@RedLineProject
Posted: Sunday,
May 20, 2012
Chicago will become the focus of the global
politics May 20-21 when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) holds its
summit at McCormick Place.
The G8 summit, while no longer in Chicago,
dealt with many global issues that impacted Chicago's ethnic
neighborhoods.
The Red Line Project previewed both the
NATO and G8 summits, the protests, how global issues impact the city and how
Chicago will handle security and other issues surrounding the NATO
events.

Hundreds of
Chicago Police officers will be working downtown during the NATO
summit, leaving an alderman and business owners wondering who's
protecting the rest of the
city.
Related:
Both summits will have movers and shakers setting the
agenda on global issues. Experts share who are the eight to
watch. (Photo via
iStockPhoto).
Related stories:
The European Union and Greece's economic woes are expected to
be on the G8 summit's agenda. The Red Line Project's Monica Kucera
reports from Athens, while Kristen
Nemoto and Nadvia Davis report onChicago's Greektown
business
owners. Related:
Photo: Christos Liakouras, owner
of The Parthenon restaurant in
Greektown, talks about Greece's economic
issues. (Photo by Nadvia Davis).

Thousands
of protesters are descending on Chicago in May to protest the NATO
summit and other causes. Who are they?
(Photo by Bartosz
Brzezinski) Related:
The Red Line Project partnered with The GATE newspaper to explore
some of Chicago's key immigration issues, how they impact the city and
if anything can be accomplished at the G8 summit.
Photo: Immigration and unions were key issues for
the May Day Occupy protests. (Photo by Paul
Tadalan)
DePaul University Vice President J.D. Bindenagel, a former U.S.
ambassador to Germany, shares his insight into the NATO summit.
Related:
Photo: Bindenagel sees Afghanistan, Syria and Iran
playing key roles in NATO talks. (Photo by Sean
McDonough)
While some Chicago businesses are hopeful for more customers
during the NATO summit, others are either closing or preparing for
possible security issues. Related:
Right: Ken Melvoin-Berg of Weird Chicago Tours
is shutting down his business the weekend of the summit. (Photo by
Cheryl Waity)

The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization dates back to the late 1940s in Brussels.
Read this interactive
timeline to see how the global security organization has
evolved over the past several decades.
(Photo by courtesy NATO.int via Creative
Commons)

What are the
G8 and NATO summits? What issues do they address? And why do the global
issues discussed at each summit have a profound impact on those in
Chicago? This primer on the G8 and NATO explains some of the key topics
and why they matter.
Photo: Tamar Jacoby of
ImmigrationWorks USA talks about the impact of immigration in Chicago.
(Photo by Mike Reilley)

With the
NATO summit only weeks away, Lori Healey, the executive director of the
Chicago NATO Host Committee, declared the city "open for business" and
announced several events the city was planning, many involving the
city's youth.
Photo: Healey spoke to a packed room at the Niagara Foundation.
(Photo by AnnCatherine Brady)

Hundreds of dignitaries, media, security and thousands of protestors
will descend on McCormick Place in May for the NATO summit. Just to the
south of McCormick, in the Bronzeville neighborhood, there are mixed
opinions on what the summit will mean.
Photo: Darya Johnson
thinks the extra traffic from the summit might be a blessing for her
salon. (Photo by Josclynn Brandon)

A panel of experts
on the summit -- including DePaul Vice President J.D. Bindenagel --
shared the history of NATO and some of the positives and negatives it
will bring to the city in May.
Photo: Panelists prepare for the
discussion. (Photo by Lisa Klier)

Homeland Security expert Don
Zoufal (left) says Chicago will have its hands full with anarchist
groups, traffic congestion, protestors and logistics during the NATO
summit.
A security consultant
who helped with planning for the 1996 Democratic National Convention,
Zoufal also said First Amendment protections for protestors present
challenges for logistics and resource allocation.

Some buildings and
areas of downtown Chicago are planning to shut down because of the
NATO summit, May 20-21. Other organizations, businesses and schools
have moved or rescheduled events. Check this interactive map for
updates.
Related: DePaul closing Loop campus the weekend of
NATO

Chicago will have more than 50 global dignitaries and
as many as 170 motorcades in town for the NATO summit May
20-21.
But security preparations for
Chicago's downtown area, including DePaul's Loop campus,
awaited instruction from the Secret Service and FBI until late
April.
Photo: DePaul Director of Public Safety Bob Wachowski
(Photo by Brianna Kelly)

The nation's largest Catholic university will close its downtown
South Loop campus May 18-21, the weekend of the NATO summit (May
20-21).
The administration cited traffic congestion and safety issues as
reasons for shutting down the campus.
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