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Bollyn vs Chicago Tribune

August 20, 2006


Journalist Christopher Bollyn photographed at his home in Hoffman Estates on 20 August 2006

Dear Chicago Tribune:

As a member of the press who has recently become a victim of police brutality in the Chicago area, I must say that your extremely brief report on the unusual and torturous treatment and arrest that occurred at my home in Hoffman Estates is both utterly dishonest and biased. Most importantly, it fails to even mention that I am a journalist with American Free Press in Washington, D.C.

Your 121-word report begins and ends with the fundamental fabrication produced by the Hoffman Estates Police Department: "Police used a Taser to stun a Hoffman Estates man during a struggle after he called authorities to report a suspicious vehicle that turned out to be an unmarked police car," it begins.

The last sentence then repeats the lie: "The officers stopped Bollyn from entering his house and stunned him with Taser after failing to subdue him."

As we can easily discern, this is the essential lie that needs to be supported by the mainstream media.

As my wife and 8-year old daughter can attest, there was absolutely no struggle or resistance as I was attacked by three men from behind and the Taser weapon was applied as I was handcuffed and pinned down on my front lawn. The only possible explanation for the gratuitous use of the Taser weapon is that it was applied to torture me and inflict long-term damage.

It should be noted that the car that responded to my 911 call was the very car that was the subject of my concerns. Why would the police send the heavily-armed undercover agents in an unmarked car to my house as a response to a 911 call?

The Tribune reported that I had "physically threatened" the undercover agents. How could I "physically" threaten three heavily-armed "police" wearing body-armor on my driveway?

For that matter, how could I even know that these unidentified thugs who appeared in my yard were police? To this day, I still do not know the identity of the three men who beat and Tasered me on my front lawn in front of my family.

Christopher Bollyn

The following was the Chicago Tribune about the police assault on Bollyn

Title: Cops struggle with man, stun him with a Taser
Dateline:  Hoffman Estates

Date: August 17, 2006

Police used a Taser to stun a Hoffman Estates man during a struggle after he called authorities to report a suspicious vehicle that turned out to be an unmarked police car, authorities said Wednesday.

Christopher L. Bollyn, 49, of the 200 block of Kingman Lane, was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest Tuesday, authorities said.

Bollyn called police around 8 p.m. Tuesday and said police officers in an unmarked car that slowly passed his house were FBI agents, Hoffman Estates Police Lt. Rich Russo said. When police went to Bollyn's house and explained who they were, Bollyn physically threatened them, Russo said. The officers stopped Bollyn from entering his house and stunned him with Taser after failing to subdue him.

Section: Metro, Page: 3
Copyright (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune Company. All rights reserved.

This article was originally posted at:
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi/noframes/read/92114