chicagotribune--2020-06-02--George Floyd fallout: Pritzker deploys National Guard troops to suburbs and issues disaster proclama

George Floyd fallout: Pritzker deploys National Guard troops to suburbs and issues disaster proclamation for several Illinois counties; Lightfoot denies city favored downtown over neighborhoods

Chicago police continued patrolling the Loop and downtown Monday , restricting access to those who work or live there as the city deals with fallout after the death of George Floyd , who died at the hands of Minneapolis police , led to nationwide protests and civil unrest .
“ There is no way , no way , we would ever let any neighborhood receive more resources and protection than any others .
Ever , ” Lightfoot said .
“ That certainly didn ’ t happen over the course of the weekend.
” Lightfoot said the criticism is offensive to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ We did not stand by and let the South and West sides burn as some are propagating.
” “ At the request of public safety officials , the CTA is temporarily suspending all bus and rail service , effective at 9:30 p.m. this evening .
For public safety reasons , the suspension of services will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Tuesday , June 2 , ” the CTA said .
—Chicago Tribune staff Shortly after 5 p.m. , protesters , many wearing masks , set off from the Belmont “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Halsted Street , converging near the Stewart School Lofts at West Sunnyside Avenue and Broadway to listen to speakers and join in cheers .
Along the way , calls of “ Black Lives Matter ” filled Boystown streets , where some businesses had boarded up .
Volunteers handed out masks , gloves , hand sanitizer and water to marchers .
Protesters carried signs with messages like “ Stop killing black people ” and “ Defund the police.
” “ Especially since there ’ s been sort of a disconnect it seems from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city as far as what ’ s been going on in the past couple of days , ” Upstone said .
“ I think it ’ s really important for North Siders , people that live up here , to come out if they ’ re able.
” 7:18 p.m. : DeKalb pastor who helped defuse looting at shopping center says unrest is sign of participants ’ ‘ frustration and anger with the nation they live in ’ Joseph Mitchell , pastor of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church , said a friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a small shopping center a mile north of Northern Illinois University .
A video posted by Shaw Media shows a group of young people smashing their way into a liquor store and rushing a nearby tobacco store , though some appear to prevent the looting of an adjoining convenience store .
Mitchell said he went to the scene at the invitation of a police commander .
The video shows Mitchell speaking to the crowd through a squad car ’ s megaphone , telling them : “ This is not the way .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no peace , ’ but this is not the way .
We have to do it another way .
This is not it.
” He told the Tribune that relations between DeKalb ’ s African-American community and police have long been strained — a violent arrest captured on camera last year led to sergeant ’ s 30-day suspension for violating the department ’ s use of force policy — and that George Floyd ’ s killing by Minneapolis police sparked two demonstrations over the weekend .
“ I hope people are paying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think people should know you can only be slapped in the face so many times before you demand change .
If change is what people want , it ’ s going to take a lot of time .
It ’ ll take more than marches and conversations .
There are institutions and policies that need to be changed to bring equality to our communities .
We have to get on board and do this work together.
” —John Keilman In Pilsen , business owners on 18th Street guarded their stores Sunday with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day .
A group of residents stayed through the night .
Community members dropped off food and water for the group .
“ This is not a statement against the Black Lives Matter movement , we stand with our Black brothers , but we need to protect our community to avoid more damage , division and hate within our minority communities , ” said Roberto Montaño , a longtime Pilsen resident .
In Little Village , a crowd of residents on 26th Street grew through the day after looters attempted to hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexican-American neighborhood .
Residents and police intervened and halted the chaos .
Shortly after , leaders of New Life Community Church , who have been working to reduce violence in the area for years , helped to organize residents to guard the streets and to help keep peace within the different groups present .
Elizeth Arguelles , a tamale seller and activist , walked the whole 26th Street corridor to check on street vendors after hearing rumors that they had been assaulted .
Many of the street vendors , fearing assaults , closed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the lead organizers for the Black and Brown Solidarity Caravan protest , demanding justice for George Floyd , but also promoting unity between the black and brown people .
Holding nothing but a yellow broom , Lurrie Fuentes left her Cicero home Monday evening to help clean up after looters hit several stores in a strip mall on Cermak Road and Cicero Avenue .
Fuentes , who said she currently works from home , said she heard police sirens at 3 p.m. and peeked her head out the window to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw several cars line up on her residential street with people jumping out .
“ It was scary , ” she said as police sirens continued to sound outside her home .
“ I was trying to talk to them and say this isn ’ t the way to do it , you ’ re hurting our community.
” 6:41 p.m. : More than 100 people in Glenview protest death of George Floyd : ‘ I ’ m going to use my privilege to speak up ’ Dahiya said it was important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American heritage and white privilege , to stand by black individuals in the fight for justice and start a protest in her community .
According to Dahiya , Glenbrook South incorporates the importance of civic work into the curriculum .
She said she was surprised by the turnout in a predominantly white community and was proud of the way they came together to use their voice .
“ These kids know that they ’ re coming from a place of privilege , ” she said .
“ I ’ m really proud of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going on and they ’ ve decided enough is enough — I ’ m not going to use my privilege to stay silent .
I ’ m going to use my privilege to speak up when it really matters.
” Read more here .
—Kaitlin Edquist President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to deploy the United States military unless states quickly halted the violent protests that have convulsed cities from coast to coast , hours after George Floyd ’ s brother pleaded for peace , saying destruction is “ not going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The competing messages — one conciliatory , one bellicose — came as the U.S. braced for another round of violence at a time when the country is already buckling because of the coronavirus outbreak and the Depression-level unemployment it has caused .
Trump said he was recommending that governors throughout the country deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “ dominate the streets.
” If governors fail to take action , Trump said , he will deploy the United States military and “ quickly solve the problem for them.
” That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaceful protest , stopped midway at the Chicago Police Department ’ s Central District precinct on South State Street and 18th Street , where they were joined by others and confronted with a line of police in helmets , some carrying shields .
Demonstrators formed a line of their own facing the officers , and some demanded information on people they believe were arrested at weekend protests .
“ Where are our loved ones ?
” they asked .
“ You can ’ t kidnap us.
” Many of the young demonstrators showed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group FourtuneHouse , “ Calling all Chicago kids .
This is not a riot.
” Among their demands : The release of all protesters , police to wear their badges visibly , no denial of public transit , police accountability , and justice for George Floyd “ and all those lost and damaged by the American criminal justice system.
” Other protesters have also focused their attention on police stations , and this effort included another meet up at the 18th District headquarters in the Near North Side .
After regrouping at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ north over the LaSalle Street bridge , one of the only ways to get across the river downtown with many bridges lifted by the city .
Around 1:45 p.m. at the cultural center , leaders with megaphones asked white participants to stand in between black demonstrators and police , saying , “ please use your privilege as an ally to help protect us as a movement.
” They told everyone to find out each others ’ names , have a partner and protect each other .
“ I come from the district of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the same age as him .
Being a black man ...
I wanted to come out here and support , ” he said .
“ People were saying the youth start the riots when half the people were actually adults , ” said one high school student .
“ We ’ re here to show that youth can be peaceful ... there ’ s a bigger fight to fight outside of school.
” On the way to the 1st District police headquarters , leaders tried to keep the group on the sidewalk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followed in the street , some on foot and others in cars .
When demonstrators noticed an officer holding a phone at his side , appearing to aim the camera at the group , they called him out , teasing him for trying to be sneaky with a bright orange phone case .
As the group approached a checkpoint at Cermak Road , more police cars drove alongside them .
Some people in a blue car drove up to one of the police SUVs and someone leaned out an open window to bang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young men with megaphones to run toward the car and ask them to stop .
“ This is a peaceful protest !
” they repeated .
And it remained one , as the group moved through the checkpoint , past tan humvees and national guard troops holding batons in addition to Chicago officers .
When the group made it to City Hall , they gathered around an entrance , where several people spoke and led chants like the ones they ’ d bellowed on the way there : “ Black Lives Matter.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the names of other black Americans killed by police .
“ I will participate in a peaceful protest , ” they changed .
“ I will no longer stand for police violence .
I will no longer stand for white supremacy .
I will not be silenced.
” Cory Scott , 35 , of Hyde Park , addressed the crowd with a megaphone .
When he ’ s studied the civil rights movement , it always amazes him that in the 50s and 60s so many of the leaders were young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he first watched news reports of a fatal shooting by police .
Now he has found a purpose in supporting youth activists , “ so they don ’ t have to live the nightmare I ’ ve had to live my entire life.
” “ It ’ s important for my generation to support these young people who have the energy , who have the passion , but we have become tired .
This type of dehumanization and injustice is tiring , and so we need young people , we need their energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s the message that I ’ m out here to support.
” —Hannah Leone Lightfoot had asked Gov .
J.B. Pritzker to send the guard to help quell the violence , the first time Chicago has made such a request since Mayor Richard J. Daley brought troops in to police the Democratic National Convention in 1968 .
Read more here .
—Stacy St. Clair Amid continuing fallout from the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd , an unarmed black man in police custody , Pritzker also said he is calling up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s in addition to 375 National Guard members assisting local law enforcement with street closures in Chicago over the weekend .
“ You have every right to do that .
You are justified in doing so .
It was a horrific thing that occurred in Minneapolis .
Please continue your peaceful protests to have these issues raised in the appropriate way so change can happen.
” “ But what we can ’ t do is we can ’ t conflate that with people who are affirmatively committing criminal acts on purpose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only goal is to utilize these groups of peaceful protestors for their own criminal acts.
” “ For individuals committing violent acts , we will find space for you at jail , ” the sheriff added .
`` We will make sure that there is a place available for them .
...
I just want that to be clear .
Just because of the issues with COVID , it doesn ’ t mean that there ’ s an ability where people are going to be able to walk free .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , as of Monday morning , 110 people had been sent to the jail who were arrested in connection with the Floyd fallout .
Fifty bonded out after posting bail , but 60 were being held because they didn ’ t have bail money or were ordered held without bond .
More arrestees are expected , he added .
Read more here .
—Hal Dardick Some Capitol complex offices closed early on Monday afternoon , at 2 p.m. , before the start of the 3 p.m. protests .
The move was made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and after conferring with law enforcement , ” said Henry Haupt , a spokesman for the Illinois Secretary of State ’ s Office .
University of Chicago Medicine closed all of its outpatient centers Monday , including those in Orland Park , the South Loop , River East , River North , South Shore and the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine in Hyde Park .
The system also canceled all elective surgeries and closed curbside testing for COVID-19 at its Orland Park and Hyde Park locations for the day .
The system enacted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an abundance of caution , ” according to an email sent by the system ’ s incident commander to faculty and staff Sunday evening .
Read more here .
—Lisa Schencker George Floyd ’ s brother pleaded for peace in the streets Monday , saying destruction is “ not going to bring my brother back at all , ” while President Donald Trump berated most of the nation ’ s governors as “ weak ” for not cracking down harder on the lawlessness that has convulsed cities from coast to coast .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bellicose — came as the U.S. braced for another round of violence at a time when the country is already buckling because of the coronavirus outbreak and the Depression-level unemployment it has caused .
“ We are a country that is scared , ” said Sam Page , county executive in St. Louis County , Missouri , where the city of Ferguson has been synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement since the 2014 death of Michael Brown , a black 18-year-old , during a confrontation with a white officer .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And we are a country that is holding out for the promise of justice for all.
” In Minneapolis , Floyd ’ s brother , Terrence , made an emotional plea at the site where Floyd was pinned to the pavement by an officer who put his knee on the handcuffed black 's man neck for several minutes .
More than 100 people gathered , many of them carrying ” Free Malcolm London ” signs .
London , a Chicago activist and poet , was arrested Sunday during a protest in the Hyde @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference said he was beaten by police when they apprehended him .
Sanchez said she went to the police station Sunday night and that lawyers who were representing those arrested were not allowed inside the police station until she showed her alderman badge .
“ That means if you don ’ t have an Alderman who ’ s going to show up with a badge and they don ’ t know that you ’ re in there , you ’ re going to stay in there without legal counsel , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shiller , said in an interview that London was attending the protest at 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue Sunday evening and things were peaceful .
Police arrived and appeared to directly target London and another protester , they got aggressive , tried to provoke them , and started beating them , Shiller said .
London and a few others were taken into custody .
Shiller got to the Wentworth District Station at 7:45 p.m. Sunday and for two hours those there were told that none of the arrested activists were present there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lightfoot administration made phone calls to the district commander , police admitted two of them were present , but not London .
It took another two hours for them to find out he was at St. Bernard Hospital with bruises and cuts to his arms and face and eventually Shiller was able to get in in to see the other protesters .
A police spokeswoman said in an email later that “ We can confirm we have someone by that name in custody .
We can not confirm any other details until charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggravated battery charges against London , Shiller said , but Shiller believes they will be rejected and police will instead charge London with a misdemeanor , which doesn ’ t have to go through the state ’ s attorney ’ s office .
” It ’ s been four or five years since we marched in the streets and were beaten by police after the murder of Laquan McDonald , and as you can see , ain ’ t nothing changed , ” he said .
The event had been expected and , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ present and business windows covered in wood against the potential for violence , which has racked Chicago , Aurora , several suburban towns and cities across the country .
Read more here .
—Suzanne Baker and Erin Hegarty Brown “ visited with officers and community members at 71st & Jeffrey in the ” Grand Crossing District according to a tweet from police .
“ These officers have been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of residents in the neighborhood during these protests.
” Earlier , both individuals and reporters posted video to social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the City Sports , with protesters questioning whether people were being detained in the basement of the store .
It wasn ’ t immediately clear what the resolution was , although by later in the afternoon , the scene was peaceful .
—Chicago Tribune staff An Illinois man arrested in Chicago over the weekend had homemade bombs in his car and had been seen on videos posted on the internet participating in the looting and rioting in both Minneapolis and Chicago , according to federal charges filed Monday .
Rupert will likely have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Courthouse on Tuesday , when a judge could order his removal to Minnesota to face the charges .
Read more here .
—Jason Meisner They smashed through the front door first , then hacked away at the security glass , said Kris Krane , president and co-founder of 4Front Ventures , which owns the dispensary in the South Chicago neighborhood .
Everything of value was taken , including the marijuana .
Every dispensary in Chicago is closed indefinitely to prevent or clean up from weekend looting and vandalizing , fallout from George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
The closures could cause problems for medical patients whose supplies run low .
All the staff members at Mission left before the looters arrived , Krane said .
The dispensary shut down as neighboring businesses were looted and the situation appeared unsafe .
It was boarded up Monday morning , and will be closed until further notice .
Read more here .
—Ally Marotti Jackson , who was named head of the district in 2017 , said she was addressing CPS families “ as the mother of a black boy who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of other black boys in our country .
“ My mother raised me to never bring up a problem without a solution , but today , I can only share with you my hurt and sorrow for our community .
Tomorrow and in the days and weeks to come , we will have to have some real and difficult conversations about the worth of a person — not only in death but also in life.
” Read her full statement here .
An autopsy commissioned for George Floyd ’ s family found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neck and back compression when a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd 's neck for several minutes and ignored his cries of distress , the family ’ s attorneys said Monday .
The family ’ s autopsy differs from the official autopsy as described in a criminal complaint against the officer .
That autopsy included the effects of being restrained , along with underlying health issues and potential intoxicants in Floyd ’ s system , but also said it found nothing “ to support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cunningham drew a strong distinction between the protesters who led a march east down Grand Avenue from Green Bay Road to the city ’ s downtown and those behind the looting that followed later that night .
Read more here .
—Emily K. Coleman 1:37 p.m. : Protests erupting across the nation are threatening to upend efforts by health officials to contain the spread of coronavirus Protests erupting across the nation over the past week — and law enforcement ’ s response to them — are threatening to upend efforts by health officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus just as those efforts were finally getting underway .
Health experts need newly infected people to remember and recount everyone they 've interacted with over several days in order to alert others who may have been exposed , and prevent them from spreading the disease further .
But that process , known as contact tracing , relies on people knowing who they ’ ve been in contact with — a daunting task if they ’ ve been to a mass gathering .
In the wake of the protests sparked by the death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their own stages silenced by COVID-19 , many Chicago theaters have used their social-media channels to decry racism and support the protest movements .
“ We are witnessing the effects of institutionalized racism all over the country and the fires , looting , anger and self-hatred that has materialized bears witness to the fact that we must destroy institutionalized racism or it will destroy all of us , ” wrote Jackie Taylor , the founder , CEO and president of the Black Ensemble Theatre , a 44-year-old theater with a consistent mission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote that : “ to be treated fairly and with dignity is the essence of our human spirit and we must protect the human spirit – without it , we will not survive.
” Read more here .
—Chris Jones He said several stores , including a Target , Ross Dress for Less and Marshalls , were subjected to break-in attempts , but that police intervened quickly and made numerous arrests .
Firefighters also put out a fire set at a grocery store , he said .
The doors of the Best Buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday after the electronics store was hit by up to 50 looters Sunday afternoon , one of several dramatic episodes of theft and destruction in the suburbs in the wake of police brutality protests .
The Lake County Sheriff ’ s Office said “ hundreds of looters ” struck Waukegan and Beach Park Sunday night , and some damaged police vehicles after a day of peaceful demonstrations .
In Oak Brook , a group tried to burglarize the Neiman Marcus at Oak Brook Mall early Sunday by throwing a cinder block through a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ village said .
The Oak Brook Mall otherwise escaped looting , the village said , but it was nonetheless ringed with police vehicles Sunday afternoon , and had orange and white barriers blocking the entrances Monday morning .
The village announced on its Facebook page that the mall would remain closed for the day “ due to the possibility of further civil unrest.
” Authorities in several DuPage County communities had warned Sunday about caravans of people allegedly causing damage along the retail corridors of Butterfield and Roosevelt roads .
But few looting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buy in Downers Grove .
Police spokesman Bill Budds said authorities were notified about 3 p.m. Sunday that 30 to 50 people had rushed the store to grab merchandise .
Staff members were able to escape and no injuries were reported , he said .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker on Monday told President Donald Trump that he ’ s been “ extraordinarily concerned ” about Trump ’ s rhetoric in the wake of unrest that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police , and urged the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been inflammatory , and it ’ s not OK for that officer to choke George Floyd to death .
But we have to call for calm .
We have to have police reform called for , ” Pritzker said to the president , according to a transcript of the Monday morning call between Trump and governors .
“ We ’ ve called out our National Guard and our State Police , but the rhetoric that ’ s coming out of the White House is making it worse .
And I need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pain out there and we ’ ve got to have national leadership in calling for calm and making sure that we ’ re addressing the concerns of the legitimate peaceful protesters .
That will help us to bring order , ” Pritzker said .
Trump responded by criticizing Pritzker ’ s rhetoric and his response to the coronavirus pandemic , according to the transcript .
Trump and Pritzker clashed repeatedly over the past several months over the pandemic , as Pritzker has sharply criticized the Trump administration ’ s response .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either because I watched it with respect to the coronavirus , and I don ’ t like your rhetoric much either , ” Trump said to Pritzker .
“ I think you could ’ ve done a much better job , frankly .
But that ’ s OK. And you know , we don ’ t agree with each other.
” Read more here .
—Jamie Munks City Sports , a clothing and shoe store on 71st Street near Jeffery Boulevard , was one of the latest scenes of looting .
The windows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hangers and shoe boxes spilling out onto the street .
As the morning passed , looters tried to break into the Boost Mobile store on 71st Street just east of City Sports and a large group of police officers responded .
More than two dozen officers , wearing helmets and face shields , and carrying batons stood by .
—Javonte Anderson Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police Superintendent David Brown defended the city from criticism that police officers didn ’ t do enough to intervene in looting .
Both officials denied there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contrary , Lightfoot said , the city arrested hundreds of looters and took 64 guns off the street .
“ That ’ s not standing by , ” Lightfoot said.But Lightfoot also acknowledged that the looting spread so far and fast that the police force couldn ’ t have stopped it all even if it was four times larger.
“ “ When you loot a business , you ’ re not just taking goods .
You ’ re destroying someone ’ s dreams .
Those small businesses sacrificed and saved money to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from your neighborhood to serve you , ” Lightfoot said .
“ You took their hope and destroyed it.
” “ God help us all if we believe that we can express our pain by destroying the hopes and dreams and the livelihoods and the fortunes of others , ” she added .
“ That ’ s not the way .
That is just not the way.
” Oakbrook Center remained closed Monday , after closing early Sunday because of a threat of looting that was widespread in the Chicago area over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
Jackson also said that teachers should be addressing the ongoing violence in the city in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd following his arrest by police in Minneapolis , calling the situation a “ crisis.
” “ I don ’ t think any teacher worth their salt needs me to tell them that this is a unique time and we have to stop and we have to actually talk to students and help them understand what ’ s going on , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s what ’ s going to be happening throughout this city today.
” After Chicago Public Schools announced the change , some restaurants , churches and food banks stepped up to help .
Here is a running list of restaurants serving free lunch to CPS students and their families .
If you want to be included in this list , please email us at food @ chicagotribune.com .
Bohkeh This cocktail bar and restaurant will provide free lunch to kids in Albany Park and its surrounding neighborhoods from noon until it runs out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and maintain social distance .
4716 N. Kedzie Ave. , 773-754-0129 , bohkehchicago.com Urban Grill Chicago This Uptown restaurant will offer free lunch to any CPS student who walks in between noon and 3 p.m .
Choose from a hot dog with fries or five boneless wings with fries .
People can also opt to sponsor a meal via Zelle .
1132 W. Wilson Ave. , 773-754-7137 , urbangrillchicago.com Mi Tocaya Antojeria This Mexican restaurant is giving out 350 meals , starting at 11 a.m.. “ Our restaurant is an antojeria made to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honor our ancestors , pay homage to the women whom created it and most importantly made with LOVE , ” according to an Instagram post .
2800 W. Logan Boulevard , 872-315-3947 , mitocaya.com While the order does not state the reason for the court closure , many businesses near the courthouse were struck by looting and property damage as protests against killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota turned violent .
Among the establishments that were destroyed was Central Camera , a Loop fixture since 1899 that is about a block @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was also ransacked on Saturday .
—Jason Meisner 11:45 a.m. : Evanston police to increase patrols after looting at retail stores “ The protest was great , ” said Evanston Police Commander Brian Henry .
`` In the 20 years I ’ ve been with Evanston police it was by far the biggest protest , rally , march I ’ ve seen.
” Seven people are currently in custody after they were arrested for looting the Best Buy store on Howard Street about 7 p.m. , Henry said .
Ten to 15 cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to burglarize it .
Detectives are working to press charges , Henry said .
Henry said Evanston police will have “ a lot of high visibility patrol ” in the upcoming days , especially in the downtown and Howard Street business corridors .
No closures or curfews have been ordered and all essential city services are continuing .
Read more here .
—Genevieve Bookwalter 11:22 a.m. : Lightfoot doubles down on comments about Trump from last week Lightfoot also doubled down on her comments about President Donald Trump from Friday , when she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with F and it ends with U.
” Lightfoot ’ s comments were an apparent response to Trump tweeting a message that included , “ When the looting starts , the shooting starts ” in reply to rioting in Minneapolis and elsewhere following the death of George Floyd , a handcuffed black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd ’ s neck while he was in custody .
Lightfoot said the president can not be allowed to divide and destabilize the country .
“ His goal is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inflame racist urges .
We can absolutely not let him prevail .
And I will code what I really want to say to Donald Trump .
It ’ s two words .
It begins with F and it ends with U.
” Asked about it on Monday , Lightfoot said , “ Anyone who is fomenting violence is doing wrong and we need to stand up united against that .
—Gregory Pratt 11:13 a.m. : Clean-up begins in downtown Aurora the day after protests turned violent Storefronts along Broadway in downtown Aurora were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ glass Monday morning , after looting and clashes between protesters and police the previous night .
Some volunteers lived nearby and came to help .
Some had been at the protests.Among the volunteers was a group of college students .
11 a.m. : Lootings spread into neighborhoods as Chicago sees one of its most violent weekends with more than 80 shot After the last unmarked police SUV drove away around midnight Monday , the man walked into the Wicker Park Target and spent several minutes inside .
He came out with just one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a handful of others standing outside .
With downtown Chicago cordoned off by the National Guard , violence spread into the neighborhoods Sunday night and early Tuesday as clashes with police continued after the death of George Floyd while under arrest in Minneapolis last week .
Throughout the night , police received call after call of lootings , shootings and fires on all sides of the city .
There were several “ 10-1″ calls for officers in immediate need of help .
It capped a weekend that was one of the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with more than 80 people shot , nearly 20 of them killed .
Read more here .
—Paige Fry 10:59 a.m. : Downtown Naperville businesses are boarding up windows as a precaution 10:50 a.m. : Lightfoot denies city favored downtown over neighborhoods while protecting against looting Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot denied that the city prioritized protecting the Loop over neighborhoods on the South and West sides over the weekend and promised to help rebuild .
“ There is no way , no way , we would ever let any neighborhood receive more resources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Lightfoot said .
“ That certainly didn ’ t happen over the course of the weekend.
” Lightfoot said the criticism is offensive to her as a black woman and added : “ We did not stand by and let the South and West sides burn as some are propagating.
” Lightfoot made her comments after protests over the death of George Floyd , who died at the hands of Minneapolis police , led to nationwide protests and civil unrest , including widespread looting and some arson .
The city shut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downtown on Sunday after protestors burned and looted business in the Loop , and looting migrated to South and West Side neighborhoods .
Chicago officials deployed across the city but were overwhelmed , she said , as the city received 65,000 calls in a 24-hour period , 50,000 more than typical day .
`` The fact is , the violence that we saw and the looting we saw spread like a wildfire , ” Lightfoot said .
The mayor called it an “ exceedingly difficult and at times scary weekend for all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive tone .
“ We made a lot of hard decisions over the weekend and I know some of them were challenging for people , ” Lightfoot said .
“ But I also have hope today on how we will move forward and heal as a city.
” Read more here .
—Gregory Pratt 10:47 a.m. : No , Lincoln Park Zoo animals were not set loose in Sunday ’ s looting “ There were no break-ins , thefts , or incidents last night .
Images circulating , claiming to be of Lincoln @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are false.
” There was significant skepticism about the images on sites including Facebook , but they are believed to have circulated widely , prompting the zoo to issue the extraordinary statement .
`` In addressing the topic , the zoo said it was responding to concerned messages it had received from “ friends of wildlife.
” —Steve Johnson 10:04 a.m. : Metra out of service on Monday , and CTA , Pace impose service cutbacks as George Floyd fallout continues Metra is out of service on Monday , while the CTA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a weekend of mass looting and violent clashes with police downtown and in other areas .
While CTA trains and buses resumed running as of 6 a.m. , service was limited in a wide area , not just downtown , according to its website .
On the CTA `` L '' trains , Red Line service is not operating from Belmont Avenue to 47th Street ; Blue Line service was suspended from Western Avenue on the O ’ Hare branch to Western on the Forest Park branch ; both the Brown Line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between the Loop and Belmont ; Green Line service is suspended between California Avenue and 47th ; and the Orange Line is suspended between the Loop and 35th Street and Archer Avenue , the agency said .
Read more here .
— Mary Wisniewski 7:30 a.m. : Aurora ’ s police chief joined peaceful protests .
Rioters wreaked havoc in the downtown hours later .
The state ’ s second largest city erupted into chaos Sunday night , as rioters in west suburban Aurora looted stores and set a series of fires around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus lockdown .
Police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd , which swelled to about 500 people at its height .
Some onlookers , in turn , hurled chunks of concrete and other objects at officers , shrouding the message of nonviolence urged earlier that day during peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police .
In addition to plundering local businesses , the crowd set fire to three police cars , a bank drive-thru and a Family Dollar retail store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tank on one of the squad cars exploded and flames engulfed the entire vehicle .
Read more here .
—Megan Jones and Stacy St. Clair 6:50 a.m. : Access remains restricted to Chicago ’ s Loop and downtown , CTA buses and trains running elsewhere While CTA trains and buses resumed running across the city at 6 a.m. , they were bypassing stops in the Loop and downtown .
The transit agency said it would post updates throughout the day at transitchicago.com throughout the day .
The mayor ’ s office said access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be granted to people who work for businesses there or live there or who are `` engaged in essential activities ...
The Chicago Police Department will remain strategically deployed in full force throughout Chicago ’ s neighborhoods .
Read more here .
6:30 a.m. : George Floyd fallout in Chicago : Downtown locked down , unrest spreads to South , West sides and some suburbs As Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot requested the Illinois National Guard be brought in to prevent a second night of downtown violence and looting , the chaos spilled into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the urgent message conveyed during peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police .
Store owners reported plundering in parts of the South and West sides throughout Sunday afternoon , as well as in suburban towns such as Calumet City and North Riverside , where one person was shot .
Chicago had not released any Sunday arrests total by early evening , as the Police Department struggled to keep pace .
Read more here .
—Gregory Pratt , Jessica Villagomez , Jeremy Gorner , Annie Sweeney , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ William Lee , Morgan Greene and Megan Jones

Police officers guarding the Trump International Hotel & Tower hold back protesters in the Loop on May 30, 2020, during a rally and march to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
As widespread looting overshadowed peaceful protests for a third straight day, Gov. J.B. Pritzker intensified the state’s response to the civic unrest that has erupted since the police killing of George Floyd, even as the governor battled President Donald Trump on the national stage.
Pritzker declared seven Illinois counties a disaster zone and announced 250 members of the Illinois National Guard and an additional 300 members of the Illinois State Police would be deployed to help reinforce suburban and downstate police departments. That comes in addition to the 375 guard members Pritzker activated in Chicago over the weekend at Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s request.
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Meanwhile in Washington, President Trump threatened the nation’s governors on Monday that he would deploy the military to states if they did not stamp out violent protests over police brutality that have roiled the nation over the past week. His announcement came as police under federal command forced back peaceful demonstrators with tear gas so he could walk to a nearby church and pose with a Bible.
[ Tribune photographers capture the protests and unrest in Chicago in response to the killing of George Floyd ]
[ How the weekend unfolded: Timeline of Chicago protests, looting and unrest ]
[ Get breaking news as it happens with email alerts from the Tribune ]
Here are the latest developments:
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11:55 p.m.: Police crack down in Uptown
Later in the evening, a chaotic scene unfolded near the Cash America shop at North Broadway and West Sheridan Road.
About a dozen officers swarmed out of a van and detained a few people suspected of looting.
Police threatened to arrest anyone in the area.
“Curfew means go home,” an officer said.
Police chased away those gathered near the store and surged south toward a small group on Broadway.
A SWAT officer sprayed one man with mace, sending those left in the area scattering.
The man moved on to a sidewalk, crying out again and again on his knees. Some officers tried to calm him down. A few people brought water to rinse his eyes.
As passersby directed expletives at police, a police supervisor started to run toward some of those left in the area.
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“You better run like a little b----,” he said. —Morgan Greene
10:30 p.m.: Looting and shattered windows in downtown Naperville
People shattered windows and looted multiple businesses in downtown Naperville Monday night as a protest through the central business district turned tense and violent.
About 9:30 p.m., a police sergeant told the crowd of protesters marching through the downtown to leave. A short time later, several loud bangs were heard, people scattered and windows on multiple businesses were broken.
At least one firework was launched and some people threw water bottles at the police. Some in the crowd were heard yelling to stop breaking things and to leave the police alone.
Windows were shattered at the Barnes and Noble, Einstein’s Bros. Bagels, Lauren Rae Photography, and Pandora Jewelry. Dozens of people gathered at the back of the Apple store and tried to gain entry.
People were seen looting some businesses.
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Earlier, Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico declared a state of emergency and set a 9 p.m. curfew as hundreds of protesters filled downtown Naperville Monday night, just hours after a similar protest brought more than 800 people to the same area Monday afternoon.
The intersection of Washington and Chicago streets was blocked by people standing or kneeling in the street about 7 p.m. The group then headed north on Washington Street, turned west and snaked its way up and down downtown streets before returning to Washington and Chicago about an hour later.
Naperville police officers filled the area, including some on the rooftop of the Barnes & Noble store building at the intersection where the crowd was gathered. —Erin Hegarty and Sarah Freishtat
10:03 p.m.: Protesters disperse in Uptown — but massive police presence remains
Shortly after curfew went into effect, most protesters began to disperse from the streets around West Wilson Avenue and North Broadway in Uptown, but a massive police presence remained in the area. —Morgan Greene
9:17 p.m.: 60 arrested, 2 killed in Cicero
Cicero Police arrested 60 individuals and confirmed two deaths Monday evening following an afternoon of unrest that began after looters hit various businesses in the town.
Police said more than 100 officers were dispatched to the streets in addition to more than 100 county and state police officers. A curfew has not been put in place, according to a spokeswoman of the township.
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A group of police marched in riot gear on Cermak and South 50th Avenue on Monday night where police said outside agitators shot at least two people earlier in the day.
Several injuries were reported according to police. Exact numbers of those impacted were not immediately available. —Jessica Villagomez
9:06 p.m.: Peaceful Uptown protest ends with smashed shop
As protesters dispersed from Irving Park and Lake Shore Drive, a group nearby smashed the windows of a Cash America at North Broadway and West Sheridan Road. Giant cracks of glass covered the sidewalk.
Within minutes, the small group made off with at least one large TV screen.
“This doesn’t solve anything!” neighborhood resident Mak Kelm said, arriving at the scene “This is our community.”
“I’m just very disappointed honestly,” Kelm said outside the store. “Because we had a peaceful protest. I’m walking to my friend’s place right now and they started busting the windows ...”
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Some gathered on the corner engaged in a passionate back and forth with a woman who yelled about standing up to looters. They urged her not to conflate the protest with what happened at the shop.
As the bang of a firework went off, a small group gathered outside the shop to protect it. Chicago Fire arrived at the scene about 8:30 p.m. They left about 20 minutes later. —Morgan Greene
8:33 p.m.: Naperville mayor declares emergency, 9 p.m. curfew as hundreds fill downtown Naperville for second protest
Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico declared a state of emergency and set a 9 p.m. curfew as hundreds of protesters filled downtown Naperville Monday night, just hours after a similar protest brought more than 800 people to the same area Monday afternoon.
The intersection of Washington and Chicago streets was blocked by people standing or kneeling in the street at about 7 p.m. The group then headed north on Washington Street, turned west and snaked its way up and down downtown streets before returning to Washington and Chicago about an hour later.
Naperville police officers filled the area, including some on the rooftop of the Barnes & Noble store building at the intersection where the crowd was gathered.
Citing “widespread incidents of violence, vandalism and stealing occurring throughout the greater Chicagoland area” as the reason behind his action, the mayor set a curfew that will remain in place until 6 a.m. Tuesday, a statement from the city said. Read more here. —Suzanne Baker and Erin Hegarty
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8:12 p.m.: Protest on North Side moves on to Lake Shore Drive
Shortly before 8 p.m., a crowd of thousands paused at Irving Park and moved on to Lake Shore Drive. Some cars stopped and honked in solidarity. Other drivers held up their fists through open windows.
One driver stepped out of his car to hold up a cardboard sign: “No Justice No Peace” —Morgan Greene
8:08 p.m.: Pritzker says Trump has ‘been a miserable failure’
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker appeared on CNN as condemned Trump’s actions after the president’s Rose Garden address Monday.
“I reject the notion that the federal government can send troops into the state of Illinois. The fact is that the president has created an incendiary moment here,” Pritzker said, calling such a move illegal and a distraction from the president’s “miserable failure” over the coronavirus.
“Now, seeing a moment where there is unrest because of the injustice that was done to George Floyd, he wants to create another topic, something where he can be the law and law and order president,” Pritzker said. “He’s been a miserable failure.”
8:06 p.m.: Metra suspends service on Tuesday
Metra will be out of service for a second day on Tuesday, while the CTA and Pace both imposed multiple service cutbacks and a second overnight shutdown after a weekend of mass looting and violent clashes with police downtown and in other areas. Read more here. —Mary Wisniewski
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7:31 p.m.: CTA again suspending service Monday night into Tuesday morning
The CTA said in messages emailed and posted on social media that it was shutting down service starting at 9:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
“At the request of public safety officials, the CTA is temporarily suspending all bus and rail service, effective at 9:30 p.m. this evening. For public safety reasons, the suspension of services will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Tuesday, June 2,” the CTA said. —Chicago Tribune staff
7:23 p.m.: Large crowds gather at Uptown protest
A Monday evening protest on Chicago’s North Side drew large crowds to the Uptown neighborhood as the fallout around the death of George Floyd continued.
Shortly after 5 p.m., protesters, many wearing masks, set off from the Belmont “L” stop and headed north on Halsted Street, converging near the Stewart School Lofts at West Sunnyside Avenue and Broadway to listen to speakers and join in cheers. Along the way, calls of “Black Lives Matter” filled Boystown streets, where some businesses had boarded up. Volunteers handed out masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and water to marchers. Protesters carried signs with messages like “Stop killing black people” and “Defund the police.”
As the speakers concluded and the crowds started to move south, a small contingent of police officers began blocking Montrose to the west and Broadway to the east.
Julia Gerasimenko, of Ravenswood, said she was downtown this weekend and came to the Monday protest “in the name of countless murders of black lives.”
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“I think we need to defund police and spend that money funding communities through mental health services, education, free public transit, health insurance, libraries,” Gerasimenko said. “I think we would see a vastly different society.
“Listen to black voices, not some white lady,” Gerasimenko added. “None of this is an original thought. All understood by listening to leaders of color.”
Dejon Crockran and Liv Upstone, of Edgewater, said they were happy to be able to come out to show support Monday in their own neighborhood.
“Especially since there’s been sort of a disconnect it seems from the North Side to the rest of the city as far as what’s been going on in the past couple of days,” Upstone said. “I think it’s really important for North Siders, people that live up here, to come out if they’re able.”
Crockran felt similarly: “I just want to get out and make a change.” —Morgan Greene
The scene right now near Broadway and Montrose in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/8gtxbCXKmN — armando l sanchez (@mandophotos) June 1, 2020
7:18 p.m.: DeKalb pastor who helped defuse looting at shopping center says unrest is sign of participants’ ‘frustration and anger with the nation they live in’
A DeKalb pastor who helped to defuse a burst of looting at a shopping center Sunday said the unrest was a sign of the participants’ “frustration and anger with the nation they live in.”
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Joseph Mitchell, pastor of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, said a friend alerted him to the break-ins happening at a small shopping center a mile north of Northern Illinois University. A video posted by Shaw Media shows a group of young people smashing their way into a liquor store and rushing a nearby tobacco store, though some appear to prevent the looting of an adjoining convenience store.
Mitchell said he went to the scene at the invitation of a police commander. The video shows Mitchell speaking to the crowd through a squad car’s megaphone, telling them: “This is not the way. I agree with you, ‘No justice, no peace,’ but this is not the way. We have to do it another way. This is not it.”
He told the Tribune that relations between DeKalb’s African-American community and police have long been strained — a violent arrest captured on camera last year led to sergeant’s 30-day suspension for violating the department’s use of force policy — and that George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police sparked two demonstrations over the weekend.
He said people at the shopping center eventually heeded his message and stopped looting. Interim police chief John Petragallo did not return a message left at his office.
Mitchell said the episode should serve as another reminder that all is not well in the nation.
“I hope people are paying attention,” he said. “I think people should know you can only be slapped in the face so many times before you demand change. If change is what people want, it’s going to take a lot of time. It’ll take more than marches and conversations. There are institutions and policies that need to be changed to bring equality to our communities. We have to get on board and do this work together.” —John Keilman
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7:16 p.m.: ‘Everything is good here’
In Pilsen, business owners on 18th Street guarded their stores Sunday with the help of friends and customers throughout the day. A group of residents stayed through the night. Community members dropped off food and water for the group.
“This is not a statement against the Black Lives Matter movement, we stand with our Black brothers, but we need to protect our community to avoid more damage, division and hate within our minority communities,” said Roberto Montaño, a longtime Pilsen resident.
In Little Village, a crowd of residents on 26th Street grew through the day after looters attempted to hit some businesses in the heart of the Mexican-American neighborhood. Residents and police intervened and halted the chaos.
Shortly after, leaders of New Life Community Church, who have been working to reduce violence in the area for years, helped to organize residents to guard the streets and to help keep peace within the different groups present. Elizeth Arguelles, a tamale seller and activist, walked the whole 26th Street corridor to check on street vendors after hearing rumors that they had been assaulted.
Many of the street vendors, fearing assaults, closed down and headed home. Arguelles was one of the lead organizers for the Black and Brown Solidarity Caravan protest, demanding justice for George Floyd, but also promoting unity between the black and brown people.
Some groups and police remained on 26th Street until early Monday.
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By 5 a.m., Arguelles was back on the street selling tamales.
“Everything is good here, thank you to everyone who worked together to protect our neighborhood,” she said.
In the Back of the Yards neighborhood, about 50 teens answered a call from Berto Aguayo, leader of Increase the Peace, to help keep the peace until curfew hit Sunday.
On Monday evening, the group gathered again. This time to clean the neighborhood and strategically show presence in the neighborhood to keep looters away, Aguayo said.
More than 200 people, some from the suburbs, dispersed in groups through the Southwest Side with brooms and bags to pick up debris from the looting.
A cop stopped a group to ask what the broom was for and once the group answered, he nodded and thanked them.
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“I can’t stay home and watch this happen without doing anything,” said Andy Carrera, 19, from Melrose Park.
Aguayo said the group will continue to organize to respond to protests and unrest as they develop.
“Let’s not forget why this is happening,” he told volunteers. —Laura Rodriguez
More than 200 community members gather to help clean up different part of the Southwest Side from looting damage. They’ll guard the streets as they clean. Many of them have been protesting, demanding #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd since & pushing for Black & Brown solidarity since Sat. pic.twitter.com/RBQ2tCsXZD — Laura N. Rodríguez Presa (@LAURA_N_ROD) June 1, 2020
6:45 p.m.: ‘Not the mom and pop stores’
Holding nothing but a yellow broom, Lurrie Fuentes left her Cicero home Monday evening to help clean up after looters hit several stores in a strip mall on Cermak Road and Cicero Avenue. Fuentes, who said she currently works from home, said she heard police sirens at 3 p.m. and peeked her head out the window to see what was happening. Fuentes said she saw several cars line up on her residential street with people jumping out.
“It was scary,” she said as police sirens continued to sound outside her home. “I was trying to talk to them and say this isn’t the way to do it, you’re hurting our community.”
Fuentes said she estimates a couple of hundred people ran into the shopping district. She stayed inside at the window.
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“I’m all for the protests, but go against the big corporations not the mom and pop stores,” she said.
Fuentes referred to a nearby El Patron Liquor Store that was looted earlier in the day.
“I’m gonna go help,” she said.
At the liquor store, shattered glass and the remnants of liquor littered the floor creating small pools of mixed drinks. The scent of spiced rum, wine and vodka filled the aisles.
Fuentes began to sweep up broken glass near liquor displays into piles.
Police found two suspects hiding in the store and took them into custody.
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Sandip Patel, owner of the store, stood at the register and surveyed the damage.
“It was bound to happen,” Patel said, shrugging. “We’re all safe. This is replaceable; lives aren’t. America has to build again, so we have to build again.” —Jessica Villagomez
6:41 p.m.: More than 100 people in Glenview protest death of George Floyd: ‘I’m going to use my privilege to speak up’
Car horns and crowd chants blended together Monday afternoon when more than 130 people gathered outside the Glenview Police Department with fists held high in protest.
For at least four hours, protesters stood on the sidewalks and along bustling East Lake Avenue and chanted.
Between chants, the crowd stood silent with homemade signs displaying messages that echoed their chants: “All lives can’t matter until black lives matter,” “No justice no peace,” and “I can’t breathe,” among others.
Members of the group said they were protesting racial injustice and police brutality in light of George Floyd’s May 25 death while in police custody in Minneapolis.
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Jordan Dahiya, a recent Glenbrook South High School graduate, organized the event.
Dahiya said it was important to her, as a person with Native American heritage and white privilege, to stand by black individuals in the fight for justice and start a protest in her community.
“Racism is not only existing, but it’s thriving in America today,” she said. “It’s really important that we exercise our rights to peacefully protest.”
According to Dahiya, Glenbrook South incorporates the importance of civic work into the curriculum. She said she was surprised by the turnout in a predominantly white community and was proud of the way they came together to use their voice.
“These kids know that they’re coming from a place of privilege,” she said. “I’m really proud of the way they’ve internalized what’s going on and they’ve decided enough is enough — I’m not going to use my privilege to stay silent. I’m going to use my privilege to speak up when it really matters.” Read more here. —Kaitlin Edquist
6:35 p.m.: Trump threatens to deploy military as police fire tear gas at peaceful protesters outside White House
President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to deploy the United States military unless states quickly halted the violent protests that have convulsed cities from coast to coast, hours after George Floyd’s brother pleaded for peace, saying destruction is “not going to bring my brother back at all.”
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The competing messages — one conciliatory, one bellicose — came as the U.S. braced for another round of violence at a time when the country is already buckling because of the coronavirus outbreak and the Depression-level unemployment it has caused.
Trump said he was recommending that governors throughout the country deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets.” If governors fail to take action, Trump said, he will deploy the United States military and “quickly solve the problem for them.”
Trump spoke in the Rose Garden minutes after police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of peaceful, chanting protesters gathered in the park across the street from the White House. Read more here. —Associated Press
5:23 p.m. (updated at 7:30 p.m.): Youth-led protest winds miles through city
Hundreds of youth gathered outside Chicago City Hall late Monday afternoon, among them a large group that walked six miles from the Harold Washington Cultural Center.
That group, whose organizers called for a peaceful protest, stopped midway at the Chicago Police Department’s Central District precinct on South State Street and 18th Street, where they were joined by others and confronted with a line of police in helmets, some carrying shields. Demonstrators formed a line of their own facing the officers, and some demanded information on people they believe were arrested at weekend protests. “Where are our loved ones?” they asked. “You can’t kidnap us.”
Many of the young demonstrators showed up after seeing social media posts by the group FourtuneHouse, “Calling all Chicago kids. This is not a riot.” Among their demands: The release of all protesters, police to wear their badges visibly, no denial of public transit, police accountability, and justice for George Floyd “and all those lost and damaged by the American criminal justice system.”
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Other protesters have also focused their attention on police stations, and this effort included another meet up at the 18th District headquarters in the Near North Side. After regrouping at City Hall, the South group headed north over the LaSalle Street bridge, one of the only ways to get across the river downtown with many bridges lifted by the city.
Around 1:45 p.m. at the cultural center, leaders with megaphones asked white participants to stand in between black demonstrators and police, saying, “please use your privilege as an ally to help protect us as a movement.” They told everyone to find out each others’ names, have a partner and protect each other.
Amir Felton, 22, of Chicago Lawn, brought a camera.
“I come from the district of Laquan McDonald, at the time I was the same age as him. Being a black man... I wanted to come out here and support,” he said.
He walked among young people from all over the city, including students at Simeon, Lane Tech and Lincoln Park High Schools.
“People were saying the youth start the riots when half the people were actually adults,” said one high school student. “We’re here to show that youth can be peaceful... there’s a bigger fight to fight outside of school.”
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On the way to the 1st District police headquarters, leaders tried to keep the group on the sidewalk, and a small contingent of police followed in the street, some on foot and others in cars. When demonstrators noticed an officer holding a phone at his side, appearing to aim the camera at the group, they called him out, teasing him for trying to be sneaky with a bright orange phone case.
“That’s why you got a body cam! Make sure it’s on,” said one young man.
As the group approached a checkpoint at Cermak Road, more police cars drove alongside them. Some people in a blue car drove up to one of the police SUVs and someone leaned out an open window to bang on the cop car, prompting two young men with megaphones to run toward the car and ask them to stop. “This is a peaceful protest!” they repeated. And it remained one, as the group moved through the checkpoint, past tan humvees and national guard troops holding batons in addition to Chicago officers.
When the group made it to City Hall, they gathered around an entrance, where several people spoke and led chants like the ones they’d bellowed on the way there: “Black Lives Matter.” They repeated “George Floyd,” and the names of other black Americans killed by police. “I will participate in a peaceful protest,” they changed. “I will no longer stand for police violence. I will no longer stand for white supremacy. I will not be silenced.”
Cory Scott, 35, of Hyde Park, addressed the crowd with a megaphone. When he’s studied the civil rights movement, it always amazes him that in the 50s and 60s so many of the leaders were young people.
He was 15 years old when he first watched news reports of a fatal shooting by police. Now he has found a purpose in supporting youth activists, “so they don’t have to live the nightmare I’ve had to live my entire life.”
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“It’s important for my generation to support these young people who have the energy, who have the passion, but we have become tired. This type of dehumanization and injustice is tiring, and so we need young people, we need their energy, we need their blood, and that’s the message that I’m out here to support.” —Hannah Leone
4:49 p.m.: Pritzker deploys Illinois National Guard troops to the suburbs
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is deploying the Illinois National Guard troops to the suburbs to help restore order following violent clashes on Sunday night.
The activation of about 250 additional troops comes after governor ordered 375 service members, all of whom have training as military police officers, to help with crowd control in Chicago.
Troops will be deployed to the suburbs and other parts of the state in platoons of 30 to 40 members.
“This is a mission for the national guard that we find most distasteful,” Neely said Monday. “But we answer the call.”
Lightfoot had asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker to send the guard to help quell the violence, the first time Chicago has made such a request since Mayor Richard J. Daley brought troops in to police the Democratic National Convention in 1968. Read more here. —Stacy St. Clair
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4:47 p.m.: Pritzker announces a disaster proclamation for several Illinois counties
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced he was issuing a disaster proclamation for several Illinois counties, including Cook County, on Monday to assist local governments with disaster response and recovery operations.
Amid continuing fallout from the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in police custody, Pritzker also said he is calling up 250 additional Illinois National Guard members. That’s in addition to 375 National Guard members assisting local law enforcement with street closures in Chicago over the weekend.
An additional 300 Illinois State Police troopers are also being activated Monday to “focus on preventative measures and supporting local law enforcement agencies “where departments are running thin.”
“It is difficult to put into words the damage that has happened to our communities over the weekend,” Pritzker said in a news conference Monday.
The affected counties are Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties in the Chicago region, Madison County near St. Louis and Macon County, which includes Decatur. —Jamie Munks
4:44 p.m.: Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart: Carry on peaceful protesters, but looters and arsonists will go to jail
Sheriff Tom Dart on Monday delivered a two-pronged message: Peaceful protestors should carry on, but looters and vandals will find there’s plenty of space for them at the jail.
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“To the peaceful protestors, please continue your peaceful protests," Dart said, referring to people hitting the streets to condemn the police killing of George Floyd.
“You have every right to do that. You are justified in doing so. It was a horrific thing that occurred in Minneapolis. Please continue your peaceful protests to have these issues raised in the appropriate way so change can happen.”
“But what we can’t do is we can’t conflate that with people who are affirmatively committing criminal acts on purpose,” Dart continued. "Their only goal is to utilize these groups of peaceful protestors for their own criminal acts.”
“For individuals committing violent acts, we will find space for you at jail,” the sheriff added. "We will make sure that there is a place available for them. ... I just want that to be clear. Just because of the issues with COVID, it doesn’t mean that there’s an ability where people are going to be able to walk free. That’s not going to happen.”
Dart said that, as of Monday morning, 110 people had been sent to the jail who were arrested in connection with the Floyd fallout. Fifty bonded out after posting bail, but 60 were being held because they didn’t have bail money or were ordered held without bond. More arrestees are expected, he added. Read more here. —Hal Dardick
4:26 p.m.: Hundred march to Illinois Capitol
Hundreds of people marched to the Illinois Capitol in downtown Springfield Monday chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe.”
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On the Capitol steps, near the statue of Abraham Lincoln, several speakers took the microphone and called for the peaceful protest of police brutality a week after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
The Springfield gathering on Monday afternoon followed a Black Lives Matter vehicle procession through the capital city on Sunday that drew thousands.
Some Capitol complex offices closed early on Monday afternoon, at 2 p.m., before the start of the 3 p.m. protests. The move was made “out of an abundance of caution and after conferring with law enforcement,” said Henry Haupt, a spokesman for the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office.
Haupt said Monday morning that graffiti was spray painted at some point Sunday on the state Herndon Building, and a window was broken at a “guard shack” on Capitol grounds. —Jamie Munks
4:24 p.m.: Chicago hospitals cancel appointments after weekend unrest
Several Chicago-area health systems canceled patient appointments Monday following a violent weekend and disruptions to public transit schedules.
University of Chicago Medicine closed all of its outpatient centers Monday, including those in Orland Park, the South Loop, River East, River North, South Shore and the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine in Hyde Park. The system also canceled all elective surgeries and closed curbside testing for COVID-19 at its Orland Park and Hyde Park locations for the day.
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University of Chicago Medicine’s emergency departments remained open, and it continued to treat and accept patients for overnight care.
The system enacted the closures and cancellations “out of an abundance of caution,” according to an email sent by the system’s incident commander to faculty and staff Sunday evening. Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
3:51 p.m.: George Floyd’s brother pleads for peace in the streets as President Trump takes a combative tone
George Floyd’s brother pleaded for peace in the streets Monday, saying destruction is “not going to bring my brother back at all,” while President Donald Trump berated most of the nation’s governors as “weak” for not cracking down harder on the lawlessness that has convulsed cities from coast to coast.
The competing messages — one conciliatory, one bellicose — came as the U.S. braced for another round of violence at a time when the country is already buckling because of the coronavirus outbreak and the Depression-level unemployment it has caused.
“We are a country that is scared,” said Sam Page, county executive in St. Louis County, Missouri, where the city of Ferguson has been synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement since the 2014 death of Michael Brown, a black 18-year-old, during a confrontation with a white officer. “We are a country that is angry. And we are a country that is holding out for the promise of justice for all.”
In Minneapolis, Floyd’s brother, Terrence, made an emotional plea at the site where Floyd was pinned to the pavement by an officer who put his knee on the handcuffed black's man neck for several minutes.
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“Let’s switch it up, y’all. Let’s switch it up. Do this peacefully, please," Terrence Floyd said. Read more here. —Associated Press
3:42 p.m.: ‘Where are our loved ones?’
Walked with group of youth from Harold Washington Cultural Center to CPD precinct at 18th/State. “This is not a riot,” they chanted on the peaceful way here - nearly 3.5 miles. Now they want information on people they believe were arrested at protests. “Where are our loved ones?” pic.twitter.com/kPokQb9KI3 — Hannah Leone (@HannahMLeone) June 1, 2020
3:38 p.m.: Activists demand release of poet, activist arrested in Hyde Park
A group of activists held a news conference Monday afternoon outside the Wentworth District Police Station, 5101 S. Wentworth Ave., calling for the release of protesters who were arrested over the weekend.
More than 100 people gathered, many of them carrying ”Free Malcolm London” signs. London, a Chicago activist and poet, was arrested Sunday during a protest in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Those at the news conference said he was beaten by police when they apprehended him.
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, 33rd, said London and other protesters were denied access to legal counsel immediately following their arrests.
Sanchez said she went to the police station Sunday night and that lawyers who were representing those arrested were not allowed inside the police station until she showed her alderman badge.
“That means if you don’t have an Alderman who’s going to show up with a badge and they don’t know that you’re in there, you’re going to stay in there without legal counsel,” she said.
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London’s attorney, Brendan Shiller, said in an interview that London was attending the protest at 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue Sunday evening and things were peaceful. Police arrived and appeared to directly target London and another protester, they got aggressive, tried to provoke them, and started beating them, Shiller said.
London and a few others were taken into custody. Shiller got to the Wentworth District Station at 7:45 p.m. Sunday and for two hours those there were told that none of the arrested activists were present there.
After aldermen and people in the Lightfoot administration made phone calls to the district commander, police admitted two of them were present, but not London. It took another two hours for them to find out he was at St. Bernard Hospital with bruises and cuts to his arms and face and eventually Shiller was able to get in in to see the other protesters.
Police released the other protesters without charges after 200 to 300 activists showed up at the police station, Shiller said.
A police spokeswoman said in an email later that “We can confirm we have someone by that name in custody. We cannot confirm any other details until charges are finalized.”
Police are pursuing felony aggravated battery charges against London, Shiller said, but Shiller believes they will be rejected and police will instead charge London with a misdemeanor, which doesn’t have to go through the state’s attorney’s office.
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At the news conference, Vic Mensa, a famous Chicago rapper, called for the ”immediate release” of London and said that many protesters yesterday were beaten with batons and ”brutalized” by police.
”It’s been four or five years since we marched in the streets and were beaten by police after the murder of Laquan McDonald, and as you can see, ain’t nothing changed,” he said.
”Don’t ask us to show restraint when restraint and humanity are not given to us and not shown to us.” —Javonte Anderson and Megan Crepeau
3:24 p.m.: Protesters chanting ‘I can’t breathe’ moved through downtown Naperville
A group of protesters chanting “I can’t breathe” moved through downtown Naperville Monday afternoon in a rally to draw attention to the death of George Floyd and the issue of police racism and violence targeting black people.
The event had been expected and, as a precaution, extra police were present and business windows covered in wood against the potential for violence, which has racked Chicago, Aurora, several suburban towns and cities across the country. Read more here. —Suzanne Baker and Erin Hegarty
3:21 p.m.: Police superintendent visits scene of confrontation between police, protesters
Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown visited the scene where a City Sports had been looted earlier overnight and spoke with officers and other people at the scene, according to police.
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Brown “visited with officers and community members at 71st & Jeffrey in the” Grand Crossing District according to a tweet from police. “These officers have been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of residents in the neighborhood during these protests.”
Earlier, both individuals and reporters posted video to social media of officers lining the sidewalk near the City Sports, with protesters questioning whether people were being detained in the basement of the store. It wasn’t immediately clear what the resolution was, although by later in the afternoon, the scene was peaceful. —Chicago Tribune staff
Superintendent @ChiefDavidBrown visited with officers and community members at 71st & Jeffrey in the @ChicagoCAPS03 District. These officers have been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of residents in the neighborhood during these protests. pic.twitter.com/QL1UGD7Lw2 — Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) June 1, 2020
3:20 p.m.: Federal authorities accuse Galesburg man of traveling to Chicago with homemade bombs, charge him with inciting a riot
An Illinois man arrested in Chicago over the weekend had homemade bombs in his car and had been seen on videos posted on the internet participating in the looting and rioting in both Minneapolis and Chicago, according to federal charges filed Monday.
Matthew Rupert, 28, of Galesburg, was charged in U.S. District Court in Minnesota with inciting a riot and possession of an explosive device, court records show.
Rupert was arrested by Chicago police early Sunday for allegedly violating the mayor’s emergency curfew order. Police found several homemade explosive devices in his car, according to a seven-page criminal complaint. Officers also found a hammer, a “heavy-duty” flashlight, and cash, the complaint alleged.
Rupert will likely have an initial appearance at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, when a judge could order his removal to Minnesota to face the charges. Read more here. —Jason Meisner
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3:10 p.m.: Chicago marijuana dispensaries close indefinitely
The bulletproof security glass inside Mission South Shore marijuana dispensary was supposed to be impenetrable. But it gave way Sunday afternoon to looters armed with crowbars and baseball bats.
They smashed through the front door first, then hacked away at the security glass, said Kris Krane, president and co-founder of 4Front Ventures, which owns the dispensary in the South Chicago neighborhood. Everything of value was taken, including the marijuana.
“The store’s been pretty much ransacked,” said Krane, who watched security camera footage of 30 or 40 people breaking into the dispensary. “Nothing was going to hold that many people back."
Every dispensary in Chicago is closed indefinitely to prevent or clean up from weekend looting and vandalizing, fallout from George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis last week. The closures could cause problems for medical patients whose supplies run low.
All the staff members at Mission left before the looters arrived, Krane said. The dispensary shut down as neighboring businesses were looted and the situation appeared unsafe. It was boarded up Monday morning, and will be closed until further notice. Read more here. —Ally Marotti
2:48 p.m.: CPS chief releases statement about death of George Floyd
Janice Jackson, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, has released an unusually personal statement reflecting on the death of George Floyd while in police custody.
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Jackson, who was named head of the district in 2017, said she was addressing CPS families “as the mother of a black boy who is worried for him, and the millions of other black boys in our country.
”I worry that when he leaves our home to ride bikes with his friends, he will come back to me as a headline, a hashtag, a rallying cry—an Ahmaud, a Breonna, a George," she continued.
“My mother raised me to never bring up a problem without a solution, but today, I can only share with you my hurt and sorrow for our community. Tomorrow and in the days and weeks to come, we will have to have some real and difficult conversations about the worth of a person — not only in death but also in life.” Read her full statement here.
2:32 p.m.: Attorney says family-commissioned autopsy shows George Floyd died of ‘asphyxia due to neck and back compression’
An autopsy commissioned for George Floyd’s family found that he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression when a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes and ignored his cries of distress, the family’s attorneys said Monday.
The autopsy by a doctor who also examined Eric Garner’s body found the compression cut off blood to Floyd’s brain, and weight on his back made it hard to breathe, attorney Ben Crump said at a news conference.
The family’s autopsy differs from the official autopsy as described in a criminal complaint against the officer. That autopsy included the effects of being restrained, along with underlying health issues and potential intoxicants in Floyd’s system, but also said it found nothing “to support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.” Read more here. —Associated Press
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2:12 p.m.: Protesters return to Waukegan to focus on message after looters take over weekend demonstrations
Protesters returned to a Waukegan plaza Monday after a peaceful march Sunday evening was taken over by hundreds of looters who targeted businesses and damaged property, city and county officials said.
About 50 to 75 people gathered at the Waukegan Plaza at West Glen Flora and North Lewis avenues, some holding Black Lives Matter signs, to push back against the violence and to attempt to refocus attention on systemic police brutality.
The protests in Waukegan and other Lake County communities follow a sweep of civil unrest across the country in the wake of the in-custody death of George Floyd.
Waukegan Plaza was hit particularly hard by looters Sunday night, Mayor Sam Cunningham said.
“The small business that really supported this community the last three months” during the COVID-19 pandemic — just “got really trashed,” he said.
Cunningham drew a strong distinction between the protesters who led a march east down Grand Avenue from Green Bay Road to the city’s downtown and those behind the looting that followed later that night. Read more here. —Emily K. Coleman
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1:37 p.m.: Protests erupting across the nation are threatening to upend efforts by health officials to contain the spread of coronavirus
Protests erupting across the nation over the past week — and law enforcement’s response to them — are threatening to upend efforts by health officials to track and contain the spread of coronavirus just as those efforts were finally getting underway.
Health experts need newly infected people to remember and recount everyone they've interacted with over several days in order to alert others who may have been exposed, and prevent them from spreading the disease further. But that process, known as contact tracing, relies on people knowing who they’ve been in contact with — a daunting task if they’ve been to a mass gathering.
And the process relies on something that may suddenly be in especially short supply: Trust in government. Read more here. —Associated Press
1:12 p.m.: In a cascade of online statements, Chicago theaters say they stand in solidarity with protesters
In the wake of the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and with their own stages silenced by COVID-19, many Chicago theaters have used their social-media channels to decry racism and support the protest movements.
The statements vary in tone and content but, as these samples reveal, expressed many common themes.
“We are witnessing the effects of institutionalized racism all over the country and the fires, looting, anger and self-hatred that has materialized bears witness to the fact that we must destroy institutionalized racism or it will destroy all of us,” wrote Jackie Taylor, the founder, CEO and president of the Black Ensemble Theatre, a 44-year-old theater with a consistent mission to “eradicate racism.”
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Taylor also wrote that: “to be treated fairly and with dignity is the essence of our human spirit and we must protect the human spirit – without it, we will not survive.” Read more here. —Chris Jones
12:53 p.m.: Joliet imposes curfew after unrest follows peaceful protests
Joliet mayor Bob O’Dekirk wrote on Facebook that he would announce a curfew after a dose of unrest followed peaceful demonstrations Sunday.
He said several stores, including a Target, Ross Dress for Less and Marshalls, were subjected to break-in attempts, but that police intervened quickly and made numerous arrests. Firefighters also put out a fire set at a grocery store, he said.
He said many who participated in the mayhem appeared to come from outside Joliet, and had no apparent agenda other than causing chaos.
“The mob threw rocks, bottles, pieces of asphalt and (firecrackers) at our officers,” he wrote. “I saw every police and firefighter act professional the entire time.” —John Keilman
12:45 p.m.: Suburban stores remain closed Monday following looting, fears of looting
The doors of the Best Buy in Downers Grove remained covered in plywood Monday after the electronics store was hit by up to 50 looters Sunday afternoon, one of several dramatic episodes of theft and destruction in the suburbs in the wake of police brutality protests.
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The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said “hundreds of looters” struck Waukegan and Beach Park Sunday night, and some damaged police vehicles after a day of peaceful demonstrations. In Oak Brook, a group tried to burglarize the Neiman Marcus at Oak Brook Mall early Sunday by throwing a cinder block through a window, but were unsuccessful, the village said.
The Oak Brook Mall otherwise escaped looting, the village said, but it was nonetheless ringed with police vehicles Sunday afternoon, and had orange and white barriers blocking the entrances Monday morning. The village announced on its Facebook page that the mall would remain closed for the day “due to the possibility of further civil unrest.”
Aside from the Best Buy, DuPage County prosecutors don’t know of any other looting incidents.
Down Butterfield Road, the Yorktown Center, which also closed Sunday as a precaution, had heavy trucks blocking its entrances. But most of the strip malls and chain stores along the road remained open Monday, including Home Depot and Costco.
Authorities in several DuPage County communities had warned Sunday about caravans of people allegedly causing damage along the retail corridors of Butterfield and Roosevelt roads. But few looting incidents were confirmed aside from the Best Buy in Downers Grove.
Police spokesman Bill Budds said authorities were notified about 3 p.m. Sunday that 30 to 50 people had rushed the store to grab merchandise. Staff members were able to escape and no injuries were reported, he said.
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“It was obviously a pretty targeted event ... they knew what they were doing,” he said.
The thieves fled quickly and no arrests have been made, but Budds said police were reviewing video related to the incident. —John Keilman
12:44 p.m.: Gov. J.B. Pritzker accuses President Trump of ‘inflammatory’ rhetoric amid unrest that followed George Floyd’s death. Trump’s response: ‘I don’t like your rhetoric much either.’
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday told President Donald Trump that he’s been “extraordinarily concerned” about Trump’s rhetoric in the wake of unrest that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police, and urged the president to call for calm.
“It’s been inflammatory, and it’s not OK for that officer to choke George Floyd to death. But we have to call for calm. We have to have police reform called for,” Pritzker said to the president, according to a transcript of the Monday morning call between Trump and governors.
“We’ve called out our National Guard and our State Police, but the rhetoric that’s coming out of the White House is making it worse. And I need to say that people are feeling real pain out there and we’ve got to have national leadership in calling for calm and making sure that we’re addressing the concerns of the legitimate peaceful protesters. That will help us to bring order,” Pritzker said.
Trump responded by criticizing Pritzker’s rhetoric and his response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the transcript. Trump and Pritzker clashed repeatedly over the past several months over the pandemic, as Pritzker has sharply criticized the Trump administration’s response.
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“I don’t like your rhetoric much either because I watched it with respect to the coronavirus, and I don’t like your rhetoric much either,” Trump said to Pritzker. “I think you could’ve done a much better job, frankly. But that’s OK. And you know, we don’t agree with each other.” Read more here. —Jamie Munks
12:16 p.m.: Sports store looted in South Shore, cops guard cellphone store as neighbors work to clean up
City Sports, a clothing and shoe store on 71st Street near Jeffery Boulevard, was one of the latest scenes of looting. The windows were broken with shattered glass, and hangers and shoe boxes spilling out onto the street.
Across the street, a group of volunteers gathered in the Jefferey Plaza parking lot on the South Side of 71 st Street to begin cleaning up.
“We were hoping whatever damage was done was done. And we could come clean up,” Ibrahim Okoe, 38, said.
The inside of City Sports was in shambles. Mannequins were toppled over, and the counter was smashed.
By 10 a.m., police had set up yellow caution tape around the sports, and police officers stood guard in front of the store.
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Despite the damage, people were still arriving at the store looking for free clothes and shoes.
“They took everything,” an officer told a citizen.
As the morning passed, looters tried to break into the Boost Mobile store on 71st Street just east of City Sports and a large group of police officers responded. More than two dozen officers, wearing helmets and face shields, and carrying batons stood by. —Javonte Anderson
12:15 p.m.: Lightfoot, Brown deny claims that police stood by as stores were looted
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police Superintendent David Brown defended the city from criticism that police officers didn’t do enough to intervene in looting. Both officials denied there was any stand down order. To the contrary, Lightfoot said, the city arrested hundreds of looters and took 64 guns off the street.
“That’s not standing by,” Lightfoot said.But Lightfoot also acknowledged that the looting spread so far and fast that the police force couldn’t have stopped it all even if it was four times larger.“
People unfortunately believed they could act in a lawless manner without any regard for their neighbors,” Lightfoot said.
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The mayor also passionately denounced the impact looters have on their community, particularly in struggling neighborhoods on the South and West Side.
“When you loot a business, you’re not just taking goods. You’re destroying someone’s dreams. Those small businesses sacrificed and saved money to have their dream realized, they hired employees from your neighborhood to serve you,” Lightfoot said. “You took their hope and destroyed it.”
“God help us all if we believe that we can express our pain by destroying the hopes and dreams and the livelihoods and the fortunes of others,” she added. “That’s not the way. That is just not the way.”
Asked about vigilantes standing guard in neighborhoods, Lightfoot discouraged people from arming themselves and protecting their businesses.
“Do not pick up arms and try to be police,” Lightfoot said. “If there’s a problem, call 911. We will respond.” —Gregory Pratt
12:13 p.m.: Oakbrook Center remains closed after looting threats
Oakbrook Center remained closed Monday, after closing early Sunday because of a threat of looting that was widespread in the Chicago area over the weekend in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
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Oak Brook Police Chief James Kruger said Monday that a decision on opening the mall again will be evaluated on a daily basis by mall management in conjunction with Oak Book police.
Kruger said the only actual property damage Sunday at Oakbrook Center was a brick being thrown through a window of Nieman Marcus. Read more here. —Chuck Fieldman
12:10 p.m.: Unrest prompts Chicago Public Schools to suspend meal pickup, but restaurants step in to help
Chicago Public Schools temporarily closed its “grab and go” free meal sites Monday due to unrest in the city. But home delivery of meals continues, and officials hope to restart meal pickup on Tuesday, though that remains uncertain.
CEO Janice Jackson announced the suspension at a news conference Monday saying the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” to protect workers, students and families.
She emphasized that delivery of about 18,000 meals a day would continue, and that anyone in need of emergency food delivery may call 773-553-KIDS (5437).
“This is an emergency,” Jackson said. “I hope that it’s just one day. We will continue to monitor the situation and see how things progress.”
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Jackson also said that teachers should be addressing the ongoing violence in the city in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd following his arrest by police in Minneapolis, calling the situation a “crisis.”
“I don’t think any teacher worth their salt needs me to tell them that this is a unique time and we have to stop and we have to actually talk to students and help them understand what’s going on,” she said. “That’s what’s going to be happening throughout this city today.”
After Chicago Public Schools announced the change, some restaurants, churches and food banks stepped up to help. Here is a running list of restaurants serving free lunch to CPS students and their families. If you want to be included in this list, please email us at food@chicagotribune.com.
Bohkeh This cocktail bar and restaurant will provide free lunch to kids in Albany Park and its surrounding neighborhoods from noon until it runs out. They ask that everyone wear masks and maintain social distance. 4716 N. Kedzie Ave., 773-754-0129, bohkehchicago.com
Paulie Gee’s Logan Square The pizzeria will be making more than 350 pizzas for CPS kids before boarding up the restaurant at 1 p.m. 2451 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-360-1072, pauliegee.com
Urban Grill Chicago This Uptown restaurant will offer free lunch to any CPS student who walks in between noon and 3 p.m. Choose from a hot dog with fries or five boneless wings with fries. People can also opt to sponsor a meal via Zelle. 1132 W. Wilson Ave., 773-754-7137, urbangrillchicago.com
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Mi Tocaya Antojeria This Mexican restaurant is giving out 350 meals, starting at 11 a.m.. “Our restaurant is an antojeria made to make/share food of our heritage. To honor our ancestors, pay homage to the women whom created it and most importantly made with LOVE,” according to an Instagram post. 2800 W. Logan Boulevard, 872-315-3947, mitocaya.com
Cesar’s Killer Margaritas This Tex-Mex restaurant will have boxed meals available for pickup from 2:30-4:30 p.m. They ask that patrons practice social distancing and wear a face mask. 3166 N. Clark St., 773-248-2835, killermargaritasclark.com
Humboldt Park Montessori Bagged lunches offered for families from 12:15 p.m. until they run out. 2540 W. Division St., 312-613-7115, humboldtparkmontessori.com
A Just Harvest This Rogers Park food pantry is providing free hot meals from noon to 2 p.m. 7653 N. Paulina St., 773-262-2297, ajustharvest.org
—Robert McCoppin, Grace Wong
12:05 p.m.: Chicago federal courthouse closed to the public after weekend violence
The federal courthouse in downtown Chicago was closed to the public Monday after a weekend that saw widespread looting and violence in the Loop.
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According to an order posted on the district court web site, the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse would be “closed to all public access Monday,” though the public and members of the media would be allowed to listen in by telephone to court proceedings using a call-in number provided in the case docket.
The move marked the first full closure of the courthouse at 219 S. Dearborn St. since court proceedings were largely curtailed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer has suspended all jury trials until at least August, but the building had remained open during normal business hours.
The court calendar for Monday showed only 10 judges had cases on their call, and that most were simple status hearings.
While the order does not state the reason for the court closure, many businesses near the courthouse were struck by looting and property damage as protests against killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota turned violent.
Among the establishments that were destroyed was Central Camera, a Loop fixture since 1899 that is about a block from the courthouse. A nearby 7-Eleven was also ransacked on Saturday. —Jason Meisner
11:45 a.m.: Evanston police to increase patrols after looting at retail stores
Evanston police plan to increase patrols in retail corridors after thousands gathered for a peaceful protest Sunday afternoon followed by evening burglary and shoplifting incidents at three local stores.
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Evanston Police Commander Brian Henry estimated that as many as 5,000 people marched from the intersection of Church Street and Ridge Avenue to Evanston Township High School Sunday afternoon.
“The protest was great,” said Evanston Police Commander Brian Henry. "In the 20 years I’ve been with Evanston police it was by far the biggest protest, rally, march I’ve seen.”
The rally was organized “in solidarity with black people” and to “demand justice for black lives,” according to the Evanston Fight For Black Lives event Facebook page.
Later Sunday evening, police responded to incidents that Henry said were not related to the day’s organized protest.
Seven people are currently in custody after they were arrested for looting the Best Buy store on Howard Street about 7 p.m., Henry said. Ten to 15 cars of people pulled up to Best Buy to burglarize it. Detectives are working to press charges, Henry said.
The Walgreens store in the 2100 block of Green Bay Road also was looted about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Henry said.
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Target on Howard Street experienced a mass shoplifting event about 7 p.m., where dozens of people came in, grabbed items and ran out, said Henry and Evanston Police Commander Ryan Glew.
Henry said Evanston police will have “a lot of high visibility patrol” in the upcoming days, especially in the downtown and Howard Street business corridors. No closures or curfews have been ordered and all essential city services are continuing. Read more here. —Genevieve Bookwalter
11:22 a.m.: Lightfoot doubles down on comments about Trump from last week
Lightfoot also doubled down on her comments about President Donald Trump from Friday, when she said her message to him “begins with F and it ends with U.”
Lightfoot’s comments were an apparent response to Trump tweeting a message that included, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” in reply to rioting in Minneapolis and elsewhere following the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck while he was in custody. Lightfoot said the president cannot be allowed to divide and destabilize the country.
“He wants to show failures on the part of Democratic local leaders, to throw red meat to his base,” Lightfoot said on Friday.
“His goal is to polarize, to destabilize local government and inflame racist urges. We can absolutely not let him prevail. And I will code what I really want to say to Donald Trump. It’s two words. It begins with F and it ends with U.”
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Asked about it on Monday, Lightfoot said, “Anyone who is fomenting violence is doing wrong and we need to stand up united against that. —Gregory Pratt
11:13 a.m.: Clean-up begins in downtown Aurora the day after protests turned violent
Storefronts along Broadway in downtown Aurora were boarded up and volunteers swept up broken glass Monday morning, after looting and clashes between protesters and police the previous night.
Some volunteers lived nearby and came to help. Some had been at the protests.Among the volunteers was a group of college students.
“It’s our town," Aurora University student Edgar Perez said. “I mean, I grew up here. I was raised here.” Read more here. —Sarah Freishtat
11 a.m.: Lootings spread into neighborhoods as Chicago sees one of its most violent weekends with more than 80 shot
After two straight nights of looting in Chicago, the scene almost seemed normal.
A man waited across the street as officers sped down Division Street and scattered looters from a Target store that had its glass doors shattered.
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After the last unmarked police SUV drove away around midnight Monday, the man walked into the Wicker Park Target and spent several minutes inside. He came out with just one box of beer and passed it around to a handful of others standing outside.
With downtown Chicago cordoned off by the National Guard, violence spread into the neighborhoods Sunday night and early Tuesday as clashes with police continued after the death of George Floyd while under arrest in Minneapolis last week.
Throughout the night, police received call after call of lootings, shootings and fires on all sides of the city. There were several “10-1″ calls for officers in immediate need of help. It capped a weekend that was one of the most violent in recent years in Chicago, with more than 80 people shot, nearly 20 of them killed. Read more here. —Paige Fry
10:59 a.m.: Downtown Naperville businesses are boarding up windows as a precaution
Businesses in downtown Naperville, including the Apple store and Hugo’s Frog Bar, have boarded up their windows in case potential protests Monday shift to destruction and rioting.
Two peaceful rallies were held in Naperville over the weekend to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and police violence against black people, and to combat racism in the community. As of Monday morning there was no apparent property damage in downtown Naperville. Read more here. —Erin Hegarty and Suzanne Baker
10:50 a.m.: Lightfoot denies city favored downtown over neighborhoods while protecting against looting
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot denied that the city prioritized protecting the Loop over neighborhoods on the South and West sides over the weekend and promised to help rebuild.
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“There is no way, no way, we would ever let any neighborhood receive more resources and protection than any others. Ever,” Lightfoot said. “That certainly didn’t happen over the course of the weekend.”
Lightfoot said the criticism is offensive to her as a black woman and added: “We did not stand by and let the South and West sides burn as some are propagating.”
Lightfoot made her comments after protests over the death of George Floyd, who died at the hands of Minneapolis police, led to nationwide protests and civil unrest, including widespread looting and some arson. The city shut down most access to Chicago’s downtown on Sunday after protestors burned and looted business in the Loop, and looting migrated to South and West Side neighborhoods.
Chicago officials deployed across the city but were overwhelmed, she said, as the city received 65,000 calls in a 24-hour period, 50,000 more than typical day.
"The fact is, the violence that we saw and the looting we saw spread like a wildfire,” Lightfoot said.
The mayor called it an “exceedingly difficult and at times scary weekend for all of us” but tried to strike a positive tone.
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“We made a lot of hard decisions over the weekend and I know some of them were challenging for people,” Lightfoot said. “But I also have hope today on how we will move forward and heal as a city.” Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
10:47 a.m.: No, Lincoln Park Zoo animals were not set loose in Sunday’s looting
The animals are all right.
“All animals at Lincoln Park Zoo are accounted for and safe,” the north side Chicago zoo found it necessary to announce Monday.
“There were no break-ins, thefts, or incidents last night. Images circulating, claiming to be of Lincoln Park Zoo animals out of their habitats, are false.”
Social media posts amidst the social unrest caused by protests and looting around the city and suburbs purported to show animals, including penguins and a hippo, on the loose.
There was significant skepticism about the images on sites including Facebook, but they are believed to have circulated widely, prompting the zoo to issue the extraordinary statement.
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"In addressing the topic, the zoo said it was responding to concerned messages it had received from “friends of wildlife.” —Steve Johnson
10:04 a.m.: Metra out of service on Monday, and CTA, Pace impose service cutbacks as George Floyd fallout continues
Metra is out of service on Monday, while the CTA and Pace are imposing multiple service cutbacks after a weekend of mass looting and violent clashes with police downtown and in other areas.
While CTA trains and buses resumed running as of 6 a.m., service was limited in a wide area, not just downtown, according to its website.
CTA bus service is not running between Western Avenue and the lakefront and between Fullerton Avenue and 47th Street.
On the CTA "L" trains, Red Line service is not operating from Belmont Avenue to 47th Street; Blue Line service was suspended from Western Avenue on the O’Hare branch to Western on the Forest Park branch; both the Brown Line and the Purple Line express are suspended between the Loop and Belmont; Green Line service is suspended between California Avenue and 47th; and the Orange Line is suspended between the Loop and 35th Street and Archer Avenue, the agency said. Read more here. — Mary Wisniewski
7:30 a.m.: Aurora’s police chief joined peaceful protests. Rioters wreaked havoc in the downtown hours later.
The state’s second largest city erupted into chaos Sunday night, as rioters in west suburban Aurora looted stores and set a series of fires around a downtown area already financially devastated by the coronavirus lockdown.
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Police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd, which swelled to about 500 people at its height. Some onlookers, in turn, hurled chunks of concrete and other objects at officers, shrouding the message of nonviolence urged earlier that day during peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
In addition to plundering local businesses, the crowd set fire to three police cars, a bank drive-thru and a Family Dollar retail store. Many onlookers cheered as a gas tank on one of the squad cars exploded and flames engulfed the entire vehicle. Read more here. —Megan Jones and Stacy St. Clair
6:50 a.m.: Access remains restricted to Chicago’s Loop and downtown, CTA buses and trains running elsewhere
Access remained restricted to the Loop and Chicago's central business district Monday morning after a weekend of mass looting and violent clashes with police.
While CTA trains and buses resumed running across the city at 6 a.m., they were bypassing stops in the Loop and downtown. The transit agency said it would post updates throughout the day at transitchicago.com throughout the day.
The mayor’s office said access to the Loop and downtown will only be granted to people who work for businesses there or live there or who are "engaged in essential activities ... The Chicago Police Department will remain strategically deployed in full force throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods. Read more here.
6:30 a.m.: George Floyd fallout in Chicago: Downtown locked down, unrest spreads to South, West sides and some suburbs
As Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot requested the Illinois National Guard be brought in to prevent a second night of downtown violence and looting, the chaos spilled into some city neighborhoods and continued to overshadow the urgent message conveyed during peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
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Store owners reported plundering in parts of the South and West sides throughout Sunday afternoon, as well as in suburban towns such as Calumet City and North Riverside, where one person was shot. Chicago had not released any Sunday arrests total by early evening, as the Police Department struggled to keep pace. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt, Jessica Villagomez, Jeremy Gorner, Annie Sweeney, Todd Lighty, Stacy St. Clair, William Lee, Morgan Greene and Megan Jones