[imagesource:here]
On Sunday evening, US time, a man was seen hanging off the side of Trump Tower in Chicago.
He was first spotted at around 5:30PM, with Chicago Police spokesman Tom Ahern saying that the man, in his twenties, was “asking to speak to the president and trying to get his message to the media”.
It’s also reported that he threatened to commit suicide, and negotiators are hard at work to prevent any harm coming to the man.
The Chicago Sun Times first shared this footage:
Police blocked off traffic around Trump Tower, although a crowd had already gathered by that time.
#BREAKING Man dangling from rope on 16th floor of Trump Tower, threatening suicide. @Chicago_Police negotiating right now…going on more than an hour.
Crowds gathering around on Wabash. Street closed. I’m working to learn more. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/7DyYEEmBPl
— Steven Graves (@StevenGravesTV) October 19, 2020
Some thought it might be a stunt for a new Batman movie, which was filmed recently in the city, but a video that later emerged on social media appears to be filmed by the man in the harness himself.
This from the New York Post:
Filmed while hanging from an orange rope — and at one point acknowledging he’s in Chicago — the man identifies himself as a Black Lives Matter member with a message for Trump, according to footage shared by Inside Paper.
“I don’t want to die. If someone will try to pull this rope, I will jump and die,” the man said, panning the camera down for a view of the Chicago River.
The man also points the camera at the top of the building, where a person could be seen and heard trying to communicate.
Here’s that video:
BREAKING VIDEO MESSAGE — “Hello everyone. I am a member of black lives matter, and I want to talk with Mr. Trump before the election. I don’t want to die. if someone will try to pull this rope, I will jump and die.” – Man Hanging at Trump Tower, Chicago.#TrumpTower pic.twitter.com/mOb2H6nVMq
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) October 19, 2020
Clearly, this is a man in need of help.
An update, posted at 8:45AM South African time, says that the man is still hanging from the building, with SWAT negotiators still in discussion with him.
Ahern, the Chicago Police spokesman, says that “every effort is being made to bring a positive conclusion to this situation”.
[sources:chicagosuntimes&nypost]
