Obama will be in Grant Park in Chicago on Election Night - Grant Park has a little history

[hedgehog]

http://blogs.chron.com/40yearsafter/2008/08/the_whole_world_was_watching_c.html

[Window]

1. Thank you for sharing this important piece of history. K/R.

:kick:

[global1]

2. I Went Down To Grant Park On The Day Of The Worst Riots That Occurred.....

I didn't go there to participate - only to observe.

What I saw as I walked through Grant Park across from the Pick Congress hotel on Michigan Avenue was essentially peaceful but vocal protesters - hippies, flower-children & common folk - sitting in circles - holding signs against the war - and speakers speaking to group of protesters. A typical non-violent protest.

What really disturbed me - and I'll never forget it - is that there were a number of CTA buses (Chicago Transit Authority = CTA) filled with Chicago Police in riot helmets and gear that was current for the time - but grossly understated by todays *Co standards.

They were hanging out the windows of the buses catcalling and provoking the crowd to riot. From the inside of the bus - they were hanging out the windows of the bus and they were beating the sides of the buses with their billy clubs and calling the crowd name. They were inciting the crowd. They wanted to beat some heads. They were salivating for blood.

When I saw that - I knew that it was just a matter of time that trouble was going to break out. I didn't stay around to watch. I left and went home and when I arrived at home and turned on the TV - I watched the melee.

And as I watched and listened to the coverage - there were no pictures of the police doing the inciting. There was no blame being placed on them that did the provoking.

Instead the media focused its attention on the once peaceful crowd that was goaded into the fray. The crowd that was running from the police trying to protect and defend themselves from bodily injury.

This is when I realized that the press wasn't being honest with the American people. I became suspect and cynical of the media and the government that day. This was my awakening.

Things only got worse through the years and we have the situation which we have today - where we are manipulated into believing the unbelievable and the lies.

I'm voting for Barack Obama because I have faith in him - that as a former community organizer that he lived and learned the on the streets of Chicago - the same thing I learned that day in Grant Park. I have hope that he will change this - and pray that he does.

On November 4th I hope to go back to Grant Park to cheer him on.