Got a tip, comment, photograph or idea? E-mail Ben at bmeyerson@chicagojournal.com.


A Saturday morning tour of the South Loop pre-NATO

05/19/2012

I did a tour of the Loop this morning and everything appears to be the status quo from yesterday. That is, there is heavy police presence surrounding all of the federal buildings, homeland security SUVs and Chicago Police as far down as and including the federal prison.
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Photos: National Nurses United rally

05/18/2012

Members of the National Nurses United union rallied roughly 2,500 protestors in downtown Chicago's Daley Plaza Friday afternoon, May 18 to protest NATO and the G8. Photographer Joel Meyerson was on hand to capture the scene.
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A journalist packs for NATO coverage

05/18/2012

I spent the night packing up my gear to head down to the NATO summit Saturday and Sunday. In case you can't tell, I love packing. The idea of the "backpack journalist" is to me something like the meeting of James Bond and Ira Glass. Fully prepared with the latest gadgets to bring journalistic excellence wherever I go. And for the curious, here is everything I'm bringing in my pack.
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I was under NATO arrest this afternoon

and I just said NO!

05/18/2012

Yes, folks, I got stopped by a federal marshal today; he said I had to stop in the name of the law. I refused because--NATO or not--I didn't want to be late to meet my girlfriends in Wicker Park. If I had more time, I would have turned myself in--and let myself be taken down--so I could have blogged about it. Read More...

First big NATO weekend rally goes off without hitch

National Nurses United gathers roughly 2,500 people in Daley Plaza

05/18/2012

The first big protest rally of this weekend’s NATO summit went off without a hitch Friday, with a calm crowd that seemed almost bored at times.
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From the balcony

Day two of working from home

05/18/2012

The office is having us work from home, giving me a bird's eye view into the evolution of a movement.
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NATO is not exactly a time to get things done

some of my regular places are boarded up, not to mention locked up

05/18/2012

From a haircut to a gallery visit, this is NOT the weekend to catch up on that sort of thing. Read More...

Luxe prepares for protestors

South Loop real estate office boards its windows

05/17/2012

Luxe Marketing and Sales, 1633 S. Michigan Ave., boarded its windows early Thursday evening in preparation of NATO activity over the weekend.
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The day before the day before the eve of NATO

a long NATO walk on Thursday afternoon

05/17/2012

Strolling through the Loop, a few things stuck out on the Thursday afternoon before NATO Read More...

NATO's coming - stay in touch

05/17/2012

If you’ve been paying attention at all, you’ve probably heard that a bunch of protestors and foreign leaders will be in town this weekend for the NATO summit.
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