Jackson Potter faces illegal attempt to stop informational leafleting outside 'Rock Island Network' hearing... CPS rent-a-cops try to 'arrest' CTU leader for leafleting Rock Island Network hearing, February 9, 2013
Chicago Public Schools security, but not working CPS security, rather some privatized "rent a cops", threatened to arrest Chicago Teachers Union Staff Coordinator Jackson Potter outside the Saturday, February 9, hearing for the so-called "Rock Island Network." Jackson told Substance that he was leafleting parents and teachers entering the meeting when he was told by people who identified themselves as "security" that it was illegal to leaflet within 50 feet of the building. The meeting, which had been public advertised on the CPS website, was one of the public meetings being held regarding the so-called "underutilization crisis" that CPS is claiming it has.
Potter said that he told the people who were threatening him with arrest that there was no such ordinance restricting leafleting for such meetings, and that when he did so they dispatched several additional "security" people to surround him. The security people, who were not CPS security, began to write up Jackson on a pre-prepared form they had, while he demanded that they bring out one of the leaders of the hearing to explain this version of the law to him.
Substance called CPS Communications on Monday, February 11, and asked to speak with Becky Carroll, who, as usual, was "in a meeting." The latest information about Carroll's eternal "meeting" was provided by CPS's latest hire in the Office of Communications, Lauren Huffman, who told Substance that Ms. Carroll would call back when she got out of her "meeting." Huffman told Substance that she had been working for CPS for three weeks.
The questions left with Ms. Huffman for Becky Carroll, the CPS "Chief Officer for Communications" ($165,000 per year) were:
(1) who were the private security people hired to patrol the Rock Island Network hearing of February 9, 2013?
(2) Who authorized CPS to hire private security for Network hearings?
(3) How much was the private security firm being paid for these services?
Substance told Ms. Carroll, through Ms. Huffman, that the deadline for this story was five p.m. on February 11, 2013. As of 5:00 p.m. Ms. Carroll had not answered the Substance questions.
