On February 10, the influential Chicago Tribune published a lengthy and extraordinary editorial embracing police spying, entrapment and law enforcement tactics grounded in the billy club and the agent provocateur. The paper's beef? A jury had found three defendants innocent days earlier of bogus state terrorism charges in the NATO 3 case. The  defendants' ‘crime’ -- assembling four primitive Molotov cocktails on the eve of protests to oppose the May 2012 gathering of NATO officials in Chicago -- was wholly initiated, incited and put into motion by two undercover cops, whose bosses admitted they colluded with federal authorities to create the case.

The Tribune's op ed was stripped, for all intents and purposes, from States’ Attorney Anita Alvarez’ vitriolic defense of her political prosecution of the NATO 3. Dozens of respected activists and groups came together to rebut the Tribune’s endorsement of state-sponsored spying, entrapment and the use of undercover police agent provocateurs to wage war on dissent -- a response that the Tribune has refused to publish. Instead, that full response is published here.

From the newswire - The blog of the website Privacy SOS featured a blogpost headlined "Is Facebook going to let cops block you from posting about protests?", with a particular focus on the Chicago police. Quoting from the post:

"Independent journalist Kenneth Lipp attended the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference [the week of October 24, 2013] in [Philadelphia]. Among the disturbing things he learned there is that Facebook is apparently teaming up with the Chicago Police Department to block people from posting to the social media website. More disturbing still is that this was disclosed in the context of a panel on law enforcement's response to "mass gatherings spurred by social media.""

Read more

Additional Links: Privacy SOS: "Is Facebook going to let cops block you from posting about protests?" | Kenneth Lipp: "Police Departments Works to Expand Capability to 'Shut Down' Social Media"

On the evening of Friday, August 16th, the years'-long effort to save the La Casita library at Whittier Elementary School in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood took a turn for the worse. With no advance notice, Chicago Public Schools authorities brought demolition equipment and a demolition order to destroy the library. Parents and community members staged an emergency blockade, which forced crews to depart for the night. Library supporters maintained the blockade overnight.

But on the morning of Saturday, August 17th, CPS and demolition crews returned, flanked by Chicago police. A bulldozer eluded the blockade by destroying part of the surrounding fence away from defenders, opening a direct path to the library. Defenders stormed the facility once the fence was broken, but all of the defenders present at the time -- about a dozen in all -- were placed under arrest while a bulldozer destroyed the library, to the heartbreaking screams of onlookers.

Despite the destruction, the community immediately vowed to redouble their efforts. Jail solidarity efforts were organized for those arrested in La Casita's defense, all of whom were released. Community members staged a vigil to mourn the destroyed fieldhouse, and called for a new center to replace La Casita. City officials claim that the demolition "had to happen" despite eyebrow-raising circumstances like an apparently invalid demolition permit and the sidestepping of standard procedure.

Additional Coverage: Mayoral Tutorial: The Whittier Lessons | The Real News coverage of La Casita defense | Gapers Block: La Casita Being Demolished | CTU Net: Whittier, La Casita News Roundup

Truthout broke the story that an undercover police officer posing as a street medic has infiltrated Chicago activist efforts and protest events, including the anti-NATO actions of 2012 and recent actions against Chicago public school closings.

Quoting from the article: "On March 27, Chicago teachers and their supporters - including parents, students and community residents - rallied against the largest mass public school closure in US history. News of the mobilization sparked huge public interest before the demonstration - including from an undercover police officer calling himself 'Danny Edwards.'

'Danny' - who admitted to us on May 6 that he is, in fact, a Chicago police officer - could have saved himself the trouble and his department the expense. After all, organizers had already coordinated directly with top [Chicago Police] brass about their plans for the next day and widely promoted their intent to stage nonviolent civil disobedience.

His latest undercover sortie as a fake volunteer street medic bookends a hectic year for him." Read more

Additional Links: Chicago Action Medical press release | Chicago Action Medical public statement | Photos of undercover cop spying on dissent in Chicago