Posted on 03/05/2012 3:42:59 PM PST by STARWISE
In a surprise turnaround, the White House announced Monday afternoon that Chicago won’t be hosting the controversial G-8 summit after all.
It will be held at Camp David instead of Chicago.
The NATO summit will proceed here May 20-21.
City Hall insisted that it was President Barack Obama’s decision — that Mayor Rahm Emanuel did not ask the White House to take the more controversial of the two summits off Chicago’s hands.
One leading demonstrator pledged the protests “will go forward” here despite the switch.
The White House issued a terse statement dropping the bombshell shortly before 3 p.m.
“In May, the United States looks forward to hosting the G-8 and NATO summits. To facilitate a free-flowing discussion with our close G-8 partners, the president is inviting his fellow G-8 leaders to Camp David on May 18-19 for the G-8 summit, which will address a broad range of economic, political and security issues,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.
“The president will then welcome NATO allies and partners to his hometown of Chicago for the NATO summit on May 20-21, which will be the premier opportunity this year for the President to continue his efforts to strengthen NATO in order to ensure that the Atlantic Alliance remains the most successful alliance in history, while charting the way forward in Afghanistan.”
Lori Healey, executive director of the NATO-G8 Host Committee, “unequivocally” denied that Emanuel played a role in the decision or that pressure from skittish business leaders convinced the mayor to ask the White House to move G-8 somewhere else.
*snip*
Healey tried to put the best possible face on the decision. She argued that Chicago would still play host to “50-plus countries,” including 28 NATO members and 22 partner countries.
“It has minimal impact on our planning in Chicago, except that it shortens it by 24 hours and I anticipate there will be replacement programming to highlight the city on that Saturday evening,” Healey said.
Top mayoral aides had pegged the cost of the back-to-back summits at $40 million-to-$65 million. They had repeatedly insisted that private donors and federal reimbursements would keep Chicago taxpayers off the hook.
On Monday, Healey said she doesn’t know yet whether the fund-raising bar would be lowered now that the G-8 will be held at Camp David.
But, she argued that the international spotlight will still shine brightly on Chicago.
*snip*
The White House apparently did not consult members of Chicago’s congressional delegation before making the surprise announcement.
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy told WLS-AM (890)’s “Roe & Roeper” show that the White House announcement about the G-8 moving was a surprise to him.
Just hours before the White House stunner, Emanuel was still talking up the back-to-back summits at McCormick Place — and playing down the political risks.
That lends credence the claim that the decision came from Washington.
“This is a unique opportunity for Chicago to showcase itself to the world and the world to see the city of Chicago,” the mayor said before the White House announcement.
“Our Police Department is highly-trained, very professional with the right leadership. And, as you saw over the fall [with the ginger handling of Occupy Chicago protesters], Chicago — unlike any other city — did not have any issues. It had the ability to protect peoples‚ First Amendment rights and also to enforce the law. I think you’ll see that in the weeks ahead.”
*snip*
Andy Thayer, a spokesman for the Coalition Against NATO-G-8, didn’t buy the City Hall spin. He believes that pressure from local business leaders concerned about an international onslaught of protesters convinced the mayor to cut the risk in half.
“There’s been a lot of grumbling from business leaders in the city about what a total pain in the neck this thing would be. [The White House] probably looked at what a mess they were gonna make of the city and decided to move part of it to Camp David,” Thayer said.
“I really think the business community began to lean on Emanuel and Emanuel probably realized he was in over his head.”
Although the economic summit will be held in the secluded environment around Camp David, Thayer stressed that the demonstrations in Chicago “will go forward, but maybe not on the 19th” of May.
“Our protest will go forward because NATO is the military arm of the G-8. NATO has bombed whole countries to smithereens and is currently engaged in the U.S.’s longest war in history,” Thayer said.
“I’d say plenty of people have got tons to be upset with NATO about. If anything, people understood much more readily what NATO was about than G-8, which is more of a shadowy institution in people’s minds.”
Joe Iosbaker of the Coalition Against NATO-G-8 said protesters originally received parade permits for May 19, the first day of the G-8 summit. Now they plan to apply for permits to march on May 20, he said.
“We’re going to ask the city to adjust our permits to conform to the dates of the summit. If the opening day is the 20th, we will want permits on the 20th,” Iosbaker said.
He said his organization and Occupy Chicago have “claimed victory” with the withdrawal of the G-8 summit from Chicago.
“They realized this would be an enormous embarrassment for the Obama administration,” he said.
Asked why the G-8 was moved from Chicago to Camp David, National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said, “The President felt that Camp David would provide an informal and intimate setting to have a free-flowing discussion with his fellow leaders. He very much looks forward to coming to his hometown for a critically important NATO Summit, as planned.”
The Obama administration and the Emanuel administration apparently under-estimated the hometown opposition to the summit and the fears of rioting that accompanied it.
The average Chicagoan never seemed sold on the potential benefits of the summit the way some business and civic leaders were.
The political benefits of the NATO summit seemed more tangible.
When Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communication, briefed reporters Jan. 31 about the potential topics of discussion and agreement for the twin G-8 and NATO summits, he had a longer list of potential areas of agreement among leaders at the NATO summit than he did for G-8.
Washington sources speculated Monday that negotiations with other G-8 counties must not be producing any tangible areas of agreement that would justify moving ahead with the summit in Chicago where it is generating such controversy.
Obama started contemplating moving this “a few weeks ago” Hayden said.
Asked if it was because of security concerns, Hayden said, “We have full confidence in Chicago’s ability to host both summits and NATO is still being held in Chicago.”
Emanuel had promoted the back-to-back summits here as a vehicle to showcase Chicago on the world stage.
But the mayor has run into a buzz saw of aldermanic opposition against the extraordinary security measures he wants to put in place to contain NATO and G-8 protesters — and make permanent after the world leaders depart.
Several aldermen joined the protesters in warning that the changes could stifle public dissent in Chicago for years to come.
The measures include: dramatically higher fines for resisting arrest; more surveillance cameras; parks and beaches closed until 6 a.m.; sweeping parade restrictions and higher fees for those events and empowering Police Supt. Garry McCarthy to “deputize” out of state police officers.
A large security perimeter will also prevent motorists from driving and parking on some downtown streets during the NATO and G-8 summits. The host committee has promised to reimburse the company that leased Chicago parking meters for revenues lost to spaces temporarily taken out of commission.
Chicago was to spend $40 million to $65 million to host the NATO and G-8 summits, but City Hall insisted federal reimbursements and private donations would ultimately prevent local taxpayers from getting stuck with the tab.
Emanuel’s administration was planning to tap police officers from other jurisdictions to assist Chicago Police in handling the thousands of protesters expected to descend on Chicago for the May event at McCormick Place.
Mass detention areas are anticipated, but those locations have not yet been identified.
“From Day One, the FOP has been saying to the citizens of Chicago that this is not a good idea,” said Michael Shields, president of the Fraternal Order of Police. “Finally our president listened.”
In the past, Shields has questioned whether the city provided officers with adequate training to control thousands of protesters.
Now, Shields said he hopes the federal government will reimburse the city for the training it has already done. He also wondered whether officers’ furloughs will be canceled to make them available for crowd control.
Shields also mused whether the police department still needs a separate office dedicated to planning for the G-8 and NATO summits. A chief of international relations and three deputy chiefs positions were created for that purpose, he said.
*snip*
With no formal entertaining — and with logistical issues minimized, the secluded setting of Camp David changes the dynamic and lets Obama proceed more on his terms at his home.
The decision to have the G-8 in Chicago, piggybacked on the NATO meeting was made before the rise of the Occupy protest movement.
Just found this
~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
In the coming months or years Chicago is going to have to do what Wisconsin has recently done. The Daley administration stole so much money the City of Chicago is beyond broke. It is in the hole billions in pension payments and overdue bills. Chicago is going to have to cut existing pensions and other benefits promised to its city employees....
Right now the city is using the G8 and Nato Summit to create all kinds of new city laws and also to beef up the fines on many existing laws regarding protesting the government.
They just passed new city ordinances banning signs, shouting or out bursts in the Chicago City Council audience section. The city is jacking up all kinds of fines for protesting by HUNDREDS OF PERCENTAGES.... all under the guise of the G8 / Nato Summit and the “Occupy” protesters. Because of this nobody is paying attention to all the new laws and increase fines the city has been imposing.
These new laws to defeat protesters have nothing to do with G8, Nato or the “Occupy” protesters...
There are gearing up for the great protests they are predicting when city pensions are cut for current and retired city employees... and all the tax, fee and pension payment increases they will be installing.
The city is basically are using the G8 and Nato Summit to do all of this....
Imagine if the city starting doing everything they are currently doing without the G8 and Nato Summit coming to Chicago... The public and media would be asking why all these news laws and fines being increased??? But now the city can just “use” the G8 and Nato Summit to create all the new laws they want without a single Chicago citizen batting an eye.....
And don’t be surprised if the city does cancel the G8 and Nato Summit... once they get all the new laws and new city powers they want to get enacted.
THESE NEW LAWS AND POWERS ARE NOT FOR G8, NATO OR OCCUPY PROTESTERS.... THEY ARE FOR US WHEN WE TAKE TO THE STREETS OVER ALL THE CUTS IN PENSIONS AND BENEFITS...AND ALL THE INCREASES THEY HAVE PLANNED!
My memory is shot.
Last week there were some new law or edict about demonstrating or beeing a threat in the presense of anyone under secret service protection.
Will protesting at or around camp david be a federal offense and get you a trip to the camps ?
At least the architecture in Chicago is armageddon-proof.
So that’s why it had to be zero, to oversee the public-sector meltdown.
“...to contain NATO and G-8 protesters — and make permanent after the world leaders depart.”
Excuse me??
And this
~~~~~~~~~
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday clarified that businesses affected by security restrictions during the G-8 and NATO summits in May will not be compensated if they close shop during the gatherings of world leaders.
So Rahm Emanuel expects the city to make all these millions of dollars by having the G8 and Nato Summits here... and expect the downtown businesses to absorb all the costs??? While the city makes MILLIONS?
I smell so much bulls**t here it is unreal!
~~~~~~
And this
While it is a wonderful opportunity for Chicago to shine and show off its thriving culture, spirit and architecture, the city will face numerous challenges preparing for the event because of the tremendous responsibility and public attention it will hold. MayorRahm Emanuel has cracked down in regards to security and protesting to ensure that the more than 7,500 officials and 2,500 press affiliates from 80 nations attending remain safe.
According to recent estimates released by the G-8/NATO host committee, costs for hosting the event could be between $40 million and $65 million. According to Lori Healey, executive director of the committee, Chicago will be reimbursed for the costs through private funds and federal grants.
The high cost comes with the massive preparations and security precautions that must be taken to keep the foreign dignitaries safe and ensure smooth transportation in and around the city.
Aside from the preparations, the city is expecting large-scale protests that are typical to these kinds of events. Chicago must plan and pay for additional law enforcement to maintain control over the expected protests.
Two weeks ago, Emanuel had already faced confrontation with protesters due to the new demonstration regulations that would have been implemented for the summits and remained in place. However, last Thursday officials from the City’s Corporate Council announced that they planned to remove some restrictions regarding parades, such as having a Parade Marshall for every 100 participants and decreasing the duration of parade permits. Nevertheless, new ordinances are still being constructed, which will give officials more power and increase fines for disorderly conduct.
Many protesters have already spoken out against the city’s ordinances, especially since they would remain in place permanently. They see the restrictions as limiting the constitutional right to assemble and creating an atmosphere that will agitate activists.
“(The protesters) may choose to challenge the limitations the permit places on their demonstration,” said DePaul Law Vice Dean David Franklin. “Courts do look hard at the facts to make sure that the challenged regulations are in fact designed to promote neutral interests such as public safety rather than being designed to stifle speech. In general, regulations that are evenhanded are found to be constitutional, even when their effect on speech is fairly severe across the board.”
The activists plan to stay resilient in their message and many protesters participating in the Occupy movement plan to be involved as well.
~~~~~~
I think Rahmbo, brash and always preening his power as he does, finally realized that support was quickly waning as the security threats, shutting down of major parts of his city and tremendous costs started ramping up. Sounds like one monstrous, hugely disruptive, expensive cantankerous summit will be enough. Dollars to donuts he called his “Won” and begged to shut down the G8.
Interesting info. Your research beats my guesswork.
Limbaugh should hire you to investigate sluts before he attacks them on the air, LOL.
Obama and the Democrats lit the fuse of the stupid and very dangerous OWS protestors and now they are afraid they might have bamie’s home city and center of the corrupt democrat univese burned down by them. Cowards.
The image of OWS coming down on the G-8 is something Obama cannot have splashed across TV screens nationwide. Cowards and hypocrites indeed.
This is bad news for Chicago hookers.
Seriously, me thinks Barry didn’t want to see a revisit of the 1968 Chicago Democrat Convention. That would not be very good optics during re-election.
wow, there was a comment in the article about showcasing Chicago to the world. What? I used to live in that area. I don’t know about anyone else but I have seen and heard all I need to about Chicago.
Oh yeah ... I’ve come across more than several
articles where city officials/local bidnessmen
are spewing repeatedly the mantra “world class city.”
ROFL!!
UNDERSTAND THIS, FOLKS....
Obama’s handlers did not want the imagery of his own OWS loons protesting him in Chicago, during the coming $5 gas, (and potential economic collapse/Coming War?).
By locking the meeting behind the gates of Camp David, Obama short circuits any bad media imagery, at a time when Americans are going to be wizzed off already by $5 gas.
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