/ No Games

Protest the 2016 Bid on September 29!

PROTEST CHICAGO’S OLYMPIC BID

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
5:30PM at CITY HALL (121 N. LaSALLE ST.)

RSVP using Facebook


LET THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE KNOW THAT CHICAGOANS DO NOT WANT THE OLYMPIC GAMES.

The City of Chicago currently has a $500 million budget gap. Chicago public schools are being closed and the CTA is crumbling. The city is staggering from one budget crisis to the next – and the Mayor’s Office is already predicting that the 2010 budget will be worse than 2009.

Meanwhile, Chicago’s City Council has put the taxpayers on the hook for any cost overruns that would occur if the city gets the Olympics. And Olympics and cost overruns go hand in hand. Currently, the City of Vancouver, host of the 2012 Winter Olympics is on the hook for $6 billion in Olympics cost overruns – which may bankrupt the city. The 2012 Summer Games in London are 4-times over budget, with a total bill of at least $20 billion.

On October 2nd the International Olympic Committee will decide on the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games. Let your voice be heard… Protest the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid.

CHICAGO NEEDS BETTER HOSPITALS, HOUSING, SCHOOLS AND TRAINS… NOT OLYMPIC GAMES.

Endorsed by: No Games Chicago,  Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP), Answer Chicago, Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE), International Socialist Organization, Northside Action for Justice, Green Party Chicago, Pan-African Roots,  March 10 Committee, Pilsen Alliance, IVI-IPO, United Taxpayers of Oak Park.

For more information or to endorse this action contact: nogameschicago@gmail.com, call (312) 235-2873. Download a rally flier. Tell us you’ll be attending by RSVPing using Facebook!

34 Commments

  3. Don’t forget to come protest on October 2nd either – we’ll be at both dates:

    http://www.chicago2016.org/october2

    “You, your friends and co-workers can be front and center at Daley Plaza on October 2 for the next big day in the history of Chicago. Join in the excitement and watch the events unfold live as they happen at our Live Viewing Event – the program begins at 9:00 a.m.

    October 2 will be a fantastic and historic day for Chicago. Watch the Chicago 2016 Presentation Live at 1:30 a.m. (yes that is a.m.) and come down to show the world how passionate Chicago is about hosting the Games!

    JOIN US IN DALEY PLAZA!

    Join the excitement in Daley Plaza and watch the events unfold at our live viewing event: http://www.chicago2016.org/October2. Our program begins at 9:00 a.m. – be sure to be there right from the start, to take part in all the excitement and be one of the first to receive any surprise giveaways! Remember, all giveaways will be on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis and once they’re gone, they’re gone!

    Please pass this note along to all your friends and family members. We don’t want anyone to miss the big event. Let’s make this a fantastic celebration all across the region!

  5. I hope we don’t get the Olympics. Seeing Daley whine like the @#$% spoiled brat that he is will be hilarious.

    Under the table “skin”: Unknown thousands.

    One old hospital: $100,000,000

    One condo complex: $1,000,000,000

    One whining spoiled brat mayor not getting his way? Priceless.

    For everything else, there’s the MasterCard Plutonium…

  6. Why not also protest on October 2nd, the day of the decision? There’ll be a lot of people downtown and it’ll be a media circus – a prime opportunity for disruption.
    —

    JOIN US IN DALEY PLAZA!

    Join the excitement in Daley Plaza and watch the events unfold at our live viewing event: http://www.chicago2016.org/October2. Our program begins at 9:00 a.m. – be sure to be there right from the start, to take part in all the excitement and be one of the first to receive any surprise giveaways! Remember, all giveaways will be on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis and once they’re gone, they’re gone!

    Please pass this note along to all your friends and family members. We don’t want anyone to miss the big event. Let’s make this a fantastic celebration all across the region!

  8. The fools on here who want the Olympics give the reasons of… they don’t any. Because they likely have none other than some trite response from la-la land. There is a reality out there people. Its called the economy and this thing called budgeting and living WITHIN your means.

  9. I know a bar owner who hates Daley and is waiting to see Daley whine and moan. She intends to celebrate by getting completely drunk if we don’t get the 2016 steroid developers’ convention. And I’ll be right with her to celebrate and laugh at Daley as he cries on TV.

  10. These aren’t mayor daley’s olympics. This will help many umemployed construction workers and others. It seems the majority of chicago business owners want the games. WHy? Because they know it would be good for business. NOt all businesses, but most businesses. This will help improve transportation, what else will bring money to help fix the Cta? Do you know who paid for the hospital? It was NOT the city of Chicago. Do yo know who is paying to demolish the hospital? It is NOT the city of Chicago. Do you know who is making payments on the hospital property? It is NOT the City of Chicago. Do you own research. Do some research.
    Lemmings following hate mongering…

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  13. Keep the Olympics anywhere but Chicago. We have 5-15 murders a night. Who in their right mind would want to come here?

  14. I could care less-but not much-if Chicago gets the games. I just hope and will try to stop the people of the United States for paying for the games. Let the games be subsidized by people interested in games and the steroids industry. The prostitutes and pimps should do well as should the Aldermen.

    “2016 steroid developers’ convention”? 😉

  15. Great news! President Obama will be in Copenhagen this week pushing for the Chicago Olympic bid, reported CNN this morning. Best of luck Chicago. See you at the rally Friday!

  17. i recently visited chicago, and hiking taxes is the last thing you want to do. it will drive the remaining real workers away. but you will since you are all Democrat lemmings with obedience stamped on your foreheads. good luck with obama recession

  18. ..of course, by 2016 Obama will have been impeached and will have a popularity rating approximating that of Benedict Arnold; Chicago will already have imploded and will be physically unable to host any major event; the ‘Olympics’ may finally become the otherized, foreign-only event they should be; etc etc.

    But Chicago will remain the gangster-land it has always been – probably without the glitz though.

  19. Another Chicagoian for Rio. We already have the highest taxes in the US.I don’t know if I can handle anymore of watching the corrupt face down in the feeding trough. We are bankrupt at the city, county and state level. How about we work on making government sustainable first?

  20. I love how you think opponents of No Games Chicago are doing ‘hate mongering’, and think of us as ‘lemmings’ JV! I just legitimately think there aren’t any benefits for Chicago to host the Olympic Games in 2016, especially when our region is OVERTAXED, we have too many aldermen who are scared to show a lick of independence from Mayor Daley, poor local infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt and our state could even fall on the hook for paying the bill of the 2016 games, if there are cost overruns. Did I also mention about Illinois having the #14th highest state unemployment rate as of August ’09, or being #48th for job creation?

    Keep up your posts Pro-Olympic Games supporters, they’re hilarious. All the problems both the city and state keep failing to solve, and why should it take winning an Olympic bid for the city and state to start work on fixing the problems our region faces? We need to fix both the problems our metropolitan area and this state, before we even deserve a chance to host any Olympic games. I also think Chicago’s bid, as it is, will not properly help so many distressed city neighborhoods in urgent need of reinvestment. There’s no way I’m a pessimist about the Olympics, and if I could tell they’d truly help the city(rather than only the politically connected), I would consider supporting them. Well, I actually have a life and a job, so have a great day falling for the Chicago 2016 hype machine.

  21. Great comeback Allen, looks like the JV’s and Tim Smiths of the world want everything but give nothing. JV also look at those cities that did get various venues despite rejection from the citizens, where are they now, oh yes, let me remind you they are still paying off the bills due to cost overuns, lack of anticipated monies coming into the city coffers, places built that were expected to continue to bring people and funds in but do not….history does repeat itself and yes the :lemmings” are fool not to remember and always thing otherwise.
    You no doubt as well as Daley will hope that if it is granted to Chicago the “Community Organizer in Chief” will have his cronies pass a stimulus to help pay for the fiasco. You need to wise up and do more research it is out there.

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  24. Real good ladies and gentlemen!!! Now you have a sitting US president and his wife and celebrities actively rooting for international discrimination. Unbelievable!!!!
    This proves that everything is about money and the bottom line. Chicago is expecting to reel in millions in benefits from the Oly’s. I doubt it, I bet the taxpayer gets the shaft. However Rio… the place that really needs a chance to advance and realize the South American dream, is in danger of being “clouted out” by the Daley machine and it’s minions. Obama now can be counted as one of Daley’s minions, reducing his presidency and damaging his image of fair play around the globe. Rio needs the Olympics! The olympics is the only place where if you are the fastest man in the world and you are from a tiny underdevolped country like Kenya… you still win and are a star no matter where you come from. But the two most underdeveloped places in the world (South America and Africa)have never had a chance to host the Olympic Games. Lets just call this the Europe USA ASIA games!! Chicago should have made it’s pitch and be done with it. Now they want to ram it down the IOC’s throat. I for one hope the IOC resists the temptation to knuckle under to the Daley machine. Obama used to be my champion for the little guy… but now he should just be ashamed of himself. What have you become!!!!

  25. I’m not blind enough to think the olympics will fix every ill, or any ills, but I do think they are an opportunity for Chicago to come out of this recession quicker than it would with out the olympics. No matter who gets what contracts, it will still be people going back to work. It will still hopefully be federal money (that we are already paying) coming back to illinois for our infrastructure improvements. Just because the mayor or the aldermen want something, doesn’t make it bad. More people working, is more people working. Period. and that is good.

  26. I’ve always thought it was incredibly stupid for the games to be held in different cities. All that money spent just to fix up a new host city, when there are plenty of others already equipped? What a waste. Spend the money on more important things. Let the games be held somewhere that’s already been fixed up.

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  28. JV,

    There is a major flaw in your rationale.

    Undertaking a major expense detracting resources from necessary upgrades for the sake of a few temporary jobs and a short term gain is foolish by any standards.

    If you want job creation, then Chicago and the state need to make the state and the city into a business supportive environment and get long term, stable industry in place. That would be a far greater asset to your area than the short-term Olympic Games.

    More people working is good if it is in the private sector which generates tax revenues. More people working is bad if it is in the government sector as your taxes would have to be increased to fund them.

    Since I am from a different state, kindly pay your own bills and stop sticking the rest of us with the tab. It is bad enough we have to fork it out for the mounting national debt. My pocketbook is getting tired of funding projects that only benefit a certain state. If a state gets the sole benefit, then the state should get the bill.

    Don’t even try to argue how the Olympics will help other states. It can’t remotely balance the expense.

  29. For No Games supporters an inspirational quote from the late great Molly Ivins:

    “So keep fightin’ for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don’t you forget to have fun doin’ it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin’ ass and celebratin’ the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was. ”

    See you at the rally at City Hall 5:30 today

  31. You all do know that if that Chicago doesn’t win the Olympics that tax increases, service cuts (which btw haven’t occurred, big difference from furlough days) and a decrease to neighborhood improvement projects are still going to occur. The budget crisis is not going anywhere. Schools will continue to be closed in accordance to CPS Resurrection 2010, and that old hospital is still going to get destroyed and developed.

    I just hope most of you put your vote where your mouth is and vote the aldermen and cook county commissioners out…not only Daley.

  32. The signs that say No Olympics Fix our Schools/Transit/Housing are blatantly false. I don’t know how many times I need to repeat it, the money doesn’t exist for anything but the Olympics. If you think Coca-Cola, Nike and other major national corporations are going to fork over money for OUR problems, you’re dead wrong. At least their investment could bring the possibility of something that will create increased tax revenue – it is the highest in the country remember – and national attention.

  33. PJS,

    If you know what may happen in the future, you will be rich. We don’t know, you don’t know. If the guarantees from the City and State are used and more taxpayer money is needed, that is money that will have to be gotten from somewhere.

  34. Prosecute the money back from Chicago 2016 Committee (they have not delivered) and give to small businesses ready to generate jobs!

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