Just hours after President Donald Trump was sworn into office, hundreds of protesters blocked traffic near Trump Tower following a march from Daley Plaza for a “Resist Trump Chicago” event.
Six people had been arrested by 9:30 p.m. Friday night, a police official said. Streets like Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive were intermittently shut down as demonstrators marched. A small group of demonstrators at one point began weaving through traffic on Lake Shore Drive.
"I think this is going to continue to grow as the night goes on," a protester said at Daley Plaza. "We're leaving here and we're going to Trump Tower, and the crowd will continue to get bigger, and I'm hoping this sends a message to our leaders in our government that we are not going to be quieted."
Chicago Police followed the crowd as it moved toward Trump Tower and into the streets, first blocking State Street and Wacker Drive.
Windows were smashed on at least one storefront on Michigan Avenue about 7:15 p.m.
As of Friday morning, a Facebook page dedicated to the event showed more than 2,000 said they planned to attend with another 7,800 interested in attending.
Organizers say the march has been endorsed by a number of groups including Black Lives Matter Chicago.
The Chicago event is one of many taking place nationwide Friday and into Saturday, with several women’s marches slated to be held the day after Trump’s inauguration.
Local
Protests turned violent in downtown D.C. less than two hours before President Trump took office Friday. Three D.C. police officers were injured in a clash with a crowd of 100 to 200 protesters, who were mostly dressed in black.
