Helicopter video provides new view into chaotic protest in Chicago's West Loop during DNC
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The night of Tuesday, Aug. 20, was the most violent night of protests in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention—and now, newly-obtained video shows an eagle-eye view of the chaos in front of the Israeli Consulate in the West Loop.
CBS News Chicago obtained the helicopter video through a Freedom of Information Act request. So far, the Chicago Police Department has released 17 separate videos from a protest outside the Israeli Consulate on Aug. 20.
While the helicopter video does not show an up-close perspective of the 59 arrests that happened that night, it does provide a much better look at the bigger picture than has been seen up to this point.
The first striking thing about the helicopter footage of the Behind Enemy Lines group of protesters gathering outside the Israeli Consulate—located in the Accenture Tower at 500 W. Madison St.—is the level of navigational and logistical detail available to the helicopter surveillance team.
The camera is able to zoom quickly into the clashes and scuffles between protesters and police beginning around 7:50 p.m. that night.
The angle of the helicopter video also provides a good perspective on the movements of the group, which CPD is then able to relay to the crew on the ground.
Perhaps the most valuable feature of the chopper comes in handy when night falls, and the surveillance team from the sky continues to track the group as spreads out in several directions.
Retired FBI agent and consultant Phil Andrew reviewed the recordings for the CBS News Chicago Investigators, and said the police formations and tactics appear textbook from the helicopter view.
"What we are not seeing in this video is the intelligence—or what behaviors were identified prior to the videos from the helicopter. So it might be that certain individuals who had conducted themselves in a way that was a threat to the peaceful protest — or to just public safety in general," said Andrew, of PAX Group. "But what you see is police using a very nuanced approach. They're not just rushing in, but they're looking for the safest, most effective opportunity to apprehend that person and then take them into custody."
What the angle seen in the chopper video released to CBS News Chicago does not capture is a detailed view of individual arrests. The National Lawyers Guild has claimed that "police provoked confrontations, rushed the crowd, and indiscriminately arrested people on the sidewalk."
Andrew reviewed the recordings for the CBS News Chicago Investigators, and said he is not gleaning any such conduct by police from the video angles.
"And I think, look, it's important to do a post review of how CPD performed," Andrew said. "I think that they should be doing that constantly. I think that they are doing that."
CBS News Chicago has requested the body camera angles of each of these arrests, which should better shed light on what happened. But those videos have yet to be received.