One moment demonstrators were singing, chanting and peaceful, many were talking to police who were formed in a tight formation in front of us. The next moment, tear gas canisters arced into the demonstrators. One hit me in the shoulder. That was the signal for police to attack, and they waded into us, batons flailing. Hours of bloody mayhem followed. I was unconscious for most of it. That was Grant Park in 1968, and I’m pleased that it was not repeated last night.

About 130 protesters have been arrested at an Occupy Chicago demonstration after they erected tents and refused to leave a park at its closing time, police said. The breakup of the protest in Grant Park, next to Lake Michigan, was the second mass arrest of demonstrators from Occupy Chicago in the past week. Last weekend, about 175 protesters were arrested. The protesters were charged with violating a city ordinance and most were released after agreeing to appear in court, Chicago police said. Grant Park, the site of major anti-war protests during the Democratic convention in 1968, is closed after 11pm… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <The Guardian>