Nationwide protests expanded to Chicago on Friday, May 29 as protesters drove, marched, honked and chanted “No Justice, No Peace” in response to a recent wave of murders of black citizens at the hands of U.S. police officers, including George Floyd of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Breonna Taylor of Louisville, Kentucky. While police responded with force over the weekend of May 30, some protesters turned to looting, but countless others maintained demonstrations of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Peaceful protesters confront Chicago police officers at Ohio St and State St on Friday, May 29. The crowd chants calls for justice through their surgical masks and makeshift face coverings.
A barricade of police wait for protesters marching northbound down Wabash Ave on Saturday, May 30. To the West, the city draws bridges to prevent protesters from entering and exiting the Loop. Shortly after this photo was taken, police began beating protestors with batons and making arrests.
Social-distancing protesters honk their car horns while crawling bumper-to-bumper near Wabash Ave and Van Buren St. on Saturday, May 30. As the caravan weaves through the Loop, passengers raise their fists in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Protesters stand at the foot of the Michigan Ave bridge on Saturday, May 30, which the city raised to prevent travel in and out of the Loop. As someone who has lived in Chicago for my whole life, this is the first time that I have ever seen this bridge drawn.
Graffiti artists make their mark on an alley near Wabash Ave and Van Buren St, calling for “justice” to match the chants of “no justice, no peace” that echo through the Loop from Friday, May 29, onward.
Lex Chilson (BFAW 2023) is a poet, filmmaker, and journalist hailing from the North Side of Chicago. You can find her trying not to fall asleep on the Red Line most mornings.
F NewsNewsProtests Against Police Violence Raise Stakes — and Bridges
