Read this Storify on NATO protests and what’s going on in Chicago.
People’s Summit Chicago
Check out this Storify of coverage of the People’s Summit held in Chicago May 12-13.
Students Prepare to Speak Out Against NATO Summit
DePaul student Tessa Simonds discusses why she’s protesting NATO
Waves of student protestors from throughout the country are expected to descend on Chicago’s front door for the NATO summit in May, forcing political officials and the international community to witness their concerns.
Demonstrators are attempting to spread awareness and educate spectators on their political objections. Students from all over the Chicago area, including DePaul University, Loyola and Columbia College, will be engaging others to voice their own concerns and develop their own opinions.
“These are the most politically conscious of students, out there,” said Dr. June Terpstra, Professor at Columbia College Chicago’s Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences. “They are the ones who have learned something about what NATO represents, global militarism and the impact that these decisions of global militarism, which are being made in Chicago, have on the world.”
According to Terpstra, there is apprehension that the younger generations are more concerned with an overwhelming level of materialism rather than politics. And yet, thousands of students are still expected to attend and protest.
Meghan Trimm, 24, a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a group striving for peace and nonviolence, and the Non-Violent Living Project, a group dedicated to the goal of eliminating violence, believes this apprehension comes from unfair views of yound adults.
“Student movements in this day and age really don’t get a lot of respect,” said Trimm, and undergraduate a Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies major at DePaul University, who will also be protesting with the Fellowship of Reconciliation group. “The age of adolescence has gotten wider and wider so people still look at college students as being immature kids.”
Still, students with many different political backgrounds are coming together to object NATO’s global security control and speak out against the effects the organization has on the U.S. and the rest of the world.
“The war in Afghanistan is a main one [issue],” said Tessa Simonds, 26, a Secondary Education major with a focus in Social Sciences at DePaul. “You have NATO [forces] invading Afghanistan and that makes them less safe and us less safe.”
Said Trimm, “NATO is a peace keeping force but they use the threat of implicit violence to keep everyone calm. Not only do they do that non-effectively and where it interests them, but that’s not peace.”
Trimm said she believes that peace must be respected and followed not only by members of NATO, but by the protestors as well.
“The most important thing to recognize is that if our protest is going to be successful, it has to be nonviolent,” she said. “It’s going to shut our protest down and the good things we have to say will be overshadowed by our hate.”
Trimm and other students are pushing for their peers to get involved in workshops and tutorials in order to better prepare themselves for the protest, specifically learning how to refrain from resorting to violent measures.
“There is a huge push for nonviolent trainings,” said Simonds, who is involved with Occupy Rogers Park, part of the Coalition Against NATO/G8 (CanG8). “These are essential. Even the civil rights movements had huge amounts of training. It takes a lot of bravery and courage.”
After months of preparations and rallying support, students have an in depth understanding of what the NATO summit determines, and ramifications generated by those decisions. However, in the heat of the moment, tensions can easily rise. Trimm states that refraining from throwing rocks or breaking property is the best way to protest.
“You’re not doing anything to the corporations, they’re going to pay $500, which is a drop in the bucket for them, and move on and the clerk that’s in there who just works for the man is the one who is really going to be hurt,” Trimm said. “You have to be more strategic than that, you have to be.”
Not all protestors think nonviolence is the route to take. Many global anarchist groups, like Black Bloc and Anonymous, are coming to Chicago with the intent of engaging in possible violent acts, experts say.
However, groups like CanG8 and the Fellowship of Reconciliation say are making sure students know the rewards of refusing violence.
Gatherings like The People’s Summit, May 12-13 located at 500 West Cermak in Chicago, are just one way for students to educate themselves on the positive effects of nonviolence before the NATO summit.
Although it is unavoidable that violent acts will at some point occur during the protest, students don’t seem to be siding with that type of behavior. According to Terpstra, arrests are an inevitable part of the NATO protest, especially for those who are caught participating in the destructive behavior.
“It’s not like I’m going to cause any trouble,” said Mallory Johnson, 21, an Elementary Education major at Dominican University. “I’m going to support a cause. There’s a difference.”
Many student protestors have made efforts against using violence or becoming destructive during the NATO summit. According to Trimm, using violence to protest violence is viscous cycle, with no end.
“The nonviolent power that we have is effective,” said Trimm.
Said Trimm, “There are hundreds of groups all around the city getting together and networking with each other. Find a group that suits your interests and get involved with them.”
Education is key when protesting. It is important to be aware of surroundings, while being conscious of fellow protestors and police. Protestors should also be aware that arrests might occur.
“It’s important to prepare yourself before go,” said Terpstra, the Columbia College Chicago professor. “Get prepared and bring basic tools, just in case—bring ski masks, vinegar and water in case police use tear-gas. And plan out where to march.”
Trimm said she believes in the importance of preparation. Many students involved are first-time protestors or have never been involved in a protest of such magnitude, therefore preparing for what’s to come is imperative.
“Bad things happen when people are panicking,” Trimm said. “We want to make sure there’s no panic going on and we’re all comfortable in what we’re doing so there can be an impact made.”
Chicago’s security preparations for the NATO summit have begun. Blackhawk helicopters were spotted in downtown in mid-April. The Illinois National Guard announced it would provide support for dignitary motorcades. Chain-link and anti-scaling fences are being purchased by the city to use around McCormick Place during the summits. These are all are part of extra security measures the city is taking.
“It’s extreme over-reaction, but of course, it’s a way of intimidating people from getting out there,” Terpstra said. “I teach over 200 students each semester and I would say about 40 percent of my students would want to protest and of that, 20 percent will still stay home.”
Said Simonds, “I’ve heard people say ‘I don’t know if I want to go down there for the [NATO summit] because there is going to be a bunch of crazy people’ and others don’t want to go and get attacked by the police. You can’t let that prevent you from participating because this more important than that. The pain passes.”
The risks may prevent some students from participating in the protests, however many interviewed said they are excited about being involved in this historical weekend.
“We want to leave a mark and it’s something we do want to have picked up and carried on in the future, “ said Trimm.
Lessons I Learned While Reporting My Advance NATO Story
My advance NATO story focused on student protestors of the NATO Summit and why they felt it necessary to brave the streets of Chicago during this global event. While there were many reasons, including the war in Afghanistan and international equality, I learned that one of the main issues students had was the structural setup of NATO and its absolute militant power.
Meghan Trimm explained that, “NATO is a peace keeping force, but they use the threat of implicit violence to keep everyone calm.” Tessa Simonds also stated that NATO invading Afghanistan makes the organization less safe, in turn making us less safe.
By interviewing students who were deeply involved with the protest of the summit, Trimm created a series of talks held at DePaul to prepare students for the protest and Simonds helped set up the People’s Summit, an event held by CanG8 to educate protestors on NATO, I learned that many young adults are going to be out there to have their voices heard.
One of the most important things both Trimm and Simonds talked about was the fact that nonviolence is the way to go during the protests. However, many groups, like Black Bloc, are coming to Chicago to engage in violent demonstrations like vandalism, rioting and in some cases, physical assaults.
Trimm explained that though she believes staying close to these groups to try and prevent any destructive behavior would be helpful, keeping your distance from them is safest.
Simonds also warned against unwarranted attacks from police. She told a story about a group of Occupy protestors being pepper sprayed directly in the face while they sat calmly on a city curb. Being aware that violence can come from anyone, anywhere is something to remember.
The insight and information both girls gave was a great way for me to learn about the summit as well as learn about how to conduct myself. Nonviolence and early preparation are two things I now know to take with me to the protest.
Zoufal Talks Dangers of Anarchist Protestors During NATO Summit
Don Zoufal explains why Chicago needs to be ready for anarchist groups protesting the NATO summit
While Chicago prepares for protestors of the NATO summit, May 20-21, city and federal officials now face the larger issue of how to deal with violent anarchist groups set to appear, a security consultant said.
Groups like Black Bloc and Anonymous, which are anarchist protest groups who engage in tactics such as rioting, large street fights and vandalism, are just a couple examples of groups authorities are concerned about.
“Their plan is to come in with their groups and engage in a violent demonstration,” said Don Zoufal, current security consultant for System Development Integration, LLC, and former special Assistant to the Director at the Illinois Emergency Management Agency
There will be thousands of protesters in Chicago for the summit held at McCormick Place. Many who are part of large, nationally recognized organizations, such as the Occupy Movement. However, Zoufal said it is the smaller, more radical groups that are causing the most worry for the city.
“An overwhelming most of them have important social issues they think need to be aired, but there is a core group who are more interested in the destruction of the city, ” said Zoufal, who also helped with security for the 1996 Democratic National Convention and served as first Deputy at the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. ”They want to bait the government and push the government to get their message out.”
These nihilist groups not only want to cause distractions for the city, but some, “just want to cause mayhem,” said Zoufal.
“There is a core group of individuals who will come to Chicago with the express purpose of disrupting the city,” said Zoufal, who is also a retired U.S. Army Colonel with 30 years of military experience, ” and there’s an even smaller core within that group who will come here with the express intent of causing significant damage to property.”
The groups with a specific mission to cause as much damage and distress to Chicago will most likely come with strategic ways to execute their plans.
“They [anarchist groups] will get to the point where they will go out, damage property, get rid of their stuff and then blend back into the crowd, which makes it very difficult for the police to address,” Zoufal said.
Government officials will be gathering background information on the groups so they can prevent as much violent behavior as possible.
“The government will certainly be conducting chilling tactics, which is gathering intelligence on these organizations and groups so they can try to interdict them,” said Zoufal. ”They’ll try to figure out who’s who and what they’re up to.”
However, those chilling practices can pass into the realm of inhibiting groups to practice their rights.
“It’s permissible to gather information about what’s going on, but if you go too far, it chills people,” said Zoufal. “They won’t feel comfortable demonstrating if they know the police are ultimately going to watch them as a result of their actions.”
Although there is a fine line between researching a group and engaging in chilling, the Chicago police and other departments plan to go as far as they legally can to get information that will help them protect the city.
“There will be arguments about the activities of the Chicago Police Department, the state police, the federal government, and the FBI, who will be gathering information about groups that are going to be here with the notion, not of interfering with their rights, but the potential criminal activity they’ve been involved in,” Zoufal said.
Even with the police department and FBI looking into them, it is not likely the groups will be scared off.
“There is no doubt these groups will be here and I have no doubt they will cause significant damage,” Zoufal said. ”They’ll be out there for sure, you can bet on it.”
Chapter 5 Summation
In chapter five, the definition of repurposing, taking what has been produced for one medium and tailoring it for another, is introduced and explained. We learn that in the era of converged newsrooms this function is a necessity in creating news stories made and edited specifically for each medium. Repurposing also brings about the decision of which medium should be used for which story.
For example, say a journalist is covering the NATO protests in Chicago, a high energy and intense event. Being able to write a story on the protest is important, as many people will want to read about what happened. However, this text-based story has more than just a print aspect to it. People will also want to see images from the protest so they can see the conditions and imagine what it was like being there. They will want to watch videos of the action and interviews from protest leaders. They will want to hear the chants and cries from the rallies. That journalist needs to be able to take their print story and effectively turn it into a story for each other medium.
It may seem simple enough, but news stations and papers have much to consider while they are repurposing stories to fit the different fields of today’s news outlets, most importantly the Internet.
Converting a print story to an online story isn’t a matter of copy and pasting, it takes editing, shortening and making sure online audiences, who are predominantly scanners over readers, will be drawn in to the story. Taking a news story from television and posting it on the web in text form requires making changes to the speech and following the rule of “keep it short”, the same with radio conversions.
The skill of repurposing a story to distinctively fit each format is of high importance as the Internet is a home for each one.
