Planned protest, shutdown of North Lake Shore Drive aims to 'redistribute the pain in Chicago' [View all]

Standing across the street from the Chicago Cubs’ bright red marquee, community activists said Tuesday they’re planning to bring the city’s North Side to a standstill next week to “redistribute the pain in Chicago.”

And that’s why they’re planning to shut down a stretch of North Lake Shore Drive during evening rush hour to make way for an anti-violence march that will wind its way to the fringes of Wrigley Field as the Cubs prepare for a night game there, organizers say. The late-afternoon march Aug. 2 could effectively shut down portions of the city as traffic already will be heavy with Lollapalooza getting underway in Grant Park.

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If the group manages to march on Lake Shore Drive, it would be the second protest this summer to shut down a major roadway in Chicago. Earlier this month, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor at St. Sabina Catholic Church on the South Side, led a demonstration on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

But don’t expect to see Pfleger, who took to social media to discuss the upcoming march, in the crowd next week. Pfleger told the Tribune he’s hesitant to participate because these organizers are calling for the mayor and the city’s top cop to resign. Johnson marched with Pfleger when he led the Dan Ryan shutdown. And the youth group Pfleger’s been working with is planning to meet with elected officials and candidates to see what policies could be changed that would address gun violence, better schools and more resources for the South and West sides of the city.


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