Post-Pride celebrations in Chicago lead to at least 50 arrests – NBC Chicago

More than 50 people were arrested when unrest broke out during post-Pride celebrations early Monday, hours after the Chicago Pride Parade ended, authorities said.

Chicago police previously said a “mass arrest” took place after an “active” scene was reported shortly before 1:30 a.m. in the 3000 block of North Clark Street. Authorities said objects were thrown at police and several officers were injured.

Video showed a massive police presence in the area with dozens of officers responding and streets blocked off.

Police arrested people in connection with a number of crimes, including aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault on a public transit employee and armed habitual felon.

In a series of posts on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the CPD explained what happened — and said a large police presence remained on scene after the event to address large groups of people gathered.

“We thank our officers for upholding their commitment to keeping our city safe…” the CPD said in part. “Without the responsiveness and attentiveness of the men and women of CPD, residents, businesses and visitors in this area of ​​the city would likely have faced increased criminal activity into the early morning hours.”

Ahead of the parade, Chicago police canceled officers' days off to ensure the department has enough staff across the city, Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said.

Organizers made several changes to the parade this year at the request of police ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August.

The changes include an earlier start time and a shorter route for the parade. At a news conference Friday, the superintendent said police were concerned about large crowds gathering in the hours after the parade and those looking to cause trouble.

“I'm here to tell you this will not be tolerated,” Snelling said. “We're going to put a stop to this and if arrests need to be made, we will.”