Priest to lead anti-violence protest that will close part of expressway

of our communities and for down from the same time many of our young people,” period in 2017 and 2016, said Pfleger, the senior pas- but higher than 2015 and CHICAGO — Outspoken Rev. tor at St. Sabina Catholic 2014. This month has already Michael Pfleger and hunChurch. “Instead, there’s a seen one of the worst viodreds of anti-violence activsense of fear.” lent weekends so far this ists plan to shut down a porIllinois State Police, which year. The weekend of June 15 tion of the Dan Ryan Expresspatrols the highway, did not through June 18 saw 56 peoway days after the Fourth of immediately respond to a ple shot, nine of whom died. July, a holiday notoriously request for comment. Pfleger said he and the associated with a spike in Last year, the city experi- teen activists he’s working shootings. enced one of the most vio- with — who hail from the

He took to Twitter and lent Fourth of July week- Southwest Side’s Brighton Facebook on Monday to get ends in recent years, with Park up to the North Side the message out about the 15 people killed and 87 oth— refuse to normalize the 10 a.m. July 7 protest in the ers wounded - all involving continued toll of gunshot northbound lanes of the Dan shootings. victims. That’s why they are Ryan; it’s to begin at 79th The marchers plan to taking over one of the busiStreet. As many as 1,000 demand city officials and est expressways in the city, people plan to walk about a lawmakers use their muswhich slices through the mile and half to 67th Street cle to create more jobs and South Side. to demand city officials do better schools on the South “We feel that the violence, more to address the violence and West sides, where some in particular on the South that has claimed the lives of neighbors are plagued by and West side, is not being hundreds of Chicagoans, violence, and to tighten gun addressed,” he said. Pfleger said in a phone inter- control. The activists haven’t asked view later with the Tribune. More than 1,300 people authorities for permission

“As we celebrate Indepen- have been shot so far this to shut down the Dan Ryan dence weekend, there’s not year, according to data main- and they don’t plan to do a sense of freedom in many tained by the Tribune - that’s so, he said.