Minnesotans joined 20,000 protesters at NATO summit in Chicago

About 100 Minnesotans journeyed to Chicago the weekend of May 12 – 13, 2012 to participate with 20,000 others in protesting the meeting of NATO nations. They were protesting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's military actions, including a recent addition of drones to the NATO arsenal.

The reporting in many news outlets focused on combative episodes with the vast array of Chicago Police and Illinois State Troopers. But the powerful experiences of four Minnesota women--Sarah Martin, Laura Ross, Sue Ann Martinson and Kim DeFranco--told a different tale from the widely reported confrontations.

The much criticized "Black Bloc," who are easy to spot with in black outfits and always receive a lot of media coverage, was seen as a highly visible but peaceful, non-violent force. One commentator described the Black Bloc as a tactic, not an organization.

There were many diverse groups present with their own agendas, but the unifying force was the criticism that NATO has evolved into a military arm of the U.S. Government, which is seen as being controlled by major corporations.