http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/disasters/haymarket.html
On May 3, 1886,
violence erupted at the
McCormick Reaper Works
during an assembly of
strikers. That evening a small group of
anarchists met to plan a
rally the next day in response to the
McCormick incident.
The rally began about 8:30 p.m. May 4 at the
Haymarket, a site on
Randolph between
Halsted and
Des Plaines Street, but due to low
attendance it was moved a half block away to Des Plaines Street
north of Randolph Street. After 10 p.m., as the rally drew to a
close, 176
policemen led by
Inspector John Bonfield moved in
demanding immediate
dispersal of the remaining 200
workers. Suddenly a
bomb exploded. In the
chaos that followed shots
were fired by police and perhaps by workers. One police officer was
killed by the bomb, six officers died later and sixty others were
injured. No official count was made of civilian deaths or injuries
probably because friends and/or relatives carried them off
immediately. Medical evidence later showed that
most of the
injuries suffered by the police were caused by their own bullets.
KEYSTONE KOPS!
Two
Chicago area monuments were erected to commemorate the
Haymarket Riot. One stands in
German Waldheim Cemetery (
Forest
Park, IL). It depicts Justice preparing to draw a
sword while
placing a
laurel wreath on the brow of a
fallen worker. At the base
of the monument are the final words
August Spies spoke before his
execution: "
The day will come when our silence will be more
powerful than the voices you are throttling today." The monument
was dedicated on June 25, 1893, before a crowd of 8,000.
That's the GOOD monument.
"
In the name of the people I command peace" reads the
inscription
below the police officer depicted on the second
monument. Since its
dedication in 1889 peace has been somewhat elusive.
The monument was originally situated in the middle of
Haymarket
Square, where
street car lines were forced to swerve around it. On
May 24, 1890 an attempt was made to
blow it up. In 1900 the
monument was regarded as a
traffic hazard and moved to
Union Park
at Randolph and Ogden Ave. On May 4, 1903 the city seal and state
crest were stolen from its base. A
disgruntled streetcar driver ran
his vehicle into it, knocking it off its base on May 4, 1927,
claiming he was
tired of seeing it.
I love that bit. "I DON'T LIKE THAT STATUE SO I'M GOING TO CRASH
INTO IT!".
On May 4, 1928, after repairs were completed, it was moved further
into Union Park. The statue was again moved on May 4, 1958 and
placed at Randolph St. at the
Kennedy Expressway, 200 feet from its
original location. The
Chicago City Council granted the monument
landmark status on May 4, 1965. In October, 1969 a
dynamite bomb
exploded at the feet of the figure damaging it from the calves
down.
That statue sure does blow up a lot.
In
November black
printers ink was tossed on it, doing further
damage. Another bomb was exploded there in October 1970. After each
incident the monument was restored, but after the 1970 incident
Mayor Richard J. Daley placed a
round-the-clock police guard at the
site.
SENSIBLE USE OF SCARCE POLICE RESOURCES! Maybe that's where they
got the idea for Principal Skinner guarding the Puma.
When this proved
too costly, the statue was moved to
Police
Headquarters at 11th and State Street in 1972. In October, 1976 the
monument was again moved. It was rededicated at the
Police Academy
and can only be seen by making
arrangements in advance.
That's the BAD monument. I wonder what's so bad about it? Can
somebody in Chicago go and "Make arrangements in advance and
have a look at it?" I bet I'd like to see a picture of it.