View Our Presentation on 2016

We’ve been asked to speak at som many places that we can’t accomodate all requests. Here is the current presentation we give when we have the opportunity.

No Games Visits DePaul Class

No Games volunteers visited this class On Tuesday, September 1. It’s one of many, many such events our organizers have attended at no charge and without pay to themselves. We’re just saying – if someone WANTS to lay a six-figure salary on us, that would be great. In the mean time, we are available to speak at community meetings, classes and other public events.

On behalf of our DePaul University Discover Chicago class, I would like to sincerely thank you for the time you gave to our Olympics Day. Your presentation on No Games Chicago’s stance on the Olympics framed our day and allowed the students to think critically about the possible negative impacts the Games may bring.

Armed with information and in-depth analysis from you and your group, Dr. Alexander, and Ms. Valerie Leonard of Lawndale Alliance, our students articulated their concerns about the Games to representatives from World Sport Chicago and the 2016 Bid Committee when we visited their offices in the afternoon. Students asked questions about the true benefit of a Velodrome in Douglas Park, about the ramifications for Collins Academy High School, and how private investment in the community could potentially drive up housing costs, causing displacement and relocation of residents. Without your conversation with our students, such critical questions would never have been raised.

We are truly grateful for your part in illuminating issues surrounding Chicago’s Olympic Bid. We appreciate your participation in our Immersion Week and your involvement in being a co-educator of our students. Best of luck to you and your group, especially in the coming month!

Many thanks,
Liezl G. H. Alcantara
Ph.D. Student, Community Psychology Program
Instructor, Department of Psychology

City Council Hearing on 2016 Review

Public Meetings
Date	Time	Meeting	Location
September 1	10:00 A.M.	City Council Finance Committee Hearing on Civic Federation and LEK Report on Chicago 2016	City Council Chamber

Selling the Games One Ward At A Time

As reported in the Chicago Sun-Times:

Say, who brought the protest signs? We did!

As it has at times in recent weeks, a community meeting about Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics soon veered off into a heated discussion about other things.

Affordable housing. Jobs. Crime.

An upset Mark Carter, 35, stood in the audience and demanded that Mayor Daley’s Olympic bid team, assembled on the dais, set aside some of the projected 310,000 jobs — some temporary, others permanent — expected to be created by the Olympic Games for North Lawndale residents. He also asserted that the beleaguered West Side community wasn’t getting the help it needed because “the alderman sold us out.”

First-term Ald. Sharon Denise Dixon (24th), standing next to the audience, didn’t hold back.

“Shut up,” she told Carter, who ran against her in the last election. “I’m an alderman, not a miracle worker.”

“SHUT UP” – that’s about what we’re supposed to do. Shut up and sit back as the Mayor SIGNS THE BLANK check to the IOC using OUR money while the spineless aldermen watch from the sidelines.

Ryan Asserts Blank Check Will Be Signed – Working Hard “To The Very End”

As reported by ESPN.com:

From Berlin – Patrick Ryan has traveled tens of thousands of miles, crisscrossed time zones and wandered through countless hotel lobbies — all in search of support for Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics.

With six weeks before the International Olympic Committee vote in Copenhagen on Oct. 2, Ryan and leaders of the three other candidate cities have taken the roadshow to Berlin for the last major campaign stop of the race…

Another key challenge for Chicago is to convince IOC members — and taxpayers back home — of its budget plans and financial guarantees for the games. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has pledged to sign the IOC’s host city contract if Chicago gets the games, taking full financial responsibility for any deficit.

“I think the IOC has to be pleased that we have every intent of signing the host city contract,” Ryan said. “At that point you’re putting your city’s credit on the line. Chicago has a very strong credit rating. Then, for the protection of the taxpayers and for the comfort of the IOC, we’re putting an insurance package together.”

But that’s down the road. In a few weeks, the only numbers Ryan will be interested in are the IOC vote totals.

“I’ve learned three important lessons from IOC members,” Ryan said. “Don’t assume anything, stay humble, and work, work, work right up to the very end.”

Mr. Ryan and the rest of the 2016 team is criss-crossing the planet to sell the bid. They are working overtime to snooker the IOC and Chicago’s taxpayers. They will deliver their so-called insurance plan late next week. But it doesn’t matter what’s in the plan – the Mayor is going to sign the blank check. We at No Games Chicago want to keep up the pressure as well. Please come out to the final 2016 community meeting at the Palmer House, 17 E. Monroe, on Tuesday, August 25 at 6:00pm.

2016 Community Meetings Getting Uglier

As reported by the Provocateur:

Reporting from the 44th, 46th, and 48th Ward Olympics Community Meeting

Now, I went to another one of these a couple weeks back. The difference was that this particular “town hall” was put on entirely by the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee. As such, this was something akin to a public propaganda campaign tour. The Olympic committee is holding one in each of the city’s 50 wards. The presentation was a big dog and pony show. It had two former Olympians, both now local college softball coaches, on the stage to describe the Olympic experience. They put on a quick power point presentation in which the committee assures the city that: there will be $22.5 billion in economic activity, 315,000 jobs created, and that the city would not pay one single dime t put on the games. It’s important to note that these numbers come from a study commissioned from the Olympic Committee itself.

The real fireworks started when the questions started. The questions were about 75-25 skeptical to supporting. The questions ranged from skeptical budgetary issues, displacement of the poor, transparency, to statements of support for how exciting it would be to have Chicago host the Olympics.

One questioner summed up the cynicism of the entire exercise. She wondered why these town halls were being held now a couple months before the bid is decided and not a year and two ago. The bid was officially kicked off in March of 2007. There was little media attention about, and the mayor even snuck in a commitment of $500 million from the city to pay for the games in 2007. (even though he continues to guarantee that the city will pay no money to host the games) The reason they’re doing these dog and pony shows now is because the bid has finally received some serious negative publicity in the last few months. First, the mayor sprung on the city the need to sign a host city contract in May which would hold the city liable for any and all expenses above and beyond that which the IOC would set aside in the beginning. Then, there was the revelation that Michael Scott, a major player in the Olympic Committee, secured a sweetheart land contract near Washington Park, where some of the events would be held. Finally, there have been a series of scandals and the debacle regarding the parking meter. As such, one could call these late scheduled town hall meetings a sort of damage control.  Continue reading…

Tough Questions in the 49th Ward

As reported in Lake Effect News:

If pointing out the holes within a salesman’s pitch were an Olympic sport, Rogers Park would have a gold medal. Last night more than 150 people packed the Rogers Park Public Library with an overwhelming message for the Chicago 2016 Olympic committee: the emperor is not, in fact, wearing any clothes.

Residents and activists of the 49th Ward listened to the committee’s 35-minute presentation, the 27th so far of the mayoral ordered community meetings, which included sound bites from pro-sports athletes and President Barack Obama.

As reported last month by LEN, the golden goose eggs offered up by Chicago 2016, include 31,000 jobs over the next 10 years, $10 million for work force development, $1 billion in federal money for repairing Chicago’s mass transit system, new sports and recreational facilities to be turned over to city parks, and a lasting legacy for the children.

But when the floor was opened for questions, the crowd went hunting for the magic beans. “In the history of Chicago and minorities,” said one resident, “when it comes to the goodies, it’s not good.” “Is there anything projected in the future that can address that?” the man asked before turning to Ald. Joe Moore, saying, “we bungled the parking meters.”

Arnold Randall, director of Neighborhood Legacies at Chicago 2016, tried to deflect talk of the City Council’s infamous 75-year parking meter deal to no avail.

“It’s interconnected,” the man said in response. The onslaught continued.

“I think it’s disingenuous to say there’s zero risk, because quite frankly there’s no such thing as zero risk,” said Seth Mayer, a 5-year resident of Rogers Park, quoting Chicago 2016 president Lori Healey.

“I’d much rather have an honest assessment of what the risks are than be told just: ‘trust us, trust us,’” Mayer said.

If you’ve been to one of these carefully stage-managed events, chime in. Were YOUR questions answered? If not, call your Alderman and demand the answers!

New York Times Reports on 2016 Meetings

Even the New York Times has reported on the angry reception the 2016 Committee is getting from community residents:

“You all are projecting we’re going to make a lot of money,” a resident, Robin Kaufman, told Olympics planners at a neighborhood meeting, one in a series intended to shore up support. “But the bankers were projecting they were going to make a lot of money. Bernie Madoff was predicting he was going to make a lot of money.”

Ms. Kaufman lifted a sign that read, “No Blank Checks.”

At a high school auditorium on the West Side, where the bid leaders showed glossy Olympics schematics and stood beside toned former Olympians, Stephanie Patton asked, “Why should we trust you?”…

Tom & Martin created the No Games "Book of Evidence" display shown here! It's a popular image.

What strikes some residents as particularly puzzling is the bid committee’s refrain that, as a private nonprofit entity, it is separate from city government and public money. Technically, that may be, but skeptics note the committee and City Hall share goals and often seem intricately intertwined; Ms. Healey, for instance, stepped down as the mayor’s chief of staff to lead the committee.

Crucial to maintaining residents’ support for the Games, polls suggest, is convincing them that their dollars will not be spent. In February, a poll by The Chicago Tribune found that 64 percent of residents of Chicago and its suburbs favored having an Olympics but that 75 percent were against the use of tax money to cover shortfalls.

OK, for all you doubters who didn’t believe it when WE said the 2016 Committee couldn’t be trusted – will you NOW believe the New York Times?

No Games Takes the Bronze at Bughouse Square

Tom makes his point at the Bughouse Square debates. Photo by George P

It was a blistering day in the sun at the annual Newberry Library Bughouse Square debates on Saturday as speakers took to their soap box sized podiums to debate topics from abortion to separation of church and state to toxic artificial turf soccer fields in our parks to political prisoners. Over 100 onlookers cheered No Games organizer Tom Tresser on as he delivered his speech, “2016 Olympics – A Race To Disaster.” Overcoming hecklers (it’s a tradition) who shouted out “Why don’t you love Michael Phelps?” he had the crowd chanting “No blank check! No blank check!” at the conclusion of the address. Overall 12 speakers took to the podium at three separate stages. Tresser’s speech was awarded Third Prize. Said Tresser afterwards, “That was hard work but the crowd got behind the argument. I wish the City Council had some spirited and open debates on the 2016 bid!”

View pictures from the day. Download Tom’s speech.

Chicago’s Backwards Olympic Bid

Check out Steve Rhode’s online  column at NBC Chicago:

- from the blog post - Tom & Martin put those books on the plaza in front of the IOC Museum!

Now that the city is just a few months away from finding out if it will be awarded the 2016 Olympics, an actual real debate has erupt among taxpayers about whether they actually, really want it. Isn’t this backwards?Yes, but if City Hall and local Olympic officials had their way, they would have made it all the way to October without having to include taxpayers who will foot the bill in their plans…

So the mayor’s bid-masters have set out in a series of meetings across the city to change what taxpayers are hearing – these are not meetings being held for the benefit of residents who want to question aspects of the bid or venture their opinion. These meetings are intended to communicate in one direction only.

“These are not hearings,” Chicago 2016 operations director Doug Arnot said on Chicago Tonight, “they are public forums where the public has the opportunity to get information.”

Oh thank you for the opportunity! Now shut up and listen!…

The problem Olympic organizers face now is folks leaving these meetings laughing.

We urge all Chicagoans who want the facts about the Olympic scheme to go to as many of the 2016 community meetings as they can. Load up your cars and trucks and take the kids. Go with signs that say “No blank checks!” and “Fix the trains” and “Hire more teachers!” or what ever you think the city needs BEFORE it spends $5 billion on a two-week party seven years from now.