It was a blistering day in the sun at the annual Newberry Library Bughouse Square debates on Saturday as speakers took to their soap box sized podiums to debate topics from abortion to separation of church and state to toxic artificial turf soccer fields in our parks to political prisoners. Over 100 onlookers cheered No …
Check out Steve Rhode’s online column at NBC Chicago: Now that the city is just a few months away from finding out if it will be awarded the 2016 Olympics, an actual real debate has erupt among taxpayers about whether they actually, really want it. Isn’t this backwards?Yes, but if City Hall and local Olympic …
As reported in the Hyde Park Herald: Over 200 neighbors from the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Wards packed the room at the South Shore Cultural Center on July 15. Many in the crowd were distrustful of the city and business interests which have backed the Olympic bid. “Oprah and all those people who gave …
Ben Joravsky chronicles the 2016 community meetings in The Chicago Reader: In a more perfect democracy, the campaign to host the 2016 Olympic Games would have been the subject of intense public scrutiny from the moment Mayor Daley proposed it three years ago. The financial projections would’ve been scrutinized by independent-minded aldermen and their whiz-kid …
It was four against two as the 2016 Committee sent four senior members of their staff to squared off against No Games organizer Tom Tresser and Friends of the Parks President Erma Tranter at the Lake View Citizens’ Council Olympic forum Monday night. Tranter presented a number of thorny issues about the bid’s reliance on …
As reported in Lake Effect News: Even if Chicago 2016 had resurrected Frank Sinatra from the grave to sing “2016, Chicago is” at the end of “My Kind of Town” that was playing on the sound system before the start of Monday’s community meeting for 39th and 40th Ward residents, it still wouldn’t have convinced …
The 2016 Committee is using our public parks for staged so-called “community events.” These are managed, policed, controlled and designed to repress real questions and criticism. Read the Chicago Tribune business reporter’s review, “At Olympics forums, truth is a high hurdle” Here’s an update from a No Games Chicago volunteer who attended the first one: …
Thanks to the hundreds of No Gamers who showed up and made their voices heard! La_photo’s Flickr photos from the march Email your pictures from the rally and march to us at nogameschicago@gmail.com. Were you there? Tell us your comment or reaction to the rally here.
RALLY / PROTEST / MARCH TODAY – Thursday, April 2, 2009 SHUT DOWN THE OLYMPIC BID Say ‘NO’ to the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid 5pm, Federal Plaza (50 W. Adams) Download rally_flyer-letterDownload rally_flyer-spanish Download rally_press_release Download fact sheet on Olympic cost_overruns The International Olympic Committee will be in town from April 2-8th to evaluate Chicago’s …