"Now I hear that Mickey and Minnie have it," says Daley, referring to a "no-fly zone" over DisneyWorld near Orlando, FL and Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. "Why can Mickey and Minnie have it and Chicago can't have it…It's unacceptable."
In addition to Sears Tower, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, as well as potential targets such as the John Hancock Building and Aon Center, the metropolitan area is home to large manufacturing areas in the suburbs, such as Elk Grove Village just beyond O'Hare International Airport's fences. "They're just as concerned as we are," Daley says of suburban officials.
Daley has been concerned since Sept. 11, 2001 about small airplanes flying over the city, whether they take off from Meigs Field on the lakefront or Downstate Illinois. "No one knows who's flying them and where they're coming from," Daley say during a press conference Wednesday at the city's emergency operations command center on the West Side.
While urging the city to "go about its business" as the US readies for war, Daley and Police Supt. Terry Hilliard warns demonstrators face civil as well as criminal penalties if their protests turn violent. "You can scream and yell, but you don't have to injure someone or cost someone money," Daley adds.
The Department of Homeland Security's "orange alert" already costs the city $20,000 per day, officials say.
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