CHICAGO — Protesters are marching through downtown Chicago Saturday in response to the death of George Floyd Monday in Minneapolis.
Protesters walked onto Lake Shore Drive blocking traffic in both directions. Prior to that, protesters took aim at two CPD squad cars in front of Trump Tower.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is holding a news conference at 7:45 p.m. WGN-TV will have it on air and wgntv.com/live.
At around 5:30 p.m., Chicago police announced that Lake Shore Drive is closed in both directions. They said to avoid coming into the Loop.
More than 100 people were arrested Friday evening at a downtown protest after the death of George Floyd Monday in Minneapolis.
Chicago police Supt. David Brown said 108 people were arrested Friday evening as a result of the protests that he said started peacefully, but ended aggressively. The top cop said Chicago police offers had to take swift action so the violence would not escalate.
Brown said there was some damage as a result of protests, including a dozen squad cars throughout the city that were damaged. One officer sustained a broken wrist as a result of a crowd coming toward him.
“We believe in the First Amendment, but we also believe that this is a nation of laws and that lawlessness has no place in this country,” Brown said. “We want to assure that Chicagoans are protected during this tense time.”
The protest follow those seen around the country — and most heavily in Minneapolis where 46-year-old Floyd was killed by a police officer who has since been charged.
What started as a relatively small protest near Millennium Park grew in size as the night wore on.
The group yelled “I can’t breathe” and “no justice, no peace.” Before marching through the streets, the group held a press conference at Millenium Park.
“Every day you wake up and it’s ‘who’s going to be next?’” one protester said.
The group left Millenium Park with no intended route. At one point, they walked down Michigan Avenue into oncoming traffic. They were stopped by police as they attempted to get on I-290 from Ida B. Wells Drive.
Brown criticized the officers at the center of the Minneapolis unrest. He said the officers who were involved in Floyd’s death are not representative of cops across the country.
“We don’t want our officers treating anyone like that,” he said. “It’s always the right time to do the right thing.” Everyone deserves a measure of respect.”
A curfew was imposed for 8 p.m. in Minneapolis after the city burned for a third straight night. However, thousands ignored the curfew and continued their protests.
