Rauner cuts medicaid payments to Nursing homes, they put him out or not let his brother in in preference to “private pay” patients. What’s he supposed to do? Man, you have to understand, once folks get what’s being done to them, I feel it may get ugly, real ugly. So no, I’m rather disappointed that a demonstration is being mocked. We may well long for civil demostrations such as this. I think it’s pretty snobbish and privileged to mock these folks trying to do something.

Comment by Honeybear Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:20 am
The “trial” represents another example of the discontent of people affected by BVRs policies. No different than a statehouse rally that gets no coverage.
But…people invested their time…and are trying to make their voices heard outside the Capitol confines too.

Comment by Austin Blvd Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:21 am
They copied the Springfield way:

They hosted an event that resulted in no actual results and think they accomplished something.

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:23 am
Wait, they held a trial before seeking to arrest him?? Isn’t that bass ackwards?

Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:26 am
I’m sure it wasn’t pointless to the 300 that participated.

Comment by Tobor Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:26 am
@Anon 10:15am
“Always amazed how all the folks get time out of their work day to hold these events. My boss is not that generous.”

Yeah…imagine that…all ‘those folks’ managed to GET A SUNDAY OFF???? Crazy…you know?

They should be ashamed of themselves, taking their day of rest to assemble.

Save your mock indignation. It was held on the weekend.

Comment by How Ironic Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:26 am
The Fact that People are Uniting is Significant, (regardless of minimal initial impact)

Comment by x ace Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:31 am
===The Fact that People are Uniting is Significant===

C’mon. SEIU can get 300 people to protest a crow in a tree.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:34 am
Seems like a hundred times as many “right wingers” as “liberals” will cite Saul Alinsky, while knowing virtually nothing about him.

He’s become an icon of the right.

Comment by walker Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:35 am
Rich - thanks for the chuckle. They also can get 300 people to crash an elevator system. :/

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:40 am
Well I mean, you just wrote about it…

Comment by BVChicago Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:44 am
I dislike this kind of event, but sometimes you do these things as much for internal organizing, i.e., firing up your members/activists to make sure they can do the job and are ready for coming actions, as you do for external media attention.

Comment by Democrat Grrrl Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:49 am
Move along. Move along. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Comment by Jechislo Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:50 am
Big story here; Economic stimulus for the T Shirt industry.

Comment by A guy Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:57 am
Like it or not…raising/overtaxing the rich well just make them move out of state….them and their family can pick up and move out of state, they can obviously afford to do so…we really need to stop focusing on the ultra rich (at least on a state/local level) and get practical.

Comment by Shanks Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:58 am
Somebody seems to have too much time on their hands. These folks need to get a job, get a dog to kick, or start volunteering at charitable organizations that can use them. Perhaps then they will start to have a life.

Comment by Ethan Hawk Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:58 am
After reading the other news items today it seems, these folks’ time and money would be better spent hiring a lobbyist.

Comment by Anon Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:08 am
Pretty embarrassing.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:11 am
–A “mock trial”? At a church?–
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

I’m with Ethan Hawk–there are gonna be cuts, the gravy train is out of gravy, and maybe some of them should volunteer at the agencies that are going to get hit.

Comment by Harry Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:12 am
“And we’re supposed to take this seriously why?”

I dunno that demonstrations like these are meant to be taken seriously by the general public, so much as they are meant to be taken seriously by members of the group and their supporters/funders. Whether or not they change any minds among the members of the General Assembly or get any press coverage probably matters far less (to them) than whether or not they generate enough buzz on social media to attract more participants and, maybe, get more people funding their efforts.

Comment by Secret Square Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:18 am
@Shanks
“Like it or not…raising/overtaxing the rich well just make them move out of state….them and their family can pick up and move out of state, they can obviously afford to do so…we really need to stop focusing on the ultra rich (at least on a state/local level) and get practical.”

This is such a BS argument. If the ‘millionaire tax” is 3%, that’s $30,000 in additional tax give or take a few thousand, depending upon when the additional tax kicks in.

People of that socio-economic bracket are not going to pull up the tent stakes and flee the state for $30,000.

People have friends, jobs, homes, houses of worship, and many other intangible things that bind them to their community.

Essentially, if you were to apply that same logic, a person that nets $100,000 a year might have to pay an additional $3000 in taxes. Would you uproot your entire family/friends/community for $3000?

Doubtful.

Comment by How Ironic Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:23 am
I’m sorry everyone my comment was basically snark. I realize everyone isn’t taking this group that seriously.

Comment by Levois Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:29 am
==we really need to stop focusing on the ultra rich (at least on a state/local level) and get practical==

By focusing on who? The rich can’t be part of the solution too? They should be left alone so that the entire burden is placed on the poor and middle class? Nonsense.

Comment by Demoralized Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:30 am
“… Overtaxing the rich may well just move them out of state..”

Yeah. Park Avenue and Beverly Hills are practically ghost towns for all the billionaires moving because of taxes.

Comment by Wordslinger Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:42 am
So may I assume that these non-partisan protesters are also going to picket and ‘arrest’ at the homes of Madigan and Cullerton? They did worse than Rauner: they promised all this funding to groups when they KNEW they couldn’t preform.

Comment by Formerpol Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:45 am
“- Honeybear - Monday, May 11, 15 @ 10:20 am: ” You are very right that once the masses figure out what is happening to their livelihood and their love ones, holy hell will break loose. I am afraid there will be riots all over the state.

Comment by Mama Monday, May 11, 15 @ 11:48 am
“SEIU can get 300 people to protest a crow in a tree.”

Hey hey!
Ho ho!
The crow in the tree
has got to go!

Hey hey!
Ho ho!
The crow in the tree
has got to go!

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Monday, May 11, 15 @ 12:04 pm
I couldn’t get the lines out of my head:

“I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.”

“We’re just the guys to do it.”

Comment by cover Monday, May 11, 15 @ 12:13 pm
- MrJM -,

That was so good, I could hear chanting… lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 11, 15 @ 12:17 pm
Most protests like this start equally small and equally silly. The protest that resulted in the Kent State shootings started with 500 students burying a copy of the U.S. Constitution.

Unfortunately for these protests to gain any media attention, generally they have to turn violent either through the destruction of property or the provoking of authorities.

Comment by A Jack Monday, May 11, 15 @ 12:19 pm
The only thing missing was the 3 cornered hats. Democracy you take the good,funny,and bad.
No shots were fired. Slow news day.

Comment by Mokenavince Monday, May 11, 15 @ 1:15 pm
I see Willy Nelson made time to attend. He sang “Crazy.”

Comment by Demoralized Monday, May 11, 15 @ 4:11 pm
This takes Soccermom back to the good old days when she used to go on protest “field trips” from college. She once attended an anti-weapons demonstration with her friend Ferd, who claimed that any song can be a protest song if it is sung low enough and slow enough.

So while everybody else was marching to “We Shall Overcome,” Soccermom and Ferd were demonstrating to “Hello-o-o-o-o Do-o-l-l-y-y.”

Good times, good times.

Comment by Soccermom Monday, May 11, 15 @ 4:26 pm
=== Demoralized - Monday, May 11, 15 @ 4:11 pm:

I see Willy Nelson made time to attend. He sang “Crazy.”===

LOL, Demo, trim that hair in the pic a little and who does that look like just a little bit? lol

Comment by A guy Monday, May 11, 15 @ 5:12 pm
- Holy Smokes -

Please get back on your meds.

Thanks.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 11, 15 @ 9:38 pm