FTP-Chicago

(Opportunist lawyer Colin Nguyen, gentrifier Alan Coyle, and running dog Nicholas Antonacci)

This report highlights some of the most recent struggles of the Hands Off Albany Park movement and the pathetic attempts to destroy it on part of the targeted enemies, in particular developer Platinum Homes and it’s owner Alan Coyle. We wanted to be thorough in our report to expose the cowardice of our class enemies.

Alan Coyle Threatens Lawsuit Against Activists

“All reactionaries are paper tigers. In appearance, the reactionaries are terrifying, but in reality, they are not so powerful. From a long-term point of view, it is not the reactionaries but the people who are powerful.” – Mao Zedong

On the morning of June 24th, For The People – Chicago (FTP-CHI) members woke up to an email from a Mr. Colin Nguyen, a lawyer at Allied Law Counsel claiming to represent gentrifier developer Alan Coyle. The email simply stated that “attached below is a cease and desist letter”. The letter claims that FTP has committed libel and defamation against Coyle, whom the letter states, is “hard-working blue collar individual who has a positive intent to improve the local community” (talk about libel!). The letter threatens legal action if FTP refuses to take down all of our posts, articles, and flyers opposing Coyle and Platinum Homes within 7 days of the email being sent out. You can read the two page letter here.

(Email from Colin Nguyen)

This pathetic attempt at intimidation is an age-old tactic utilized by the bourgeois in class warfare against the proletariat. The threat relies on what has been coined a “SLAPP” suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), a baseless civil suit used to threaten and intimidate activists fighting back against the ruling class. SLAPP suits are often used by “real estate developers, corporate executives and government officials to silence critics and clamp down on opposition-whether what they are saying is true or not” according to a Chicago Tribune article. SLAPP suits rely on the fact activists are working class / poor and would not be able to fight against the bourgeoisie in their courts. The letter is Alan Coyle’s attempt to bully FTP into submission and crush dissent against his plans to gentrify the neighborhood. An examination of Allied Law’s website will show no lawyer with the firm practices libel or defamation, further suggesting the letter as attempted extortion, where Allied Law would send this letter only as an empty threat for some quick cash.

For the past several months, FTP-CHI members have been working alongside our comrades in the Albany Park – Organizing Committee (AP-OC) and other concerned community members, to struggle against the continued gentrification of our neighborhood. We are united under the movement and demands of the Hands Off Albany Park campaign. Alan Coyle and Platinum Homes are clearly scared of the organized masses opposing their plans. Their attempt at extorting activists and community members should be denounced by all those who believe in justice and the people’s struggle. FTP refuses to concede to the demands of Alan Coyle and will continue to oppose his attempts to gentrify Albany Park.

Allied Law’s Running Dog: Nicholas Antonacci

(Screenshot of Nick’s bio on Allied Law’s website)

We have previously reported earlier attempts of Alan Coyle to disrupt our organizing in the neighborhood, sending his goons out to try and survey our meetings. As comrades began to investigate the SLAPP suit, we noted another aspect to the enemy’s attempted harassment. Scrolling through the Allied Law Counsel’s website, we saw a familiar face. Nicholas P. Antonacci, a lawyer with Allied Law and a local reactionary in Albany Park.

(Check the Linkedin cover photo, lol)

Nicholas has shown up to our office on Lawrence avenue many times, harassing organizers and community members, making fun of non-male comrades appearances, calling people “pussies”, “communist scum”, and exclaiming the grand successes of capitalism to the working class and poor people at our meetings or survival program. Nick likes to occasionally yell obscenities at FTP organizers while riding away on his bike. Most recently, Nicky decided to show up to our HOAP cookout (a celebration of the People’s struggle in the neighborhood and building up the campaign) screaming right-wing talking points about Cuba and Venezuela until attendees ran him off the block!

(Nicky boy at the HOAP cookout, shouting something about Mao and Lenin)

We can only speculate that with Nick’s employment at Allied Law, this is yet another coordinated tactic in a larger strategy of repression. We know Nick lives in the neighborhood, a well paid foot soldier in the army of gentrifiers, unhinged over organized resistance to their way of life. Whether Nick reached out to Alan Coyle to hatch this scheme to repress our organizing, whether Alan had used Allied Law services previously and known Nick, or the two having had a personal relationship previously, we are unsure. We do suspect they are connected and working together in some capacity.

Recently, Nick took his trolling to the internet by making a twitter profile titled ​​33rd Ward Against Communism @ 3625 W Lawrence Ave (the 33rd Ward is the city district a portion of Albany Park falls into, the address is the FTP office). We were able to verify with his email and phone (both of which are public on his LinkedIn profile). Our hyper local fascist spends his time online encouraging random people to doxx FTP members and protest our presence in the neighborhood. Nick also enjoys spending time tweeting conversations to himself.

(Screenshots of Nick’s twitter account)

On July 28th, Nick decided it would be a good idea to try and dox two supposed members of FTP-CHI. Nick claimed these were “ring leaders” with no evidence to back up his claims besides pictures. Nick also took the time to add some creepy comments to one doxxing photos. His account was budding up with nazi accounts as well. He later deleted the doxxing tweets and the account entirely after anti-fascist’s began to doxx him.

(Screenshots of his attempt to doxx, screenshots of some fascists Nick followed)

However insignificant Nick’s actions may seem, he is putting our community at risk by escalating actions against us and encouraging more fascists into our community to doxx vulnerable people in our community (undocumented families in particular.)

Nick has shown us through his actions to be a threat to our community. Courtesy of Anti-Fascist organizers, Nick’s phone number is (773) 454 – 4374, email is nick.anto@outlook.org, and address is 3507 W Wilson Ave. Apt 2. This is all public information on the internet.

Concluding Statement: It Is Right To Rebel!

“Politics is war without blood, while war is politics with bloodshed.” – Mao Zedong

“We must prove our predictions about the future with action.” – George Jackson

Our comrades in For The People – Chicago understand this above statement by 

Chairman Mao clearly. Every move Alan Coyle and his lackeys make is a calculated movement in the war of the cities. We understand the city centers across this country are strategic points for the ruling class, areas they must assert their control over for the sake of profit and to control the masses who occupy the cities. They saw what revolutionary power that exists in the masses last summer when the People’s rage burned down Minneapolis. We use words like “gentrification” to describe one aspect of the class war at hand. 

These loosely organized gangs of reactionaries (in part galvanized by the rise of reactionary tendencies in both online communities and state politics) have emerged from the woodwork to defend and enforce gentrifier power, representing the coalition of the state (esp. the police) and capital. These reactionaries are driven by their ideological and material investments in gentrification and anti-communism.

Mao famously wrote, “It is good if we are attacked by the enemy, since it proves that we have drawn a clear line of demarcation between the enemy and ourselves. It is still better if the enemy attacks us wildly and paints us as utterly black and without a single virtue; it demonstrates that we have not only drawn a clear line of demarcation between the enemy and ourselves but achieved a great deal in our work.”

Alan Coyle and his lackeys will more than likely continue to and escalate their attacks on us and our supporters. We are reminded however of the long road ahead to seizing power so all people may live in peace. We condemn Alan Coyle, Platinum Homes, and their lackeys like Nicholas Antonacci who threaten and bully poor, working class, nationally oppressed and colonized people. We condemn their harassment campaign and any future actions they take against us. 

As of July 14th, Alan Coyle and Platinum Homes have changed their zoning request at the 3030 W Lawrence property, a site FTP-CHI has been agitating around for months. Instead of building luxury apartments on the site, they are zoning to build luxury condos. This is not only another slap in the face to the People of Albany Park, but also allows them to divert community driven zoning, a reformist measure implemented by DSA Alderperson Rossanna Rodriguez. This just confirms our political line: reformism cannot defend our communities, only revolution will. Platinum Homes zoning request has been sent right to the city and will be reviewed by an appointed board sometime in the coming weeks.

We are ready for you. All power to the People, by any means necessary!