Farhad Khoiee-Abbasi Explained

Farhad Khoiee-Abbasi is a public protester who has become known in Chicago as "the FBI sign guy,"^[1] and sometimes as simply "The Sign Guy".^[2] He has also gone on hunger strikes.

Background

In 2006, Khoiee-Abbasi began standing near the northwest corner of Daley Plaza outside of Chicago City Hall, holding a sign that read "FBI Agent Chris Saviano, stop raping my wife!" Soon, he added other signs to his board, most of which denounce former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales,^[3] and George W. Bush. He stands outside of city hall every weekday, from about 6:00am until about 3:00pm. He has also been photographed holding his signs on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., and in New York's Times Square.

In 2011^[4] he started loudly blowing a plastic whistle at regular intervals.

Coverage

Little is known about Khoiee-Abbasi beyond his physical appearance (originally a groomed, well-dressed man who always wore expensive suits and ties), the information on his signs and on flyers he passes out from time to time, and what court documents say about him. It is known that he was involved in extended and contentious divorce proceedings.^[5] He generally remains silent when questioned by anyone.^[6] He has also used signs asking Barack Obama to spare his only child. The text of flyers he has handed out indicates he is an engineer by trade and that the "FBI Agent" Chris Saviano he accuses of raping his wife and running a prostitution ring also happens to be the son of a vice president of his former employer.^[7]

Khoiee-Abbasi has become a popular fixture among photographers on flickr, and in blogs.^[8]

By October 2011, Khoiee-Abbasi had stopped wearing his suits and ties and started wearing several layers of hoodies, with an outer shirt containing yet another anti-FBI protest message.^[9]

Notes and References

1. News: Selecman . D.L. . Dan's people: One-on-one with the FBI sign guy . Reservoir Magazine.
2. News: Boose . Greg . The Sign Guy Goes on Hunger Strike . 17 April 2009 . The Huffington Post . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20100529180049/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-boose/the-sign-guy-goes-on-hung_b_187190.html . 29 May 2010.
3. Grier . Peter . 2007-03-21 . E-mail trail shows power struggle behind US attorneys' firings . Christian Science Monitor . https://web.archive.org/web/20070324091116/http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0321/p01s02-uspo.html?s=u . 24 March 2007.
4. Web site: From Church Pew to Daley Plaza, the Tragic Descent of Chicago's Troubled "Sign Guy" . Erickson . Mark . Eat Portland . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150321005054/http://www.eastportlandblog.com/2014/07/30/from-church-pew-to-daley-plaza-the-tragic-descent-of-chicagos-troubled-sign-guy-by-mark-erickson/ . 21 March 2015.
5. Web site: Case Information Summary for Case Number 2004D010691, PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE . Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County . Cook County Circuit Court . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110713202828/https://w3.courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/Finddock.asp?DocketKey=CAAEDABAGJB0DR . 2011-07-13.
6. Web site: The Chris Saviano effect . Bond . Eston . hyalineskies . dead . https://archive.today/20130126093016/http://hyalineskies.com/2006/08/the-chris-saviano-effect/ . 2013-01-26.
7. Khoiee-Abbasi . Farhad . 2006 . FBI Agent(s): Prostitution Business . Flyer.
8. Web site: FBI Stop Raping My Wife . Chicagoist . Chicagoist.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071128015851/http://chicagoist.com/2006/05/16/fbi_stop_raping_my_wife.php . 2007-11-28.
9. Web site: "The Sign Guy" at Daley Plaza . Malooley . Jake . October 12, 2011 . Time Out Chicago . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20111020141013/http://timeoutchicago.com/things-to-do/this-week-in-chicago/14976323/%E2%80%9Cthe-sign-guy%E2%80%9D-at-daley-plaza . 20 October 2011.