In 2002, I attended a rally to protest the Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue meeting in Chicago in front of Boeing headquarters. This was a smaller action - but it was the first time I had seen major press coverage ahead of time about a "globalization" related action in Chicago. The 1999 Seattle WTO protests were still semi-fresh in plenty of people's minds along with the events of 9/11. The papers ran articles with headlines such as "The Anarchists Are Coming!" The Chicago Police acquired a vast amount of state of the art riot gear - just for the action. I can remember seeing some officers peeling the shrink wrap off their brand new batons.
Chicago Police at the No TABD Rally in 2002
The action went forward without much incident. A couple of arrests were made and I think a few kids might've stenciled graffiti in places. The most awe striking sight of the entire event though - was sheer force of the "law." I say law, because at some point it became difficult to discern who was with what enforcement agency. Plenty of CPD were on hand, clad in black from head to toe. State police lined blocked off streets with prison transport buses. Plenty of unmarked vans parked throughout the loop - and more than four helicopters (not counting news organizations) buzzed overhead. I q
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