LIVE UPDATES: Peaceful Protests In Grant, Union Park; Downtown Road Closures Continue
CHICAGO (CBS)-- City officials expect hundreds if not thousands to gather peacefully this weekend, beginning Saturday. In addition to opening up Grant and Union parks, portions of Lake Shore Drive will also be shut down to deal with the crowds.
Here are the latest developments:
7:05 p.m.
Hundreds of protesters kneeled in front of police at the 14th District police station, some chanting "silent cops are guilty, too."
6:30 p.m.
Illinois State Police announce some roads have reopened. Those include I-90 northbound Milwaukee, I-90 northbound and southbound Fullerton and I-90 southbound Ogden.
Update:
— ISPDistrictChicago (@ChicagoIsp) June 6, 2020
Open ramps as of 6:30pm
I-90 N/B Milwaukee
I-90 Northbound and Southbound Fullerton
I-90 S/B Ogden pic.twitter.com/XOkJ7fe0er
6:00 p.m.
A Black Lives Matter unity rally gets underway in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood. The group plans to walk to the police department to lay roses and have a moment of silence. Orgnizers say it is a public show of the Latin American community's solidarity with their black brothers and sisters.
Black Lives Matter unity rally in Chicago's Humboldt Park.
— Steven Graves (@StevenGravesTV) June 6, 2020
They plan to walk to the police department for a moment of silence and lay roses. #BLM @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/eMkYje0ciH
5:45 p.m.
Protesters gather at Clark and Jackson in the Loop.
#BlackLivesMatter Protesters gathering at Clark & Jackson in the loop. pic.twitter.com/ByVT00VFh6
— Jeanette Hudson (@JHudsontraffic) June 6, 2020
5:00 p.m.
Jermont Terry reported Chicago police in the Loop were having no issue with protesters moving from Union Park to the Near North Side as they stood guard.
3:36 p.m.
Major backups slowed down traffic on the Kennedy and Dan Ryan with ramp closures i place between Fullerton and 18th.
Very limited access to downtown #Chicago this weekend. Major backups on the Kennedy & Dan Ryan with ramp closures in place between Fullerton and 18th, Give yourself plenty of extra travel time. pic.twitter.com/fZ95aaHyOB
— Jeanette Hudson (@JHudsontraffic) June 6, 2020
1:45 p.m.
CBS 2's Marissa Parra reported CTA buses and city trucks are being used to redirect traffic throughout the city. Mayor Lightfoot said city trucks would be placed strategically around the city.
Seeing CTA busses and city trucks getting used to redirect traffic all over Chicago — one week to the day after civil unrest we haven't seen since 1968@cbschicago https://t.co/EOhhPnKg2s pic.twitter.com/hV6HYpwDc0
— Marissa Parra (@MarParNews) June 6, 2020
1:10 p.m.
The March of Justice for George Floyd is taking over Ashland from Grand Avenue to Division Street. According to CBS 2's Jeanette Hudson, the protest is moving east.
#Chicago March of Justice for #GeorgeFloyd filling Ashland from Grand Ave up to Division, where they are turning and making their way east now. pic.twitter.com/fTNvMCn5zu
— Jeanette Hudson (@JHudsontraffic) June 6, 2020
12:30 p.m.
Union Park in #Chicago is packed with protesters. pic.twitter.com/mknlYyVDr7
— Yasmeen Hassan (@YasmeenTV) June 6, 2020
A large crowd of protesters are heading north of Ashland from Union Park.
10:30 a.m.
Two protests in Union Park are underway in response to the death of George Floyd. One of the protests is being organized by Refuse Fascism Chicago.
Protest at Union Park starts at 10:30 am. Refuse Fascism Chicago is organizing the protest. Group is demanding no more police murder of black people, no fascist police state, no fascist military war on people, and POTUS and VP out of office. @cbschicago
— Vi Nguyen (@ViNguyen) June 6, 2020
Grant Park and Union Park will be designated spots for demonstrators to gather this weekend, as part of a plan announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
9 a.m.
Illinois State Police announced road closures in and near downtown as traffic continues to be closed off due to downtown protests.
Heads Up #Chicago #ILTraffic #ChicagoTraffic #TrafficAlert #DanRyan #Kennedy #Eisenhower #LakeshoreDrive #LSD #Cook https://t.co/piwjdnIoI7
— IllinoisStatePolice (@ILStatePolice) June 6, 2020
Lake Shore Drive is closed in both directions from Fullerton to 31st Street.
This is a developing story.