Well, What do you know? There ! Right there in Green Is By God Waldo!I went to hear the Chicago Jazz Caravan featuring vocalist Miss Terry Sullivan perform at 12 West Elm in heart of the Gold Coast yesterday. Miss Sullivan and a trio of jazz geniuses ( Tommy Muellner- piano, Jim Cox - bassist and Art Davis Trumpet and Flugelhorn) gave a brilliant afternoon of jazz and standards from the American Songbook to a score or more hearty souls from 3PM - 5: 30 PM.

This show went off despite fears that the NATO Summit might sweep the streets with mobs of protesters and Anarchist nut-jobs.. Not so.

I believe that I have mentioned that I live on the south side, Morgan Park. I eschewed the Dan Ryan for the trip north taking Western Ave.to Ogden and then a right turn on Chicago Avenue to State Street.  It was the  Cat's Nuts -  less than 45 minute and I hit every green light like I had been an Obama Bundle-er.

The Chicago Police and the good sense citizens of Chicago made this all possible.  CPD were present and visible.

On the Gold Coast itself the employed youth of America packed cafes, beer gardens and the streets with disposable income earned from their toils this past week.

At Viagra Triangle itself my contemporaries including former Mayor Richard M. Daley sunned themselves outside of Gibson's Steak House, while Nannies and Moms with strollers bought ice cream at the kiosk.

Unseen all day, for me anyway, were the storied throngs Andy Thayer's Street Party.  I parked, enjoyed great jazz, occupied  a bar stool next to Dominic, who was hacked from the Illinois Human Rights Commission by Blago.  We chatted about political bottom-feeders. It was the berries.

Further to the south my neighbors and hundreds of other members of the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Fire Department heroes tended to the protesting throngs.  While Miss Terry Sullivan sang "Day-in; Day Out" to the fiery tempo set by  Jim Cox's Bass and fingers, the time of the Andy Thayer Party Permit expired and Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who stood with his officers all day and all night, ordered the crowds to disperse, thanks for coming, don't forget the handy trash bins for Green America, head home, good night, take it on the heel and toe, it was swell!


Some guests need to be shown the door and instructed in the operation of its best use.

The Black Bloc Anarchist met the Blue Bloc Centurions.

With a minimum of bumps and scrapes the intemperate and the angry were encouraged to leave.

One Chicago Police Officer was stabbed and more than a few injured.

Chicago Police Department showed the world how to handle idiots, with temperance, restraint and the odd nudge.

I listened to full account on WBBM AM. as I drove home from a great afternoon of jazz.  I hit every green light going south, until 59th & Western Ave..  Is this  a great City or what?

God Bless the Officers, Firefighters, Traffic Control Pros, Streets and Sanitation Workers who kept Chicago and its visitors safe and cleaned up the tons of mess that Green Friendly Andy Thayer's Street Party left scattered.

Busy couple of days. Open post for now.

We'll give the guy his props. He was out at the parade from all the reports in the news and in our comment sections.

He didn't pull a "J-Fled" like Weis did.

Nicely done Superintendent.

Amusing descriptions of the NATO event:

• A standoff between police and anti-war demonstrators near the NATO summit at McCormick Place left several protesters bloodied and led to dozens of arrests, as delegates gathered for the first of two days of meetings.
  
  The confrontation, which flared up late this afternoon near the corner of Michigan Avenue and Cermak Road, lasted for almost two hours, as officers in full riot gear went nose to nose with demonstrators, with police determined to keep the crowd away from the convention center where NATO delegates were meeting.
  
  It was not immediately clear how many people were injured in the tussle, but by 7 p.m., seven protesters had been treated at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Connie Murphy said.

Of a more pressing concern was the coppers hurt. We're hearing up to four injured, including one who was attacked with a claw hammer. Anyone with word on their conditions is welcome to update the rest of us.

Starting shortly. Be safe boys and girls.

Open post.

Per Breaking News:

• Police officials said today they have confirmed the city of Chicago website has been hacked.
  
  Federal authorities and Chicago police are investigating the attack and don't know the extent of it, according to a source familiar with the incident.
  
  Authorities also exploring whether the city attacks are linked to a threat to hack NATO's website in Europe.
  
  Hackers have been claiming credit for bringing down the cityofchicago.org site and the chicagopolice.org site, according to Twitter feeds this morning.

And it's still early.

This is truly in the "un-fucking-fucking-believable category:

• Dear SCC,
  
  "You ain't going to believe this shit..."
  
  Every good copper story starts out with that phrase, but this one is anything but good.
  
  I was assigned to the downtown area yesterday. For part of the day, my group was on high visibility patrol. Sweet gig, nice scenery, beautiful day, walk and talk with the citizens, made a lot of people happy. The other part of the day we sat around Navy Pier, did some drills, saw some demonstrations from the MFF, and got the speeches from the gold stars. The theme was "we're all in this together, let's watch each others' backs." You've probably heard them before.
  
  Then we sat and listened to the radio as downtown and Rahm's neighborhood descended into chaos. We watched our brothers and sisters downtown confronting/being confronted by these assholes on the live helicopter feeds from the various news stations.
  
  And we sat. We listened to the calls for EMS and paramedics for a couple of injured P.O's and hoped everyone was OK.
  
  And we sat. We listened to the bike teams race from one end of the protest to the other after being bused all the way from Rahm's house to downtown, set up and block streets, and then redeploy when their efforts failed - again and again and again, probably 5-6 times.
  
  And we sat some more. Two hundred cops sitting around listening to the situation devolve. Finally, we got the word we were loading the buses. We got on, started prepping equipment and were told that we were headed.....home. Back to Sox Park. Released for the night, while our brothers and sisters were being run to the point of exhaustion, assaulted and lord knows what else. Not only that, but the buses to take us back drove within sight and sound of the demonstrations up and down Michigan Avenue.
  
  I have never been more disgusted with the leadership of this Department. I can only figure that in the name of nickels and dimes, my fellow officers were put into harms way. Two hundred coppers could have made a big difference, cost be damned.
  
  So Tobias and Gulliford and Kirby? Your speeches to the supervisors we were told about all of us being a team and we're in this to make sure no coppers get hurt? You're full of shit. You had a ready force of 200-plus cops set to deploy, even blocking traffic to allow you greater freedom of movement of the meager forces at your disposal and you failed in the name of nickels and dimes. That isn't leadership. That's an accountant with a badge. You fucking beancounters ought to be ashamed. Any trust I had left is gone.
  

We are speechless.

The wholesome exchange unreported by WGN: CPD Public Servant (CPS)- "Quo Vadis, Young Traveller?"
Later Day Childe of God( LDG) -" @#$% You! It's The Peoples Street!"
CPS - "Why no, Son, this is State Street. How Far you goin?"
LDG- "@#$%ing Tool of Pig Establishment! We are Goin to Revolution!"
CPS - "(avuncular chuckle) "My dear lad that is a fur piece as they say! Oh, deer! Deer, deer, deer, well. . .Hop on and God Speed!"
Do avail yourself of public transportation

or the time honored and free-spirted Hitchin'of a Ride!


I hope the ACLU, National Lawyers Guild and Peoples Law Office avail themselves of such conveyances.