Author: nancy bechtol

nancy bechtol https://www.flickr.com/photos/be_art_now/ photographer. artist. filmmaker. story teller. I collect experiences.

CANTV”People’s TV network”NEW ERA!

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NEW Era for CAN TV. “The Peoples TV” is here! People of Chicago, are you READY? See you on TV!

CAN TV’s (Chicago Access Network TV) finally has a new home and it is impressive! It has been a long struggle to get its own building and it has been worth the wait. Be part of the  equalization of TV, come for the access, and share/add  your voice to the grand diversity that makes Chicago! Shout out welcoming, to individuals, community groups and nonprofits all over Chicago.

“CAN TV is an award-winning, highly successful, independent nonprofit, recognized as one of the finest public access centers in the country. We the people of Chicago have access to this opportunity to share our visions.” – (CANTV website)

I recently visited the brand new location now located in the Illinois Medical District Area at 1309 S. Wood St. between Damen and Ashland. It is easy to park in the free CAN TV lot, which is accessible off 13th Street, and there is also plenty of metered street parking. Public transportation via CTA bus and train lines with stops that are a short distance away.  It is oddly quiet and almost with a rural feeling. Then you see the elevated and skyline in the distance…Admittedly, it has been a while since I connected with CANTV and it was like a reunion. I was one of the first certified indie producers back in 1986. I have continued over the years to show my artistic and social films in this incredible venue. I started shortly after my MFA from the School of the Art Institute, back when video was difficult, expensive and heavy! I have stayed with CANTV over the years and watched the changes. Ah, history!

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At my arrival, Hugs all around with Barbara, ( New City Film names CAN TV Executive Director Barbara Popovic one of Film 50 2015: Chicago’s Screen Gems, “the creative thinkers, and more importantly, doers” representing “action and movement in every form of Chicago media.”) and Lesley Johnson, Program Director, Mary M. Stack, Assoc. Executive Director. and thanks to Joe Szentivanyi, Cable/Traffic Coordinator and Joe Garcia, Network Administrator.with a shout out to all the other good people there for many years, like Greg Boozell, Technology Director, (who I missed seeing in person-very busy guy) and fellow SAIC Alum. They all seem exhausted, leaner and even more determined – if that is possible – with the move this last yr from the Green St./Halsted area.

The facilities are state of the art. Chicago has a new tool for equalization in the system.  When I saw the giant room filled with the  Green Screen Wall, I was overwhelmed with a myriad of possibilities –  the WOW factor of grand special effects opportunities! (no more drippy crumbled difficult green screen curtains!)

The full switch from using videotape to all digital will be a leap for some to make. But as you know, digital media affords current technology and many benefits. The staff who works here are passionate and educated and highly dedicated about what they do and always most helpful.

I got a quick tour of the facility, which is in the final stages of “getting ready” With boxes still unopened, and everthing with the “ fresh smell of media” you can see what lies ahead is nothing short of game-changing for the people who will use it.

Growing pains are part of the process, and now the final push to get it all fully ready.

Cablecasting accepting contact for programs now.. but always Call ahead, (no doorbell yet, so bring your cell to call for entry 🙂 (smile) and check out the website for more information.  

http://cantv.org

Nonprofit CAN TV’s main number: 312-738-1400 email: info@cantv.org

SEE you on TV!

(yes, I have a “special” in March…stay tuned!= yes…maybe you can guess what it will be…) (And..Chris Drew, Street Artist and Deborah Drew BOTH spent many years with community interactions on CANTV on the “Hotline” for social justice and free speech issues) ok, a hint..coming soon to CAN TV!

CANTV16_NewsDesk_nbechtol

Justice Dept investigates Chicago Government: 16 Shots and a Coverup…

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Chicagoans Unite in Many Marches: “Which Side You On?” No Justice No Peace” – “16 Shots & a Coverup” Justice Dept investigates…

ChicagoMarch_downtown_Nancy Bechtol-APAp hotojournalist-1-74

  • December-Dateline: Chicago, USA.   Masses of people, many marches, meeting,  and street protests – chants with a determined united voice of Chicagoans – from elders to the very young- spanning race, color, creed, and all diversity of humans, continue hitting the streets in the days following the release of the Laquan McDonald murder dashcam video who was shot 16 times by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke. Daily there is one or more protests. From black Friday blocking stores on Michigan Ave, to blocking streets, to blocking – No “business as usual” for the City, The Government, the People – who are United – from all walks of life–to end the corruption. I was at the March on 12/9/15.-and the week before. I am a longtime Chicagoan as well..- it  was overwhelmingly powerful. Here is my indie view, documenting with more photos posted on Flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/be_art_now/albums/72157661740716480

Pay tribute to an early visionary on the wake of it all..Video And Audiotapping police was illegal then—.Chris Drew, Street Artist, who sounded out the alarm early on in 2009 when he was arrested – for selling art for a $1, peddling, as an artist/activist  stating “Art IS Speech” 

but ended up fighting for Free Speech against charges of Class One Felony Eavesdropping – charges were changed by State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez- which carried-15 yrs in Prison.

His story now my indie film. He won!  History teaches. see it. on Amazon.com and also DVD at Revolution Books. Chicago.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016LFJHJM/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_qjniwb1YVH4DCied

——–Reference::-Excerpt from  The New York Times, Monica Davey. 12/5/15

“The hundreds of pages of documents add a new element to a case that has already upended this city, leading Mayor Rahm Emanuel to dismiss his police superintendent. Some officials, including Lisa Madigan, the state’s attorney general, have asked for a Justice Department review of the entire Police Department. While attention has largely been focused on Officer Van Dyke, the only officer to fire his gun at Mr. McDonald, the new records raise questions about the actions of other officers on the night of the shooting and about the culture within the department when it comes to policing one another.

On Saturday, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department noted that the case and any actions that may have followed the shooting remained part of a federal investigation, as well as a review by the Independent Police Review Authority, an agency that handles police shootings here.

“The Justice Department is currently investigating any actions and statements of C.P.D. officers in connection with this shooting“

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Clik here for MORE:

Posting with Video links

 

This is what Democracy Looks like..Power of the People United is Powerful.

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6th Anniversary of Chris Drew’s Arrest:”Art IS Speech”

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See film on Amazon.com !Film streaming and DVD Amazon.comNancy Bechtol Article ..more on LinkedIN post

ChrisDrewAICBechtoARTYWB

Chris Drew on Location selling art for $1

Shadow Bechtol Studio/Artist; Photographer/Media Specialist; APA Photojournalist

“You have the Right – Not to be Killed…or injured by Police or…”- Brief History–Shoot Video!

Nancy Bechtol, APA Photojournalist

 A time to remember that these issues have been happening in Chicago as well as many other places, for a long long time.  ..views …on much that was kept hidden.

Video/Photography shines the light as do Journalists

This is the 6th Anniversary of the arrest and subsequent 2.5 yr prosecuiton of Chicago artist & activist Chris Drew, by State’s Attorney, Anita Alvarez. VIDEO and Speech is our Right!

 

Also, see the big view…click on link blue below to see video:

Josh Wolf video. excerpt “Police Tapes” Rodney King to Chris Drew

This– above link– is a short film clip (from a longer movie) by Josh Wolf.  The Brief History of .. shows where it “started” with Rodney King to Chris Drew and More.. 

from Wikepedia:  “Josh Wolf[1] (born June 8, 1982) is an American freelance journalist and internet videoblogger[2] who was jailed by a Federal district court on August 1, 2006 for refusing to turn over a collection of videotapes he recorded during a July 2005 demonstration in San Francisco, California. Wolf served 226 days in prison at the Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, California, longer than any other journalist in U.S. history has served for protecting source materials.[3]   In 2011, Wolf graduated from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and his thesis film “Police Tape” received the Reva and David Logan Prize for Excellence in Investigative Reporting”

brief: Chris Drew, on Dec 2, 2009 was arrested as he challenged the Peddler’s Licence with probono Attorney Mark Weinberg. as civil rights defense.  But..Peddling charges were dropped and replaced with a more serious Class One Felony under the Illinois Eavesdropping Law, for audio recording his own arrest.  Then, probono Attorney Josh Kutnick defended Chris and WON vs The Avarez. Witness “how it happened”  but think about how many more were unjustly held and even in prison, due to no representation.

 Chris, his life  story now told in indie film which is streaming on Amazon or in DVD format. Also now at Revolution Books, DVD. “Free Speech & the Transcendent Journey of Chris Drew, Street Artist” 

Indie Music courtesy of Hey Now Records, Behind the Sun, Andy Alton an… David Mansfield, “Paper Airplane”  SEE it! made in Chicago.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016LFJHJM/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_qjniwb1YVH4DC

Chicago and the world is stunned by the murder of Laquan McDonald shot 16 times by the Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke. Video recorded on dashcam video, (and the Burger King tapes which were erased) and possible eyewitnesses which may or may not appear.

Journalist who got the dashcam video released FOI

We are All connected.  peace through justice

 

—————————————————————————————–Chris Drew UMCACreads tribune news Ill Law decared unconstitutio

Chris Drew Wins!Revolution Books Chicago_ Posterfor DVDFIN_WB_NB.jpg

Critical Mass Ride for Chris Drew_photo by Nancy Bechtol-1915

Code Black Alert: Hard Hit at Illinois State Museums & ISM Chicago

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Illinois now in “Code Black”:  An emergency situation involving personal threats to safety of one or more persons in a  public place, including assaults, confrontations, hostage situations and  threats of personal injury or attack on Art or Culture of a People.

On 10. 14. 15  I am standing outside the now shuttered Illinois State Museum of Chicago in The State of Illinois Building, the Thompson Center and reflecting on the many times I had visited and even had the opportunity to show my work in several exhibits and screenings, alongside other Illinois Artists. A great number of artists were encouraged by this venue, as well as visitors including school groups engaged this resource with visits, panels, and artist talks. I thought of Jane Stevens, a long-time curator of ISM groundbreaking shows, too many to mention, but the likes of “Electronic Immersions” with groundbreaking visionaries like legendary Dan Sandin, IP (Image Processor Creator-who StateIll BuildingredChair-1brought it to share with iconic Phil Morton (mentor) giving rise to artist/students at SAIC -founder of Video Dept). There are so many artists and shows that would never have had a voice. Jane’s visionary curatorials with the American Indian Center Community has, for years, been intensely important. This includes shows which originated at the ISM-Chicago and traveled to linked museums, including Lockport, and the Illinois State Museum in Springfield. Jane is currently a Scholar at the Newberry Library and active in several projects for arts, history and culture.

 I cannot help but find myself reflecting on the state of art and culture in Illinois. What worth is given to it in Illinois? Evidently very little by the current administration, as I hear Gov. Rauner thinks this Helmut Jahn building is a “tear down”. Think of history. When all else is gone, the culture/art of a people tells the story for lifetimes.

For REFERENCE and more thought provoking topics:

Will Gov Rauner sell the building?http://www.bettergov.org/is_rauner_planning_to_sell_thompson_center/?CategoryId=1

http://www.beloitdailynews.com/rauner-wants-to-sell-downtown-chicago-state-office-building/article_e258e7fc-71d2-11e5-aa4a-e7c27679e317.htmlStateIll BuildingfromthedonotTouch-1StateIll BuildingWeRegret-1StateIll BuildingBaumSIGN-1

Beloit Daily News: Rauner wants to sell downtown Chicago state office

 October 13, 2015 12:45 pm | Updated: 12:51 pm, Tue Oct 13, 2015.

Rauner wants to sell downtown Chicago state office building

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner wants to hold a public auction to sell the James R. Thompson Center, which houses state government offices in downtown Chicago.

Rauner made the announcement Tuesday in the 16-story glass-paneled building’s large atrium, calling the building “ineffective” and a “very wasteful, very inefficient use of space.” He said selling the building and moving state workers elsewhere could save the state between $6 million and $12 million annually. He called it a “good move” for taxpayers.

 As a historical note of interest:

The stunning building also gave rise to suicides, and as I look up I imagine the leap to the target tiles 15 floors down.StateIll BuildingTargetbig15-1StateIll BuildingTargetbig-1

http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/10/11/the-fatal-attraction-of-the-james-r-thompson-center Excerpt from an article by Deanna Isaacs, The Chicago Reader. 10.11.11.“The James R. Thompson Center, which houses the Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery, was shut down during a reception for an exhibit …after a woman plunged to her death from the 15th floor of the building’s spectacular atrium.According to Illinois State Police, it was the fifth suicide since the building opened in 1985.At 16 stories the Thompson Center is dwarfed by the city’s real skyscrapers, but architect Helmut Jahn managed to create an interior that gives the impression of startling, vertiginous height. The 54-year-old jumper, who was not a state employee, apparently climbed on a chair in order to get over a protective barrier between the open offices that rise in a dizzying, multistory semicircle around the atrium and the inviting void, with its marble-floor target so far below. A state police spokesperson said the last previous suicide there was in 2001”StateIll Building-1

 

These actions to shut the Illinois State Museums and destroy the Thompson Center is like State Suicide.

 It says, “just jump”  

 Life in Illinois is in the balance.

“Art IS Speech!” Day in Chicago. 8/15/15 (remember Chris Drew, Artist/Activist)

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Chris Drew on Location selling art for $1

Chris Drew on Location selling art for $1

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Screening of:

“Free Speech & the Transcendent Journey of Chris Drew, Street Artist” A film by Nancy Bechtol   Indie Feature Documentary film (99 min) ©2014   https://youtu.be/2ncu2AjO5ok

Music courtesy of Hey Now Records. Behind the Sun. Andy Alton and David Mansfield http://heynowrecords.com/store/paperairplane

 Where: D E F I B R I L L A T O R   1463 W CHICAGO AVENUE CHICAGO IL 60642

When:   SAT 15 AUG | 2015 | 7PM http://dfbrl8r.org/about              $10 requested donation

Contact:   joseph ravens | director     773.609.1137

Street artist and defender of the First Amendment, Chris Drew, gave his life and dedicated his energies to overturning Chicago Peddler’s License restrictions but instead, ended up  facing a Class One Felony Eavesdropping charge  for audio recording his own arrest. This journey started in 2008 at his arrest on State Street in front of Macy’s for selling art patches  for $1.  If convicted he would have faced four to fifteen years in prison. But he won this case and overturned the Illinois Eavesdropping Law with pro-bono attorneys Weinberg and Kutnick. (Kutnick won the battle VS State’s Attorney Alvarez)  It lead to the overturn of the Illinois Eavesdropping Law in 2014, but the Law was again reinstated in Dec.2014. As Chris would say,”the fight is never over.” 

THIS true story took place and filmed in Chicago, without any permits.

 Nancy Bechtol is a photojournalist and Associate Bureau Chief – Chicago /American Press Association (APA). Her photography and video documentation of social, political, art, cultural events, and street scenes include Occupy Chicago, NATO, Chuy Campaign, Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge, and the Documentation/feature film of Chris Drew from 2009-2012 during his challenge, arrest and legal struggle as a street artist.  more info Visit :

http://americanpressassociation.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3505448/?ref_=nm_flmg_prd_1

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3505448/externalsites

http://socialdocumentary.net/photographer/nancybechtol

http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/peddlers-licenses-nancy-bechtol-chris-drew-documentary/Content?oid=13114129

http://artworldchicago.com/2014/09/28/free-speech-the-transcendent-journey-of-chris-drew-street-artist-2/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/invite-connect-from-beyond-cdrewartist-activist-rip-nancy-bechtol?trk=pulse_spock-articles

Chris Drew’s prosecution documented / Ill. Eavesdropping Law- Cited in Wikipedia : State Attorney Anita Alvarez

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Chris Drew UMCACreads tribune news Ill Law decared unconstitutio

photo and indie film features true story: “Free Speech & the Transcendent Journey of Chris Drew, Street Artist” (99 min) by Nancy Bechtol–Released/premiered 2014 at Logan Theatre, Chicago

this is excerpted from the Wikipedia Article:

Alvarez had prosecuted individuals under the Eavesdropping Act for recording police in public. Chris Drew recorded his non-violent arrest for street peddling of art. The peddling charge was dropped and Alvarez pursued the much harsher charge of recording police officers voice’s without their permission.[9] This charge could have a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.[10] Criminal Courts Judge Stanley Sacks dismissed the case on 2 March 2012, stating that the eavesdropping law was unconstitutional and that it was too broad and criminalized innocent behavior. Alvarez announced that she would appeal the ruling.[11] The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois successfully sued Anita Alvarez and she was ordered to stop prosecuting the ACLU employees and their agents under the Illinois Eavesdropping Act.[12] Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman ruled that the Illinois Eavesdropping Act, 720 ILCS 5/14, violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution when used as a method to prevent the open recording of law enforcement’s audible communications in public places while performing official duties, or the communications of others that are incidentally captured.[13] It was ruled that Cook County would have to pay the legal fees of the ACLU which amounted to $645,549.[14]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Alvarez