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Protesters March On North Side Over Alleged Illegal Chicago Police Raid

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 18, 2012 1:43PM

A group of protesters—60, according to media reports—marched on the North side last night demanding the release of eight anti-NATO protesters they claim were arrested in an illegal police raid in Bridgeport.

Sarah Gelsomino, an attorney with the National Lawyers Guild of Chicago, described the eight as having "disappeared." The NLG cited eyewitness reports that Chicago Police "broke down a door to access a 6-unit apartment building near 32nd & Morgan Streets without a search warrant. Police entered an apartment with guns drawn and tackled one of the tenants to the floor in his kitchen. Two tenants were handcuffed for more than 2 hours in their living room while police searched their apartment and a neighboring unit, repeatedly calling one of the tenants a 'Commie faggot.' A search warrant produced 4 hours after police broke into the apartment was missing a judge's signature, according to witnesses. Among items seized by police in the Bridgeport raid were beer-making supplies and at least one cell phone."

ABC7 cited a source within the Police Department as saying what was seized in the raid were "several Molotov cocktails." Anonymous police blogger Second City Cop also wrote the cops caught those arrested "filling bottles with gasoline and sitting with a bizarre assortment of weapons ranging from crossbows to throwing stars."

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said he knew little, if anything, about the complaints against those arrested.