Chicago: Protesting Obama's Drone Wars - The Death of Hope and Change

At the same time that attendees at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte were getting ready to hear Michelle Obama explain why her husband deserves a second term, people in Chicago gathered at Obama 2012 Headquarters to protest Obama's drone wars and lay "Hope" and "Change" to rest.


The protest, on Tuesday, September 4, was part of a week of protest called by Occupy Chicago during the DNC. Members of Occupy Chicago and others gathered from Jackson and LaSalle -- the drone replica from Know Drones formed a powerful statement, with the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) as a backdrop.

The "funeral procession" progressed from Jackson and LaSalle to Obama's National Campaign Headquarters on East Randolph, carried 10 coffins marked "Hope" and "Change."

Together with the coffins, we "delivered" the drone replica which we have used at recent actions in Chicago, prominently labeled:

Delivery Order

ONE (1) DRONE:
MQ-5 Reaper, with full array
of Hellfire and PAVE missiles

DELIVER TO: Obama 2012 Campaign HQ
ORDERED BY: The White House, Barack Obama, President

Special Instructions:

Display in reception area (in place of copy of U.S. Constitution).
Send the bill to the American people.

The overall thrust of the Chicago action was to say that we are no longer fooled by the spectacle of the two main American political parties.  We know  we are not being offered any real choice, and we're not keeping quiet any longer.

(Meanwhile, in Charlotte, it was business as usual, with the word "drones" off limits.  Read Michael Tracy's account of how he was evicted from the convention for asking Valerie Jarrett to comment on the drone killings.)

At the end of the Chicago action, we took the drone model with us. But the coffins stayed -- to remind people of what Obama has done.




PRESS COVERAGE

Lee Klawans on examiner.com: Chicago protesters rally against Obama's drone attacks. View the full Lee Klawans slideshow.

CBS: Occupy Activists Protest Outside Obama Campaign HQ During DNC

Chicagoist: Activists Leave Coffins In Front of Obama Campaign Headquarters

Occupied Chicago Tribune: Breaking with Convention: Chicago Protests GOP in Tampa, Democrats at Home

MORE . . .

Read about the protests in Charlotte against the Obama administration's drone warfare during the DNC.

Learn more about other recent drone protests in Chicago.

June 2012 - Editorials & Op-eds Question Obama Drones Killings

ILLINOIS
Chicago Sun-Times, "Do drone attacks go too far?" (June 6, 2012)

Chicago Tribune, "The grim reaper" (June 18, 2012)

Chicago Tribune, "Even drones need checks and balances", By Clarence Page (June 17, 2012)

++++ ELSEWHERE IN THE U.S. ++++

CALIFORNIA
L.A. Times, "The problem drones don't solve: Technology has improved since Vietnam and Cambodia. But we still can't bomb our way to victory.", By Terry McDermott (June 17, 2012)

MISSOURI
Kansas City Star, "Droning on and on", commentary by Glenn Garvin, The Miami Herald (June 9, 2012)

OHIO
Akron Beacon Journal, "Drone Warrior" (June 10, 2012)

PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Dan Simpson, "Is Obama committing crimes? He might someday be prosecuted for ordering drone attacks" (June 6, 2012)

NATIONAL
USA Today ran a pro-drones editorial together with an opposing view from Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project:
"Drone kills should continue" (June 13, 2012)
"Drones are unlawful and dangerous" (June 13, 2012)

INTERNATIONAL
BBC, Mark Mardell, "Is Obama's drone doctrine counter-productive?" (May 30, 2012)

These Are Your Drone Victims, OBAMA!

Barack Obama was in Chicago yesterday.

We were there to meet him.

Below is the text of our flyer distributed to the crowds of hundreds at the Chicago Cultural Center prior to and during the Obama 2012 fundraiser.

Is this the change we wanted?

Drone strikes &
secret kill lists?

“Mr. Obama has placed himself
at the helm of a top secret
‘nominations’ process to designate
[suspected] terrorists for kill or
capture, of which the capture part
has become largely theoretical ….”

We can’t keep turning a blind eye!

On Tuesday, May 29, 2012, The New York Times published a 3-page exposé* of Obama administration drone killings:

Mr. Obama has placed himself at the helm of a top secret “nominations” process to designate [suspected] terrorists for kill or capture, of which the capture part has become largely theoretical ….

Extrajudicial execution is a crime!

[T]he administration’s very success at killing terrorism suspects has been shadowed by a suspicion: that Mr. Obama has avoided the complications of detention by deciding, in effect, to take no prisoners alive.

Drone strikes are killing people unlawfully – including huge numbers of civilian men, women, and children. Independent investigators estimate that between 479 and 811 civilians have been killed by U.S. drones in Pakistan between 2004 and 2012 – of which an estimated 174 were children.

Learn more: Learn the facts for yourself. See the reports of the Bureau for Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) at thebureauinvestigates.com.

Take action: Work with others who are trying to stop drone killing and drone surveillance. More information at:

No Drones Illinois Grassroots Network
http://nodronesillinois.blogspot.com
Twitter: @NoDronesIL
Email: nodronesillinois [at] gmail.com

* “Secret ‘Kill List’ Proves a Test of Obama’s Principles and Will,” New York Times, May 29, 2012

Tell Obama: Enough Is Enough!

When Barack Obama was in Chicago for the NATO summit, we made the drones killings 100% VISIBLE and said it's time to STOP!

Obama will be back in Chicago on Friday, June 1, and we will tell him again: Enough Is Enough!

Join us to protest at 5 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center before the Obama fundraiser.

For more information email nodronesillinois [at] gmail.com