Protesters plan to shut down major Chicago interstate to highlight gun violence

CHICAGO — Protesters planning to shut down a major Chicago interstate say they’re trying to pressure public officials to address the gun violence that’s claimed hundreds of lives in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Hundreds and possibly thousands of people are expected to participate in Saturday’s march.

There’s also a historical significance to marching along the stretch of Interstate 94 known as the Dan Ryan Expressway. Some believe the roadway was built in the early 1960s to separate white communities and poor, black ones. It was the kind of racial and economic segregation that still exists in Chicago.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Roman Catholic priest and anti-violence activist on the city’s South Side, will lead Saturday’s march. He said protesters will carry a banner with a list of demands that includes: more resources, jobs, better schools and stronger gun laws.

Illinois State Police said they will allow anti-violence protesters to march along a portion of a Chicago interstate. Police Director Leo Schmitz said in a news release Saturday that an agreement was reached between “all stakeholders” on Thursday. State and Chicago police and Illinois Department of Transportation employees will provide a “safety barrier” between motorists and marchers along a stretch of Interstate 94, he added.

Police had warned earlier this week that any pedestrian who entered the expressway would face arrest and prosecution. 

Young men on the city’s South and West Sides told CBS News last year how easy it is to get illegal guns, and why many never leave their homes without one.

“I know people who can’t walk from they house to the store without a gun,” said Aaron Murph. “Because people getting killed left and right. It’s sad.”

“I got shot twice and I could have been gone but I’m still here so, that scar, that’s with me, so,” said Tyshaun Grant. “It’s hell on earth.”