The Cermak Office (500 W. Cermak, Room 501)
of Occupy Chicago is being closed. With that a point of contention, and
the first phase of Occupy Chicago folds gracefully into the history books.
Cermak, as it is known to all familiar with Ochi (Pronounced
Oh-Shy for Occupy Chicago and is
derived from Chi-Town which is local
slang for Chicago) was rented via a very generous, ongoing donation from a
wealthy benefactor.The Cermak offices first opened in late 2011 as fortification against Chicago’s harsh winters. It became a bone of contention. It was hard for many to reach. It was far from LaSalle and Jackson where Occupy first took a stand. It required a security code to gain access. It required that a person wishing access to Occupy Chicago had a cell phone to call a posted number to get access to the building. Often the number was not posted. Equally, as many occupiers were working poor not everyone had a working phone. Not everyone had funds to access public transportation to get to Occupy Chicago. Unlike Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Chicago never openly gave out transit passes to members in need. Over time it became known as the Club House.
It stayed in operation for Occupy Chicago's People's Library, Occupied
Chicago Tribune, the Freedom School, Occupy Chicago Jail Solidarity, a
workshop for Occupy Chicago Direct Action, and other operations. It was the location of Occupy
Chicago’s Wednesday and Saturday General Assemblies towards the end.
As of 9:00 PM CST, Saturday, January 26, 2013, there is no information forthcoming as to where the new offices will be located. The early reports are that Occupy Chicago will go back to the streets. Contact @OccupyChicago on Twitter for more information.
From Tom Rainey, of Occupy Chicago Propaganda: [The] new location for Occupy Chicago General Assemblies is 3442 W 26th St, Chicago, IL 60623 starting Saturday February 2 at Father Landaverde's Church in Little Village. Father Landaverde is badass! He was with the FMLM Salvadoran Rebels before it was cool!
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