Astroturf Protesting
Always contentious hearings on whether to close failing Chicago schools have taken a bizarre twist this year with charges that cash-strapped residents were hired as “rent-a-protesters” and given pre-made signs and pre-crafted scripts to support school shakeups.
Two men told the Chicago Sun-Times they showed up to apply for financial help with their energy bills at the Englewood office of the HOPE Organization headed by Rev. Roosevelt Watkins III, only to be offered money to attend school-related “rallies” held Jan. 6. Watkins denies they were paid to protest, saying money paid was for training.
The reverends are at it again:
Watkins, pastor of Bethlehem Star M.B. Church and founder of Pastors United for Change, acknowledged he organized busloads of people to attend the Jan. 6 school closing hearings.
Yellow buses delivered people from 69th and Halsted, where HOPE’s Englewood office is, to at least three closing hearings on that date. The hearings concerned Crane High, Guggenheim Elementary and Reed Elementary, hearing participants told the Sun-Times.
Scott said he was offered $50 to speak at a hearing from what turned out to be scripted remarks.
Labels: city politics
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
24 Comments:
And what tax money is being blown here?
What's done in the dark, will be brought to the light..........
I don't know when, but eventually people are going to have to answer to someone.
rumor has it that p/o's are going to be bunking up at hotels over night for g8 if things get out of controll
i believe the term was clergy money was used
if so as they state this is money from the clergy private money
well excuse me for asking but where does clergy moeny come from?
donations from memebers of the various churches?
i thought "donations" to a church were for things like maintenance/bills / miscellanious stuff/
not politics
i mean a priest rabbi minister what have can ask for help in civic and nieghborhood things
but to actually pay to "infulence some thing" sounds really wrong
looks to me like to me if we
"follow the money" rahmbo and friends are involed
the $ came from somewhere
and some one pretty crafty is running the show
the clergy are just the "front"so i beleive we apply the good time tested fact of follow the $
and who stands to benieft by this
we will know
just a matter of the press willing to follow thru
How do all you Emanual-Voting CTU assholes feel now? Are you finally going to accept the fact that he is the second coming of Satan, with Daley being the first? If you're too blind to see that Emanuel orchestrated this, then you truly ARE an asset to the continuing tradition that is the CPS system.
Selling-out yourselves and your coworkers for a few measly hundred dollars and a laptop that'll be obsolete before the school year ends.
Caving-in to Rahm's ultimatums that were sold under the guise as imperative to the educational well being of CPS students. Got a little secret for ya: the only thing that was 'imperative' was Rahm reaping the desired results of testing the waters for crushing your union. And that he did.
*** And here's the best part: you impressionable, easily fooled Sheep agreed to longer days of what realistically amounts to little more than babysitting impulsive, destructive, disrespectful and ignorant creatures that are half child, half animal. You get to be surrogate parents for what amounts to about an extra 22 cents an hour. Suckers.
You got to stay a couple extra hours entertaining these lead paint chip-eating dolts while the bastards that spawned them got paid to help hasten your demise. When all was said and done, they made more per hour to hold signs they couldn't read or understand than you did because of the pay cut you accepted "for the children". THEIR children.
Makes me wonder if Karen Lewis's claim of Rahm's expletive-laden tirade during their one-on-one meeting actually ever happened, or if it was a choreographed distraction. Who would know more about choreography than a Tiny Dancer, right?
So the question is, FROM WHERE did the money come that was paid to the rent-a-protestors? Rev. Watkins said it didn't come from his own HOPE organization, but is "private money" from the "clergy community." Well then, Rev. Roosevelt Watkins III, open up the books and show EXACTLY where this unethical bribery money came from, that was used to shamefully prey on members of the black community and get them to scream for school closings that the black community was actually AGAINST. Since "HOPE" has received 1.47 million dollars in CPS contract money since 2010, it appears that this bribery money is tied directly to Rev. Watkins/HOPE getting his 1.47 million dollar pay-off from CPS/The City of Chicago...in essence, a pay-off from the mayor's office for doing the mayor's bidding.
This scandal, if investigated sufficiently, would shine a Mighty Spotlight on the corruption and filthy relationship that the southside "reverends" have with Mayor Emanuel, and had with the previous Mayor Daley. It is time that these "reverends" and the Mayor are hooked up to a polygraph machine whenever they talk about anything of substance, because it is obvious that both Rev. Watkins and Mayor Emanuel are lying about the very dirty deeds done behind the scenes to get schools closed, and to get longer school hours, without negotiating with the teacher's union. It has been revealed, by the Sun-Times of all places, that Rev. Watkins' "community organizing" was a sham, and used as a cover for his betrayal of the very same black community that he claims to represent.
These tactics have "approved by Rahm Emanuel" all over it. Emanuel used these tactics to destroy schools that the community actually supported, and to violate the teacher's union contract. This is the same insincere and ruthless mayor that will oversee our next police contract. Who knows what Rahm is planning, to get whatever he wants, and at whatever expense to the police department, our contractual rights, and to the detriment of the safety of every citizen in Chicago.
Pray that justice be done. And Pray that the Spotlight of Goodness be focused on the corrupt ways of Rahm Emanuel. He may well be a one-term mayor, if enough of his dirty deeds are revealed.
Watkins denies they were paid to protest, saying money paid was for training.
Maybe they're being trained for the G8/NATO?
rumor has it that p/o's are going to be bunking up at hotels over night for g8 if things get out of controll
1/25/2012 01:05:00 AM
Good luck getting a room.
SOROS MONEY.......still trying to force Socialism on us and the blind Kool aid democrats keep voting.
“rumor has it that p/o's are going to be bunking up at hotels over night for g8 if things get out of controll”
1/25/2012 01:05:00 AM
Sounds like something these assholes would try and do. After all, they think they own us as it is. Well, guess what, when I am off duty I am sleeping in my own bed. So go screw yourself Tiny Dancer and Mctool.
Well what do we think majority of protesters for g8 and nato come from..duh!!!these are well organized protesters that feed of the poor and hippys who got nothing better to do so theyre given money to create chaos at summits!!
What isn't comprehensible is that "Joe Ordinary Citizen" thinks that Emmanual is saving the money for the taxpaying citizens of this city and doing a great job. Without a legitimate and deep investigation, the ordinary citizen will never see or understand how corrupt he really is that how he is NOT doing things in the citizen's best interest, but rather his own.
get rid of the Poverty Pimps that call themselves reverends and are
pimping-out the sheeple that show-up on Sunday morning and Wedneday
night. They are no better than the
pimp who used to stand on the corner and watch his girls transact business, matter-of-fact,
tey are one and the same, the difference being how their "flock"
brings in the revenue.
This is the same Rep. Rita who "forgot" he had a felony. For whom Madigan went to bat, so he could keep his seat in the ILGA despite his ineligibility.
All of which the media conveniently let fall to the wayside in the next news cycle, so everyone could forget about it and these crooks could get back to business as usual.
Now this felon is giving away our tax dollars to some rich alderman? Should we really be surprised?
OFF TOPIC:
SCC YOU BAD BOY! CBS IS TRYING TO SPANK YOU AGAIN!
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/01/25/cop-blog-concealing-tape-is-your-new-g8-best-friend/
I was at one of these school action meetings Friday. The crackheads and alcoholics were bused in from 87th and East End and told to sit there...they had no interest in the meeting, kept leaving the room to go do whatever, carried on, and admitted to CPS officials they just wanted the $25 they would get if they sat through the meeting.
Follow the MONEY
Tax payer money paid for the protestors,the busses and the reverend. To capo it off tax payer money apid for the police that had to be there.
This is a major scandal, if the reporter follow up. But they woudn't dare.
Nothing new hiring people for this kind of phony bullshit. Goes on all over. No wonder this country is in the shitter.
How much Irish Rose does $25.00 get you these days.
It's all for the children!
Rahm + Lewis + $25.00 = Up your ass teacher + 0.22 cents. You provide your own vaseline
Did you see that punk Emmanuel at the press conference first dodge the question, then get pissy when she re-iterated it a second time? He wouldn't answer the question again. Hey 9.5, can't take the heat when someone calls you out?! What about the transparency ? Nothing to hide? You're as dirty as the day is long. These Democrats make me sick.
rahms games are gettin old already!THE PEOPLE ARE WATCHING AND HAVE CAUGHT ONTO U!!!!ONE AND DONE!!
These rent-a-protesters were reported weeks ago in smaller venues like Substance and even Catalyst. But it's about time the big boys like WGN and SunTimes report on it too. Maybe Rahm doesn't have as many friends as he thinks he has ?
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