THREE PONCE. AND I'M NATALIE BOMKE. IT IS THE BIG STORY OF THE DAY. EXPLOSIVE OUTBURSTS SHUTTING DOWN A COUNCIL MEETING. TEMPERS ARE STILL FLARING AS WE SPEAK THIS AFTERNOON. DANE PLACKO WAS IN THE CHAMBERS A LITTLE EARLIER, JOINS US NOW WITH THE LATEST ON THIS ONGOING DEBATE. DANE. YEAH, GUYS, THIS WAS REMINISCENT OF THE COUNCIL WARS BACK IN THE 1980S. HUNDREDS OF LOUD AND ANGRY PROTESTERS FILLING THE CITY COUNCIL GALLERY, FORCING ALDERMEN TO PULL THE PLUG ON A PUBLIC MEETING. OKAY LET'S CLEAR THE ROOM, SERGEANT AT ARMS, PLEASE CLEAR THE ROOM. CLEAR THE ROOM. THIS WAS A MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL RULES COMMITTEE, WHICH WAS ABOUT TO TAKE UP DEBATE OVER A PROPOSAL TO LET CHICAGOANS DECIDE WHETHER CHICAGO SHOULD REMAIN A SANCTUARY CITY. WELCOMING TO MIGRANTS BY PUTTING THAT QUESTION ONTO A REFERENDUM ON NEXT SPRING'S ELECTION BALLOT . BUT THE MEETING DEVOLVED INTO CHAOS AFTER HUNDREDS OF PROTESTERS, MOSTLY AFRICAN AMERICANS, PACKED THE CITY COUNCIL GALLERY AND BEGAN SHOUTING DOWN THE ALDERMEN. THEY'RE ANGRY. AFTER A SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON THE MIGRANT QUESTION WAS CANCELED LAST WEEK WHEN MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON'S FLOOR LEADER, ALDERMAN CARLOS RAMIREZ-ROSA, TRIED TO PREVENT A QUORUM BY DISCOURAGING ALDERMEN FROM ENTERING THE CHAMBER, INCLUDING A CONFRONTATION WITH LONGTIME ALDERWOMAN EMMA MITTS. WELL, AFTER ABOUT A HALF HOUR, TODAY'S MEETING WAS SUSPENDED AND THE CROWD CLEARED. BUT NOT BEFORE SOME ALDERMEN BLAMED THE MAYOR AND SANCTUARY CITY SUPPORTERS OF CAUSING THE CHAOS BY TRYING TO BLOCK THE REFERENDUM. HOW DO YOU, AS A RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD REMAIN A SANCTUARY CITY? IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SEEING THE CHAOS IN THIS CITY, BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO SILENCE A VOICE OF CERTAIN PEOPLE THAT JUST WANT TO BE HEARD. DEBATE ON THE SANCTUARY CITY REFERENDUM WILL CONTINUE ON THURSDAY WHEN THE RULES COMMITTEE CONTINUES. THE MEETING THAT WAS SUSPENDED TODAY, NO WORD YET ON WHETHER ANY SPECIAL RULES OR SECURITY WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THAT MEETING. NOW, AFTER THE GALLERY WAS CLEARED TODAY, THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING WAS HELD AS SCHEDULED
