NATO Protestors March To Rahm Emanuel's House
By Amy Cavanaugh in News on May 20, 2012 4:00PM
Chicagoist writer Aaron Cynic was on the scene yesterday as hundreds of protestors met at the Irving Park brown line stop at 10 a.m. to march to Mayor Emanuel's Ravenswood home. Emanuel wasn't home at the time.
Organized by the Mental Health Movement, the marchers were protesting the closing of mental health clinics in the city. Some people were wearing hospital gowns while protesting that money was spent on the NATO summit instead of on programs for the mentally ill.
At 11:15 a.m. Aaron reported that there were 50 people outside the Irving Park stop, and some left to canvass the neighborhood door to door. Chicago Police Department presence was low, but there were four bike cops in riot helmets riding up Ashland and a chopper overhead.
At 12 p.m., everyone was congregating in Horner Park to move toward Emanuel's house on N. Hermitage St.
At 1:30 p.m. there were at least 500 people marching, but no real police presence. The mood was spirited and energetic, and there was word that police were assembling somewhere nearby. Aaron surmised that protestors would be allowed near the street, but not on the block, and a small group of protestors in front of Emanuel's house were told that they could be there but not be stationary.
At 2:30 p.m., Aaron was at Emanuel's house and estimated that there were 1,000 people on the block. People were speaking about health care, and there were just a few bike cops there.