These days Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy sounds like an exception to the rule, a head of a police department who shows an unusual understanding of what can happen if police violate citizens’ civil liberties. As the NATO/G8 summits near, he is a sober voice who appears to be trying to calm down local reporters or business leaders in Chicago that believe chaos will ensue when people come out to demonstrate against the NATO and G8 summits being held May 19-21.

Chicago Mayor Emanuel wants to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on new policy shields because his police chief has an irrational fear that demonstrators at the G8/NATO summits plan to throw feces and urine at police. There is no evidence to support this fear or any reported incidents it ever happened. In fact, demonstrators even adopted pacts to assure police it was a fantasy.

A contracting firm that specializes in anti-terrorism and force protection training, consulting and management services has been hired to train Cook County Sheriff’s Police in the run-up to the NATO-G8 meetings that are to be held in Chicago in May of this year.

This past Sunday Occupy Chicago held a march in solidarity with Occupy Oakland after Oakland police fired various crowd-dispersal weapons at them and arrested hundreds. They marched in the evening through downtown. Like other Occupy groups, they had a person live streaming the action, Keilah [@OccupieChicago], who was seized, had her camera confiscated, and threatened with felony arrest under Illinois’ egregious Eavesdropping Act. It’s a totalitarian’s dream.

Occupy Chicago never really had an encampment. Back in October of last year, they tried to establish a camp in Grant Park. The “world renown” mayor of Chicago was all over that. He had an image to create, chops to prove. Over three hundred people were arrested. Occupy Chicago maintained a presence in the financial district, the corner of LaSalle and Jackson, in between the Bank of America building and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

The selling and marketing of upcoming G8 and NATO meetings has fully commenced. The slogan has been unveiled for the meetings: “The Global Crossroads.” The meetings will be all about taking the “global stage.” But, as the host committee for the meetings and business organizations, which plan to promote the event, try to convince media to focus on the “benefits,” tens of thousands of people are expected to come to Chicago to protest the meetings that will take place May 19-21.

Protesters have gathered outside a meeting taking place in Chicago today between officials with the Obama Administration and some state Attorneys General or members of their staff, aimed at reaching agreement on a low-ball settlement with leading banks over foreclosure fraud. The proposed settlement would give homeowners a pittance in exchange for a broad release of liability from prosecution for the banks.

To help folks separate spin from fact, we’ve put together this analysis to help you understand how local rules have changed in ways that undercut protest and political speech. While these revisions will not deter us from speaking out and protesting, they do change the excuses the police may use to try to prevent us from protesting.

It’s also important that we understand these changes so we can educate our friends and neighbors – and fight for meaningful change that puts people’s rights and the greater good ahead of the fear-mongering and greed that drove Mayor 1%’s push for these changes.

Two ordinances drawn up for controlling protests and maintaining security in the city of Chicago during upcoming NATO/G8 meetings passed through the Chicago City Council today. The ordinances, which organizers from Occupy Chicago and the Coalition Against the NATO/G8 (CANG8) call “sit down and shut up” ordinances, were met with some opposition that led to revisions, but not enough to allay concerns of critics, including ACLU and Occupy Chicago.

Ahead of the overlapping G-8 and NATO summits in Chicago May 19th-21st Mayor Rahm Emanuel has ramped up the repression of principled dissent in a city that has quite the history of it. New restrictions on parades and demonstrations go far beyond current rules.