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Today’s number: 200

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The rally’s numbers quickly grew to about 200 who marched though streets in the Loop, chanting “How many shots? Sixteen shots!” in reference to the McDonald case.

And yet cable news went wall-to-wall.

Look, all of the protesters are angry and they have a constitutional right to vent. But we seem to be seeing many of the same people at these marches. It may be fun for some to imagine that this is a grassroots outpouring which will morph into something much larger, and I suppose it might. Who knows?

* But the city has a long tradition of small, well-organized protest groups making life difficult for those in power. It was the University of Chicago’s Saul Alinsky, after all, who wrote the book on some of this stuff.

* And as I pointed out the other day, the protesters want the mayor to resign but aren’t considering what happens when he goes. Steinberg fills in his readers…

First, the protests. I would bet none of them have the foggiest idea who would be mayor if Emanuel quit, which he won’t. Do you? It would be the city’s vice mayor, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd). Sure, he’s the man to fix everything. Just last month, while black aldermen were condemning Garry McCarthy, Reilly was most prominent among the white aldermen genuflecting before the doomed police superintendent, singing his praises.

“Yours is one of the most difficult jobs in the city of Chicago, and we just want to make sure that you’ve got the resources that you need to complete the mission,” Reilly warbled.

So that’s the guy who’ll fix the police department when Rahm resigns? Which he won’t. Reilly would soon be replaced by the Chicago City Council, and we all know what kind of geniuses they’ve made mayor in living memory: puppet Eugene Sawyer and nice-guy-but-not-rocking-any-boats David Orr.

Yet the mob calls for Emanuel’s head. Long-term strategic planning is not the strong suit of mobs.

Again, I wouldn’t say the protesters are part of a “mob.” Many of them are trained people and some are affiliated with groups that are politically allied with larger entities like the CTU. Nothing wrong with that at all, but it’s important to know.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:03 am

Comments

Rich, I still have my copy of Rules For Radicals that I purchased in college. That reference definitely brought a smile to my face.

Comment by Tommydanger Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:05 am
200 people? People are getting their knickers in a twist over a 200 person protest?

A 200 person protest shouldn’t even draw local news coverage.

Comment by jerry 101 Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:08 am
David Orr was mayor pro-tempore when Harold died. I don’t think he was “made mayor” by the City Council.

Comment by Namaste Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:14 am
200 protesters paid by the Chicago Teachers Union should not be news. I watched them. They are generally peaceful but some are way over the top rude to police officers. They made their point now let the City heal and improve.

Comment by City Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:15 am
Cable news is useless.

But this is hardly a “mob.”

The anxiety in the city in the hours before the video release was palpable. Given the fears at the time, I imagine most people have been relieved at the public reaction to date.

Revisit the reaction in the city after the MLK murder, and you’ll do a dance over blocked cars and shops.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:15 am
Reminds me of people who voted against Pat Quinn without thinking about who would take his place and the ensuing purposeful chaos that has resulted. I’m not happy with Rahm, and I wasn’t happy with Quinn, but did I vote for Rauner? H*ll no!

Comment by PublicServant Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:18 am
“we all know what kind of geniuses they’ve made mayor in living memory: puppet Eugene Sawyer and nice-guy-but-not-rocking-any-boats David Orr.”

Didn’t they also make Michael Bilandic mayor within “living memory” of anyone over the age of 45 or 50? Of course, given that he managed to lose the ‘79 primary to Jane Byrne he probably doesn’t fall into the “genius” category either.

Comment by Secret Square Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:21 am
Love me some Saul Alinsky. LOVE!

Comment by Honeybear Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:24 am
More of the “Chicago needs him” garbage we got with Daley.

Chicago would be just fine without Rahm.

Comment by Daniel Plainview Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:28 am
The protesters have calendars. They know popping into Macy’s and other downtown stores is the best way to inflict pain right now. The more folks that that they can keep at home (or drive to the suburbs) rather than shopping downtown, the more pressure they can put on the Mayor. This tactic won’t change until after December 24th.

Comment by yabba Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:30 am
CTU appears to have had some involvement, as at least one teacher was arrested.

It does seem like the national networks want to see violent riots, but it just isn’t happening.

Even when using force, as they did on the Friday after Thanksgiving, they did it mildly. They prevented people from entering stores, but it was not like their was a rampage.

Given the news coverage on Tuesday, I headed over to Michigan Ave. to see what was happening. All I saw was the typical shoppers and a bunch of fireman collecting for Make A Wish Foundation. It was a typical December Michigan Ave. scene.

Comment by Gooner Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:37 am
The protests are becoming obnoxious to me. Police brutality goes back decades, long before anyone knew who Rahm was. His resignation (which won’t happen) wouldn’t do anything to solve such deeply rooted police issues.

Comment by Politix Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:42 am
I like Steinberg but this column was lazy and unhelpful.
As Namaste said Orr wasn’t “made mayor”.
His “Mount Greenwood cabal of inbred law enforcement” comment was juvenile and gratituous.
And his assertion that Rahm was twice the administrator that Daley was is based on what? I haven’t seen any noticable administrative accomplishments/achievments in his 5 years. Steinberg must have missed the miserable Ventra rollout or the bitter CPS strike.

Comment by Thomas Paine Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:45 am
Politix,
A lot of us have mixed views on the Mayor.
Economically I think the City is on the right track.
However, there appears to be a lack of institutional control in CPD. Further, it appears that the Mayor was aware of the video and decided against pushing for real action.

I’m fine letting the protesters have their say, and not merely on First Amendment grounds. CPD needs some reform. The rest of us need to reminded that there is an issue because it is easy for it to fall off our radar.

Comment by Gooner Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:52 am
“the national networks want to see violent riots, but it just isn’t happening”

Well, they certainly seemed to want riots in Ferguson and Baltimore — and they got them. They must be really perplexed as to why they aren’t getting them in Chicago.

Comment by Secret Square Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:53 am
==Rahm was twice the administrator that Daley was is based on what?==

He is paying the City’s debt (within the confines of attempting to remain electable) and not concealing the horrible fiscal condition of the city (as much). He’s also doing a great job of attracting corporate headquarters and other jobs to Chicago - especially in comparison to Daley. He’s not perfect but at least he’s not hiding the fiscal crisis like Daley did to remain popular and he’s working on growth to address the Daley legacy debt he can’t address with even more tax hikes at the moment.

Had he not had this severe lapse of judgement with McDonald, Rahm would be on a good path and the City would be in a better place than when Daley left office.

I hope that Rahm uses this crisis to improve the schools. If he doesn’t lower class sizes and create more selective enrollment schools, many good taxpaying families will leave the city for their kids education. The McDonald protests will hasten that exodus unless he gets ahead of that issue and the poor schools. If he hasn’t seriously addressed the schools by the time the historic property tax spike hits homeowners mail boxes, the number of “For Sale” signs will be astounding on the north side.

Comment by yabba Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 10:57 am
==They must be really perplexed as to why they aren’t getting them in Chicago.==

The “mob” was temporarily placated by a murder charge against a cop for the first in 50 years. Waiting 13 months to charge murder - coupled with the evidence “issues” and the $5 million payout - has most Chicagoans belief that a cover up occurred to get Rahm through the election. By charging the cop with murder, in many ways Anita chucked Rahm under the bus.

Comment by yabba Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:01 am
On the tv news every night. These are the same “professional” protesters day after day, maybe with a carload of a minister with a couple of his flock. They are mostly white 20-somethings on the staff of SEIU, CTU or some “community organizer” group

Comment by anon Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:07 am
A fine statement from Jamie Kalven on Emanuel and the present moment:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-rahm-emanuel-cpd-police-misconduct–perspec-1211-20151210-story.html

Comment by Bystander Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:10 am
==. He’s also doing a great job of attracting corporate headquarters and other jobs to Chicago - especially in comparison to Daley. ==
On this point Daley wins hands down- he was at the leader of the movement to recruit corporate headquarters to move to Chicago…Boeing, United and Miller Coors to name a few.

Comment by Thomas Paine Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:11 am
Think Orr was Vice Mayor at the time, so not sure if that counts as a decision by the City Council.

Comment by OneMan Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:19 am
“==Rahm was twice the administrator that Daley was is based on what?==”

I missed the part where Daley raised property taxes, and where Rahm sold city assets for below market value to plug an operating deficit.

You Daley apologists are truly unbelievable, and imo, reprehensible.

Comment by Chris Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:20 am
Link to the Kalven statement isn’t working. Try pasting and searching for:

Chicago’s police crisis falls on all of us, Kalven, chicago tribune

Comment by Bystander Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:20 am
People, there’s a bigger issue at stake than a relatively minor Steinberg historical error.

Stay on topic.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:24 am
None the following is difficult to understand or even improbable:

• Television news covering events with striking visuals and a simple narrative.

• Protesters engaging in actions which attract television coverage.

• Activists making extreme demands. (Steinberg actually wrote about unions in that piece, but still didn’t recognize the tactic of demanding more than you expect to ultimately get?)

Will street protests alone change Chicago? Absolutely not. But if Chicago is to change, street protests will play a role.

How big a role? Don’t know.

But activists who want serious and dramatic reforms in Chicago would be fools to abandon the tactic.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:43 am
How many bodies will you trade for each % of profit?

I disagree that Emanuel is good for the economy.

But people who discuss economic benefit when the topic is whether our morals value of the life of an African-American should seriously ask themselves whether they belong in the Land of Lincoln.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:45 am
Also, I know a teacher who was arrested and am confident that the CTU was not paying that person to be there.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:47 am
== the topic is whether our morals value of the life of an African-American ==

I should have specified, life and freedom.

Killings are an important topic, but they are not the only issue with CPD.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:49 am
Crazy Bleeding Heart, so any time a person dies due to error or lack of institutional control, everybody in management should be fired?

And to fail to do is is lacking in morality?

Jeez, we would never have any hospital administrators left.

Some people are good in one area and bad in others. Rahm is good economically and lacking in CPD oversight.

You act like he pulled the trigger himself.

Comment by Gooner Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:51 am
Well on CNN the thing above the crawl asked basically can Rahm stay in office with calls for resignation…

Yes…

However it would be entertaining as all get out if they they had to pick a mayor.

A) Would they even consider someone who was not an alderman (not likely)
B) You think anyone is already working it as it were.

Comment by OneMan Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 11:59 am
“However, there appears to be a lack of institutional control in CPD. Further, it appears that the Mayor was aware of the video and decided against pushing for real action.”

My point was the institutional issues have gone on for decades, under several mayors, several prosecutors, several superintendents. John Burge is the most notorious bad cop and that dates back to the late 60s. He’s far from perfect, but he’s acknowledging it, he’s apologized, he fired the supt., he’s taking responsibility, which is more than anyone else has ever done.

The community is accountable for the years of silence, too. Where were the protests 5-10-15+ years ago? Where was the outrage? They act like this is something new.

Comment by Politix Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:04 pm
*Rahm’s far from perfect…

Comment by Politix Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:05 pm
Amazing how a bunch of people who weren’t there magically know the identity of those protesting. I marched part of the route on Wednesday and saw many people I knew, mostly white middle-aged, middle class people with real jobs who are unaffiliated with any organization. I personally will continue to support and occasionally join in protests at least until the officers who filed false police reports and tried tampering with the Burger King video are brought to discipline and charged with crimes. If Rahm and Alvarez can’t even do that, they should resign. And for all those here whining that they find protests tiresome, I hope they have no complaints about paying the whopping tax bill occasioned by all of these settlements.

Comment by Cold Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:07 pm
I marched part of the route on Wednesday and saw many people I knew, mostly white middle-aged, middle class people with real jobs who are unaffiliated with any organization.

Oh - hey. Congratulations. What was it about THIS particular situation that finally caused you to act??

Please.

Comment by Politix Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:23 pm
The city needs Rahm’s gravitas so our credit ranking doesn’t drop and our property taxes don’t get raised.

Comment by Carhartt Representative Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:34 pm
Cold - Who should take over for Rahm and lead Chicago out of this?

Comment by Politix Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:37 pm
Politix, your argument seems to be…what…the law of inertia precludes action now?

An object at rest stays at rest UNLESS ACTED ON BY ANOTHER FORCE.

There are lots of new forces at play here.

Like serious Qs being posed to the Dems about whose side they are on. It’s not Emanuel and Daley’s 1994 anymore, as much as Emanuel and Alvarez clearly wish it were (and have responded accordingly).

Things have changed. Progress is happening. And an object in motion stays in motion (unless acted on by another force, I suppose, forces like your decision to focus on successors and your opinion of what’s obnoxious, rather than accountability).

Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:41 pm
The demonstrators have a right to ask for Rahm’s resignation. Whether Brendan Reilly (Democrat-Mike Madigan) is better than Rahm isn’t the point. The point is : accountability in the public sector.

Comment by Steve Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:45 pm
Eh. They’re all accountable. I just don’t think taking to the streets at this point and calling for MRE’s resignation is a great use of time.

Comment by Politix Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:50 pm
I don’t know if protests even work all that well anymore. People can use technology to express and measure public opinion, and there is a much larger audience for it.

Comment by Politix Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:59 pm
Exactly. It’s a call to accountability. Arguments that criticize people for not protesting earlier ignore the massive efforts to cover up information about po!ice misconduct. Had Rahm released the video, perhaps people would have not just protested but gone to the polls to vote him out. Also, I don’t agree that Rahm can be considered as doing a good job on finances without properly managing CPD. A major part of the mayor’s job is to protect the City from unnecessary financial liability. Paying out $500 million in 10 years is the essence of poor management.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 12:59 pm
Anon 12:59,
$500 million in 10 years shows that Cook County is a plaintiffs’ venue. That amount has no relation to the actual wrongdoing.

Circuit Court Rule 1A seems to be “Plaintiffs must get money.” The same seems to apply in the N.D. IL.

There are valid reasons for believing there is a lack of institutional control. The amount of settlements is not a valid reason.

Comment by Gooner Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 1:12 pm
In terms of public response to this mayor’s actions — and where it could go — we’re in uncharted territory. A goodly # of those so-called ‘paid’ protesters have been folks who’ve joined actions from the streets, and even from their downtown office buildings. This is not an Alinsky-style campaign, it’s literally a mass movement developing in motion.

Comment by heavyseas Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 1:29 pm
If they have not done so yet, I hope they go to Bulls, Blackhawks and Bears game to really get peoples’ attention.

Comment by Wumpus Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 1:47 pm
“I just don’t think taking to the streets at this point and calling for MRE’s resignation is a great use of time. *** I don’t know if protests even work all that well anymore.”

Thanks for sharing.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 2:09 pm
Police misconduct has been an issue for YEARS. Racial profiling has been a issue for years. Videos showing cop brutality have become the norm. And yet, to date, no Chicago leader BUT Rahm has acknowledged the racism and police practices that have plagued this city for decades. Doesn’t matter what precipitated it. Doesn’t matter why. He did it.

And I don’t see a “mass movement.” This is Chicago - where the h is everybody? There’s nothing massive about 200 people + Ronnie WooWoo.

Comment by Politix Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 2:12 pm
In my circles, the people who are calling for resignation did not support the Mayor in the first place, so not likely to change anything. That said, amplifying the issue of police misconduct is important - and members of the City Council (at least on the north side) are giving the issue a great deal of public attention.

Comment by uptown progressive Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 2:29 pm
So Rahm is being lauded for ignoring all of the reform recommendations in the Safer report released December 2014, blocking release of a video and paying 5 million in hush money all because he got on TV and acknowledged racism once he was caught red-handed? And Politic, you are talking out oif both sides when you argue that social media is more important than protests and then argue that it can’t be important because only 200 people showed up. In any event, social media is blistering on this.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 2:51 pm
Yeah - I said he should be lauded for ignoring reform recommendations. Yep. That makes sense.

Doesn’t matter if it’s important. Small protests don’t work.

Comment by Politix Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 2:58 pm
National coverage of calls for Rahm to resign = hit to Rahm’s personal bottom line, the only thing anyone has seen to date that is likely to change his behavior in any respect.

Hit him where he lives: his personal interests, ambition, financial value.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 3:26 pm
Yes I bet Rahm is spending more time counting number of unfavorable articles in national press than number of protestors on that street. So a series of smaller but relentless protests might be good strategy.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 3:39 pm
Ding ding ding.

And, again, relentless by definition means smaller. Because nobody can be in the street every day, except for the people everyone wants to dismiss.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, Dec 11, 15 @ 3:41 pm