Anti-violence protesters shut down major Chicago expressway

Protesters in Chicago shut down a portion of a major interstate on Saturday morning as part of an anti-violence march.

Thousands of people marched onto the Dan Ryan Expressway for a planned protest aimed at urging city officials to take action on gun violence, jobs and the economy.

Law enforcement and the marchers butted heads over how much of the expressway the protest would be able to shut down.

{mosads}

State police originally said that they would work with protesters to keep some lanes open to cars, but according to multiple reports, march leaders continued to negotiate with police to shut down all lanes of the expressway, and were successful for part of the march.

This is how an expressway looks like with people walking on it instead of speeding cars.#DanRyanShutDown pic.twitter.com/HSExcC9HCx

— Manny Ramos (@_ManuelRamos_) July 7, 2018

Video of the protest posted to social media shows people carrying signs and chanting “Shut it down right now” as they marched along the highway’s northbound lanes.

And photos show Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and and the Rev. Michael Pfleger, the march leader, walking arm in arm.

Pfleger & @Chicago_Police Supt. are walking arm-in-arm on Dan Ryan, with thousands of protesters marching against violence #DanRyanShutdown pic.twitter.com/ATSPRJC2VG

— Ashlee Rezin (@Ashlee_Rezin) July 7, 2018

Marchers called for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) to invest more in neighborhoods on Chicago’s south side and called for an end to violence in the city.

Rauner criticized the march path, calling it “unacceptable” that marchers did not stick to the lanes they were permitted. He also said he was “disappointed” in Emanuel over the outcome.

“This is unacceptable,” Rauner tweeted. “We had clear parameters that allowed the protestors to be heard while respecting law and order. Instead, they chose instead to cause chaos.”

I’m disappointed in the Mayor. There was an agreement in place. I am calling on the Mayor to take swift and decisive action to put an end to this kind of chaos. I will work with him in good faith and urge him to do his job so that the people of Chicago feel safe.

— Governor Rauner (@GovRauner) July 7, 2018