Get to know your protester: Ben Painter

The protesters who have descended upon Chicago for the NATO weekend summit display an array of agendas: economic equality, health care equity and peace. But as is often the case at large demonstrations, the protests themselves became news — and not just for TV, web and radio listeners.

 

On Saturday, WBEZ reporters and producers found demonstraters who said they had an additional issue to push. Late Friday evening, word got out that three protesters (now, possibly five) had been arrested earlier in the week. Many said they saw this as an attempt by police to intimidate them into keeping silent. Minneapolis resident Ben Painter told producer Niala Boodhoo that was he wasn’t afraid.