An Inside View......

The following is an e-mail from a Chicago PD Lt. assigned to Grant Park......


Subject: Election night Celebration......


Well, we now have a new president. At the least this should put cries of affirmative action to rest as Obama has proven that as a black man in the USA he can achieve anything...if you want to and you work hard. I'll judge as the 4 years unfold. First, I'll know the atmosphere of his presidency by the decision he makes about U.S.A. Fitzgerald. That will set the tone.

In the meantime, here's what the media hasn't told you AND NEVER WILL about the joyous celebrations in Chicago:

1. Obama's rally was somewhat peaceful due to the fact that about 70% of the attendees both in the ticketed and unticketed areas were white.

2. In the unticketed area (where I was) black teens turned over several porta-potties with people in them. They also caved in the roof of one by jumping on it. That particular porta-potty was for handicapped access and had an elderly female with a walker in it.

3. Calm was exibited by the some 300,000 people because there was a strict search for booze and no booze was sold.

4. A CPD squad car came under sniper fire in the 900 blk of N. Ridgeway and was struck by several gunshots. 2 arrests. No cops hurt.

5. Citywide 14 CPD squad cars were damaged by thrown rocks, bricks, bottles. 6 officers injured.

6. Madison, Chicago, 16th St, 47th St., 63rd St, MLK, Cottage Grove and Howard St. were closed for several blocks in either direction to account for crowds. Several businesses citywide were broken into and looted (clothing & liquor stores were the primary targets).

7. Riot police used gas on the crowds in the following districts: 2,5,11,15.

8. Within the first 30 minutes following the announcement of a new president, the 7th District received 104 seperate calls of shots fired.

9. It took 2.5 hours following the closing of Grant Park to clear the Loop of rovings crowds and reopen traffic. Although no arrests were made in Grant Park, 19 arrests were made in the Loop (2 for UUW); these don't include those made on the train platforms or subways.

10. Snow plows were lined up on Monroe between LSD/Columbus; Roosevelt between State/Canal, to be used a mobile barricades to control unrult crowds. My platoon has 6 trucks for Butler Field where the majority of the crowd was.

11. Tact Lts assigned to the details were equipped with 100 flex cuffs; 2 plastic riot shields and 10 large canisters (fire extinguisher size) of pepper gas to deploy at their discretion.

12. At the debriefing, the bosses simply said "We got lucky."

That is all. Let me know if you read or see this anywhere.

The Lts words, by the way, not mine. Interesting slant on it from one of the real good guys.
Wollf