Hundreds of Chicagoans marched last night “in solidarity” with Baltimore. A group of at least 250 protesters zigzagged through the heart of the South Side—starting at police headquarters and then canvassing at least three neighborhoods while chanting for a more equitable police force The hashtag #chi2baltimore trended in Chicago for several hours into the night.
Protesters were fueled, in part, by concerns over the suspicious death of Freddie Grey in Baltimore and last week’s acquittal of off-duty Chicago Detective Dante Servin in the 2012 fatal shooting of Rekia Boyd.
Traffic stopped but few seemed to mind.
Not even the bus drivers.
But some attendees said there were police scuffles. Some cops were on horseback. Others wore riot gear.
The crowd grew larger. Homeowners came out to pass out candy and drinks. It was a nice night in Chicago. Only around 45 degrees.
The story went national just as Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay tweeted this:
And Martinez Sutton, the brother of Rekia Boyd, was quite vocal about his sister’s death.