What to Know
- Thousands are expected at the planned peace march this weekend, which aims to shut down part of the Dan Ryan Expressway.
- Illinois State Police have warned any pedestrians entering the expressway will "face arrest and prosecution."
- Mayor Rahm Emanuel Friday said he supports the expressway shutdown, calling it an "important march."
NOTE: NBC Chicago will have live coverage from the Dan Ryan Saturday morning. Watch live here.
A planned peace march aiming to shut down the Dan Ryan Expressway could affect your weekend.
As of Saturday 9:30 a.m., police have blocked several lanes of the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway at 79th Street ahead of planned peace march; authorities also warn drivers that the exit ramp at 76th is also blocked.
And that's exactly what organizers say they want.
Thousands of protesters are expected to join Rev. Michael Pfleger Saturday in the anti-violence march aiming to block traffic on one of the city's most traveled roadways.
Pfleger wrote on Facebook "civil disobedience is to say we will interrupt Business as Usual to Demand these issue be Addressed!!!"
He wrote the expressway shut down aims "to Force the City to stop ignoring this violence."
Police have threatened arrests and argued the march could be detrimental to the very communities protesters aim to help.
Here's what you need to know ahead of Saturday's protest:
When and where is it?
Protesters are expected to begin gathering at 9:45 a.m. at 79th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway. The march is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and continue northbound to 68th Street, organizers said.
What is it for?
Local
Organizers said they are calling for five things: Excellent schools, economic development, national gun legislation, job opportunities and resources for our communities. Pfleger has said the march is in protest to the city's violence.
"This is not about just a march," Pfleger said at a press conference, pointing to news of 61 children struck by gunfire so far this year. "This is not about just an interruption of traffic. This is about the violence in the city of Chicago."
How can you get to or around the event?
Busses transporting participants from Saint Sabina Church to the march will leave at 9:30 a.m. Drivers are being advised to take I-94 east to the 79th Street exit and park at Saint Sabina. Those looking to attend the march can also take the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line to the 79th Street station.
For commuters looking to get around the protest, alternate routes include:
- Arterial streets: King Drive or Cottage Grove
- Other options: Drivers can take Halsted, Ashland or Western and get back on the Dan Ryan north of 63rd Street
- Take Stony Island to the Skyway or Lake Shore Drive
What might happen?
Illinois State Police have warned any pedestrians entering the expressway will "face arrest and prosecution."
"Our first priority is to protect public safety and that is what we will do," ISP Director Leo Schmitz said in a statement. "This call to protest on the Dan Ryan, however well-intentioned, is reckless. It puts the lives of protestors and people in the community in grave danger. We will work with our partners at the Chicago Police Department to keep our communities safe and we strongly discourage this protest from going forward at this location."
Schmitz told NBC 5 that state police aren't looking to arrest people, but they worry about the march risking public safety. "Tens of thousands of drivers will be affected," he said.
Despite the warning, Pfleger said the march will go on.
"I hate being arrested...but if that's what it take to get the message across," he said Friday.
Who is involved and how many people are expected?
Rev. Michael Pfleger has been arguably the biggest proponent of the march, but the event has been organized by ChicagoStrong, "a coalition of students from Chicago committed to being part of the solution to end gun violence in our city."
Pfleger said up to 3,000 protesters are expected Saturday. Groups from Evanston, Naperville and other suburbs are expected to take busses into the city to attend the event.
Rev. Jesse Jackson and other community leaders also support the protest.
Who says what?
While Illinois State Police have warned arrests would be made for those entering the expressway, Chicago police said the department will be on hand to assist with crowd safety and traffic control.
CPD has cautioned the event could have a negative impact on some of the city's most violence-plagued communities.
“The very thing that they’re trying to accomplish — stop violence and stop shootings — has the potential to actually escalate because we’re pulling police officers out of the neighborhoods where we need them in order to escort the protesters down the expressway,” First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio told reporters after a City Hall hearing last week, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Police said they strongly discourage the protest at this location and said they met with Pfleger to discuss the dangers of doing it, from causing potential hazards for traffic on the expressway to putting the protesters themselves at risk.
Pfleger was quick to respond when asked about the reallocation of police for the march.
"I don't work for the police department, but let me offer them some advice," he said. "If they say doing this will pull officers from the most needed neighborhoods in the city of Chicago, then pull them from the North Side."
Pfleger and others noted major arteries are often shut down for public events and construction.
"If the president of the United States was to come to Chicago today, law enforcement would immediately be pulled and the entire expressway would absolutely be shut down without negotiation, without conversation and without fail," Pastor Chris Harris said, "to protect one man who ironically has not done anything currently to save the lives of the thousands who have been murdered, shot or wounded in this great city of Chicago."
Mayor Rahm Emanuel Friday said he supports the expressway shutdown, calling it an "important march."
"It highlights gun control and economic opportunity. They are going to raise awareness... I want to widen everybody’s lens... the march is an important component of that," Emanuel said.
