Occupy Chicago 'Mic Check' Rahm Emanuel At Press Conference (VIDEO)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel was scheduled to deliver a few remarks Monday evening to celebrate the opening of "Lightscape: A Multisensory Experience," a part of Chicago's Winter WonderLoop festivities. But a group of loud Occupy Chicago protesters seemed to cut his speech short.

As Emanuel discussed Chicago's much-celebrated skyline, a group of protesters began chanting "Let us exercise our First Amendment rights!" The group was marching to City Hall to deliver a petition to Emanuel, asking for a 24-hour place to assemble and that the charges against arrested Occupiers be dropped, Progress Illinois reports.

Emanuel seemed to cut his remarks short and walked off the stage. (Watch NBC Chicago's coverage of the incident above)

Just after 4 p.m., Occupy Chicago tweeted that they "just mic checked Rahm Emanuel off of State & Madison" adding that they were "trying to deliver our petition to Mayor 1% Emanuel."

Last month, Emanuel said he has cooperated with the movement, but would not drop charges against the protesters.

"There's a balancing act," Emanuel said of the arrests last month, according to NBC Chicago. "People have their first amendment right. It's protected and they're expressing their views. And I've expressed my understanding of those economic hardships while making sure the law is enforced."

Occupy Chicago members were slated to meet with Emanuel's staff to discuss a 24-hour place to assemble, but the talks failed, HuffPost blogger Mark Cassello reports.

“Over 300 people were arrested for putting up tents, for saying that freedom of speech does not have a curfew," Joshua Kaunert, an archaeologist and Occupy Chicago Committee member, said in a statement. "If we want to break the stranglehold big business and financial institutions have on our democracy, we need to build an Occupation in the public commons, where individuals, unions, and community organizations can come together to create real change.”

The relationship between the Occupy movement and City Hall has become even more strained in recent weeks, as the 2012 budget was debated and ultimately approved. Protesters say cuts to mental health centers and layoffs will hit minorities and poor Chicagoans the hardest.

To express their frustration, protesters also "mic checked" 49th Ward Ald. Joe Moore Monday night, who voted to pass the budget (along with the other 49 city aldermen). The group said cuts to mental health would end up costing taxpayers more, and that after hearing for years that more "would be done with less" they "knew better."

WATCH Occupiers mic check Moore here:

How political leaders are reacting to the Occupy Movement:

Comments

[gbdill]

01:36 AM on 11/26/2011

OWS protestors have lost all credibility with the American public. They are now just a burden upon the American taxpayer, straining our city's civil resources. It won't be long before they are rightfully removed from society and will be remembered as just another loud-mouthed movement that changed absolutely NOTHING.

[John Malloy]

05:32 AM on 11/25/2011

Expressing "understanding of economic hardships" is lovely, but it's a token, empty gesture when followed by contradictory actions. We've heard this empty rhetoric for 30 years from politicians.

They do think people are stupid, swayed easily by half-truths and good advertising, and it's nice to see some people calling them on it.

[Jeff Burdick]

05:59 AM on 11/24/2011

Happy Thanksgiving. I know Mayor Emanuel has much for which to give thanks. At this time last year, he was but a homeless man running for mayor. What a difference a year makes. Now as mayor he's taking his resentments out on home owners with his School Board raising property taxes the max, doubling water taxes, fining for high weeds, tardy shoveling, etc. For a look back at those halcyon post-election days when Rahm was all grin and grips, check out this humorous YouTube video:http://tinyurl.com/4ys6b8t

[jrwest78]

09:21 AM on 11/23/2011

"This is an irresponsible budget..."

from Occupy?

[KevinOConnor]

03:18 AM on 11/23/2011

about time.

[kel2580]

08:05 PM on 11/22/2011

Rahm and his Chicago alderman robots will destroy our city unless we collectively seek out candidates who will serve all of Chicago, not just the rich and other communities while forgetting, altogether the African American community as mayor Daley did. Which is the main reason I hate Black preachers now. They have paved the way to nothing for our community, while preaching for us to wait on God to deliver us out of poverty, while those who believe in and follow these fools continue to give their money. So far, all Rahm has done is cut, cut, and cut even more from the poor in Chicago, while fees are going way, way up. I still can't believe I voted for this guy. I'm slapping myself hard for making that mistake, and believe be, I'm working on correcting that mistake. He won't do anything for the African American community as well. Thanks to Black preachers, what good are they these days. They are worthless.

[ie]

09:26 PM on 11/25/2011

Interesting perspective--thanks for sharing.

[riverwester]

04:57 PM on 11/22/2011

i

[junkiebev]

03:44 PM on 11/23/2011

totally

[meko]

04:38 PM on 11/22/2011

Close half the mental health clinics and give the Commodities Exchange a tax cut. Rahm is the ultimate politician for the 1%.

[KevinOConnor]

03:19 AM on 11/23/2011

short and sweet.

[corwin]

07:16 PM on 11/23/2011

And ' 94 still isn't blockaded! The Smart People are dressed in beach ware and pretending to be off to New Buffalo! IN November! They're escaping. No wonder they laugh at Chicagoans

[Matt GinsbergJaeckle]

04:11 PM on 11/22/2011

Want to know why the rage at Rahm? Check out our effort to get him to listen to us about closure of half city's mental health clinics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZjNlviYSSA

[pictureunprfct]

03:59 PM on 11/22/2011

Reminds me of when my mom told me I couldn't have a sleepover and I threw a hissy fit. Of course, I was five years old back then.

[ejhickey]

04:13 PM on 11/22/2011

who won? you or your mom? just curious. good analogy.

[pictureunprfct]

04:27 PM on 11/22/2011

Of course my mom won and she was right. There was plenty of time to play, discuss, hang out with, and plan with my friends during the day and if I was not able to see them during the day I could have easily called them until a reasonable hour.

I'm sorry, but with today's technology, the argument that unless they can sit out all night talking to each other, everyone won't get their turn is a little off base. Don't get me wrong, I respect the movement and what these people are trying to do, but they should spend more time focusing on the issues that the group as a whole has agreed upon instead of using every excuse the Chicago government gives them to act like little kids. They is exactly what they want the protesters to do, go off on a tangent that is really not as important than the real issues.

[pictureunprfct]

03:45 PM on 11/22/2011

Why are they suddenly acting like children? What exactly is that going to accomplish besides making the conservative media right about the OWS movement looking like a bunch of spoiled brats? What's next, covering their ears and screaming "LALALALALALALALALALA"? Two months and they're so bored and close to giving up they they are resorting to the most immature thing they can think of to get attention?

I'm sorry, I was totally behind the movement, but these people are reverting to Tea Party antics and trying to pretend that they are somehow so much more entitled to act this way.

[meko]

04:39 PM on 11/22/2011

How else are we to protest Rahm shutting down public schools and mental health clinics (the latter of which will only raise crime) so that he can give a tax break to the Chicago Board of Trade? He refuses to meet with community leaders because he only has time for out-of-state Democratic Party fundraisers.

[ejhickey]

04:47 PM on 11/22/2011

state of Illinois is giving the CME the tax break. OC is off target again

[pictureunprfct]

04:58 PM on 11/22/2011

If they can't think of something better, Rahm has already won.

How about going out and discussing these things with people in their communities and then going to those individual neighborhoods where people are losing schools and mental health clinics and working out a plan with that districts representatives and coming up with logical, well thought out points to bring to discuss. I believe people are making the same mistake they are making with the president. If you are not getting through to the person on top, find someone who is in their circle (an aid, adviser, or friend) and REALLY get to that person. Make that person believe in you so much that they will stop at nothing to get your words to the powers that be.

It's naive to think that the president or mayor of a city can suddenly agree with you, wave their hand, and everything will be all better. Even if they were to agree with you, they are just the first (granted it's a very large first) step.

[acumenguy]

09:50 PM on 11/24/2011

New OWS chant:
*ahem*
The people … united …. Will never let a voice that we oppose to speak and address the rest of the citizenship who want to enjoy an event without us being the center of attention!!!
The people ….
(repeat as long as camera are present)

[ejhickey]

02:45 PM on 11/22/2011

Amusing but in the end this was just a meaningless prank that was disruptive just to be disruptive. too bad OC can't focus on some real issues involving corporate greed and influence such as the Paring Meter Deal. I fear that OC is fatally stu pid or is in someway compromised so that they don't touch anything that would really upset the power structure. This being Chicago I suspect the leaders of OC have been paid off. (and don't tell me there are no leaders. someone or some persons within OC are providing some kind of direction as to where they go and what they do)

Don't feel too disappointed if this is discovered at some point in the future. they are missing too many obvious targets .

[HKR07]

03:36 PM on 11/22/2011

Bull. Rahm is the ultimate corporatist Dem who trashed the base, along with Obama and Biden before 2010 election. STUPID!

[ejhickey]

04:09 PM on 11/22/2011

we could both be right.

[Matt GinsbergJaeckle]

04:14 PM on 11/22/2011

There are real issues in here. They highlight his closing of half city's mental health clinics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZjNlviYSSA

[Peter007]

02:36 PM on 11/22/2011

Rahm was Clintons Money man in 1995 to 1998. He left the Clinton Whitehouse to be a Banker where he made $16.2 Million in 32 months. ( $100,000/ week ?)
After Rahm made some easy money dealing with Public Utilities , he took a vacation when Clinton gave him a job at $340,000/ year with Freddie Mac. That job required he show up for 6 meetings. ($55,000/ meeting ? ).

He is the 1% that moves effortlessly between Banking/ investments and government cronyism.

[ejhickey]

03:07 PM on 11/22/2011

thanks for the information - several months too late. where were you when prior to the mayoral election when there was a deafening chorus chanting "We Want Rahm". Now he is in for 4 years and there is not much you can do about that.

[meko]

04:40 PM on 11/22/2011

There was never a deafening chorus of "We Want Rahm". After pushing everyone who had a shot of beating him into not running, Rahm one in one of the lowest turnout elections we ever had.

[bitsy79]

10:37 PM on 11/22/2011

The information was out there during the election, and long before it for that matter, for anyone who wanted to look into it and read it. In fact, 20 minutes of reading would have told you all you needed to know.

[brkvll6]

11:40 PM on 11/24/2011

He's corrupt scum!

[shankapotomus]

02:31 PM on 11/22/2011

They did it to Obama today in N.H.

[Mikeeee]

02:30 PM on 11/22/2011

Lots of trowels here supporting King George III and his policies of keeping the working poor, poor.

[corwin]

07:24 PM on 11/23/2011

Mike,
Be of good cheer.Sure Illinois is characterized as the "land of Losers" now,but take the long view. Soon ,the city and state will collapse. The Smart people are already gone. Those left will be living in their parents basement,only leaving for an occasional sub teaching gig .(And protests,of course.They won't replace themselves in terms of population,but the average IQ of Illinois will rise over a couple of generations Covered wagons from Indiana will find a base that can stand on equal terms with people from other areas.It might help you deal with this if you think of it as Evolution in Action
Corwin. You call it cruel. But, I call it Kind.