Truckers traveling through Chicago on Saturday may run into delays as a local pastor and social activist plans to shut down part of the Dan Ryan Expressway to raise awareness of the city’s gun violence problem.
The Rev. Mike Pfleger said the march will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 7, in the northbound lanes of the Dan Ryan (I-94), from 79th Street to 67th Street, a distance of about a mile and a half.
The Illinois State Police, which has jurisdiction over the Dan Ryan, has said it will arrest and prosecute any pedestrians entering the highway.
“Our first priority is to protect public safety and that is what we will do,” said Illinois State Police Director Leo Schmitz in a statement issued Tuesday. “This call to protest on the Dan Ryan, however well-intentioned, is reckless. It puts the lives of protestors and people in the community in grave danger. We will work with our partners at the Chicago Police Department to keep our communities safe and we strongly discourage this protest from going forward at this location.”
