Occupy Mental Health! New Update.
Filed under: Society and Economy, US politics
UPDATE: The the encampment in the vacant lot across the street from Chicago’s Woodlawn Clinic was dismantled by the police, but no arrests were made. The Woodlawn Mental Health Clinic is scheduled to be closed along with 5 other mental health clinics. Mental health workers and patients had barricaded themselves inside the clinic last Thursday night until forcibly ousted by the Chicago police. 23 people were arrested.
People continued to occupy by sitting in chairs and sleeping in cars. It is now 12:25 in the afternoon on Tuesday & I’m at a coffee shop at the corner. There are about 12-15 people across the street from the clinic with a car and van full of camping equipment. They have set up a table with food and signup sheets. Last night the cops said that owner of the vacant lot where they had set up camp had complained. It was a lie. The complaint did not come from the owner. They did lose a tent to the police, but managed to hang on to most of their stuff. They plan to stay the night again. The City Council is planning to meet about Rahm’s big infrastructure plan tomorrow morning.The demonstrators a hoping some alderpeople will raise the issue of the mental health clinics.
2 PEOPLE ARRESTED. POLICE FORBID CAMPING IN VACANT LOT ACROSS FROM WOODLAWN CLINIC
After a press conference at 2 pm on Tuesday attended by the media, the Mental Health Movement began erecting tents in the vacant lot across from the Woodlawn Clinic. Almost immediately the Chicago Police arrived and threatened anyone with arrest until the tents were taken down. I saw two people arrested almost at random as the protestors tried to comply with the order.
Original diary begins below:
While riding the El down to the Monday morning press conference by Chicago’s Mental Health Movement, I couldn’t help but reflect on Rahm’s Emanuel’s obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is obsessive about funneling money to Chicago’s wealthy and compulsive about his attacks on services for Chicago’s working class. Rahm’s latest offensive is the closing of 6 mental health centers.
The issue of closing mental health clinics first came up last fall during the protests surrounding Mayor Emanuel’s proposed budget, which also included slashing library services, privatization of neighborhood health clinics and layoffs of public employees. There was an hours long sit-in outside the Mayors office demanding that all mental health clinics remain open. Below is a video produced shortly after the fall round of protests.
OUR LIVES ON THE LINE: Voices from Chicago’s mental health clinics