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Chaos erupted near a busy intersection in Lakeview early Monday morning, more than 12 hours after the Chicago Pride Parade had wrapped up peacefully Sunday afternoon.
"I'm really surprised. That's a lot of people," said Andrew Freeman, who lives near the intersection of Belmont and Halsted, where mass arrests took place starting at around 1:30 a.m.
"That's a lot of chaos happening right there, man," he told NBC Chicago after seeing video of the incident. Freeman, who has lived in the area for three years, was surprised the noise didn't wake him up.
A total of 53 people were arrested, including nine juveniles. Chicago police reported officers remained in the area following the parade to assist with crowd control after hours. According to police, officers had items thrown at them, and multiple officers were hurt.
"Our officers, who exhibited great restraint and patience, recovered four firearms while responding to these crowds," CPD said on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.
Some of the more serious charges include aggravated battery against an officer and assault. In all, 14 people are facing felony counts.
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The chaos comes as the city and the Chicago Police Department prepare for the DNC next month, which is expected to draw massive crowds of protesters.
While some residents in Lakeview told NBC Chicago they felt officers handled the crowds well, Val Stuckey, who attended the Pride Parade, said he felt at times there were too many police officers.
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"Disappointing maybe is a word. Overkill," Stuckey said. "And they could be elsewhere."
PRIDEChicago, which organizes the city's annual Pride Parade, issued the following statement:
"The Chicago Pride Parade, which ended safely at 2 p.m., was full of celebration and joy. Our all-volunteer organization is humbled by the overwhelming positive feedback we’ve received from participants and spectators, who were part of the parade festivities during the day."
Freeland also attended the parade, which was scaled down in size this year due in part to safety concerns. The parade's route was shortened, there were fewer entries, and the start time was moved up from 12 p.m. to 11 a.m.
"Definitely everything was well contained. You know as soon as the sun goes down people like to come out and get rowdy," Freeland said.
Ald. Bennett Lawson, who represents the city's 44th Ward which includes the area, issued the following statement to NBC 5:
“The Pride Parade yesterday was a safe and wonderful celebration of our diverse LGBTQ+ community, and it was such a joy to see so many people come out to show their support in the fight for equality. Following the Parade’s conclusion, I was extremely disappointed to see disruptive actions in our neighborhood into the early morning hours. I am grateful to the Chicago Police Department for their quick and decisive action to limit any damage and keep people safe, and to the Streets and Sanitation Department for their great work to clean our neighborhood. I look forward to meeting with City departments and stakeholders in the coming days to discuss how we can continue to improve the Parade for participants, attendees and neighbors, and prevent these disturbing actions from occurring in the future.”
