It’s Not Too late to Thank No Games Chicago!
Ed Burke reports to prison today – a reminder of the Battle for the Bid
The most powerful Alderman in recent Chicago history. The longest serving Adlerman in Chicago's history - 54 years. The once mighty Ed Burke (80 years old) reports to prision today to begin serving a two year term for corruption. He was convicted of 13 counts, including racketeering, bribery, and attempted extortion.
So, this is a great time to say "Thank you, No Games Chicago!" and to get your own copy of my account of what I called The Battle for the Bid. No Games Chicago: How a Small Group of Citizens Derailed the City's 2016 Olympic Bid was published last week by Routledge Press. The book tells the story of a band of volunteers from 2009 and contains cagey Davids fighting multiple Goliaths, international intrigue, daring tactics, civic thuggery, attempted bribes, a real-life spy – and an astonishing win! Order your copy and use the promo code "NGC25" for 25% off plus free shipping.
I built a companion website at www.nogameschicagobook.com and it contains all sorts of resources from the campaign – images, videos, news clips, press releases, flyers, studies, and a Strategic Playbook that activists can use to interrogate and fight mega-projects that threaten to fleece their cities. Also – Extra Chapters: Prelude to the Battle for the Bid – The Latin School Land Grab, The NGC Book of Evidence, Democracy Takes a Holiday in Lincoln Park, The Wimps of the Bid, The Collaborators of the Bid, NGC Emails to the IOC, Byproduct of the Bid-Hospital Razed, Voices of Protest, NGC Erased from the Record, NGC Erased – Brazilian Gold, No Games Finally Gets Some Love.
Why is this relevant today? Because, my dear colleagues and allies - we have the same BS scenario playing out in Chicago today as we did back in 2008-2009. Only this time, the press releases and pretty images being run in all the media are not about the Olympics and a bunch of new stadiums that we were going to pay for - no, this time the press releases and glossy images show new stadiums for the White Sox and the Bears that we are going to pay for. It’s déjà vu, all over again.
The connection to Mr. Burke reporting to prison today is this. If Chicago had been awarded the 2016 Olympics, he and Alderman Carrie Austin would have been on the Operating Committee’s Board of Directors and managed all the business and subsidies between Chicago and the operators of the 2016 Games. Alderman Austin was indicted by the United States Department of Justice in July 2021 on four counts of corruption (along with her Chief of Staff, Chester Wilson, Jr.).
I assert that had we gotten the Games these two crooks would have syphoned off at least ten percent of the money they were charged with overseeing (massive construction, legal, marketing, security, and provisions contracts) – to the tune of $100 million. Far-fetched? I don’t think so. I further assert that, armed with so much Olympic booty, these two corrupt officials would have been untouchable and, even more importantly, those funds would have found their way into Machine-backed campaigns for people running for office here and across Illinois. The net result? The end of independent politics in Chicago and northern Illinois for our lifetimes. This story is told in Chapter 24 - “How’s This for ‘Oversight’? – Carrie Austin and Ed Burke.”
So, what do you say – besides saving democracy here, the No Games Chicago campaign saved you at least $1,000 in raised taxes (if you live in Chicago), and perhaps $500 if you live in suburban Cook County. Not to mention avoiding years of construction, traffic nightmares, civil rights abuses (mass arrests, constant surveillance), and the preservation of Washington Park and significant parts of other major parks. Why do I say this? Because the 2016 Summer Olympics cost Rio de Janeiro $20 BILLION. That’s a cannon ball that Chicago dodged. Please get a copy of the book. If you are an instructor and use the book for a class, I will visit your class via Zoom at no charge through 2025!
No Games Chicago was an amazing group of volunteers who spent about a year of their lives fighting the Bid. The story of what we did has never been told. Why is that? It’s a great story and holds lessons for organizers around the world. You can correct the record by getting your copy and sharing it with friends and family. Bring me to your religious institution, school, or community organization. Sadly, I predict the local mainstream media will not cover the book. Despite sending literally thousands of emails to the local press, I have gotten no interest in having the book reviewed or covered by the Major Downtown Media. It is up to us to tell the story and extract lessons for the present and future from it.
Here is some of what the book marketing folks call “advance praise” ---
"Tom Tresser, public citizen to his core, has gone to extraordinary lengths to document his role in leading a coalition of activists to oppose Chicago’s Olympic Games bid. Tirelessly, he has crafted a riveting story of the uphill battle to bring daylight and transparency to public policy, asking vital questions about an enormous event with dubious benefits for Chicagoans. The narrative is part David vs Goliath, part Saul Alinksy, and part Tresser’s own dog-with-a-bone persistence. Placing the events in context and with detail, Tresser reasserts throughout a ‘public interest’ over private and public-private interests, a central political battle in our neoliberal age." - D. Bradford Hunt, Professor and Chair, Department of History, Loyola University Chicago, co-author of Planning Chicago
"Tom Tresser has completed a remarkable book, meticulously documenting every step of No Games Chicago's successful campaign to stop the Olympic juggernaut from taking over the city. The book will serve as a key guide for future anti-Olympic organizations, providing practical strategies for effective resistance." - Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, Professor Emerita, University of Toronto, author of Inside the Olympic Industry (2000), Olympic Industry Resistance (2008), The Olympic Games (2020)
"Citizens and taxpayers can fight back against these costly, wasteful Olympic bids when they get organized and marshal the facts. No Games Chicago gave us a template -- figuratively and literally -- for our success at doing so in Boston." - Chris Dempsey, Co-Founder, No Boston Olympics
If you were one of the people who donated to No Games or who signed a petition or showed up at one or our rallies or meetings – this is also YOUR story. Together, we spoke truth to power and – collectively – we saved our city from a disaster on the order of the Great Fire of 1871. No joke.
In solidarity,
Tom Tresser
Civic educator. Public defender
tom@tresser.com
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