Since Saturday, May 30, Chicago has been under curfew from 9pm to 6am, which was imposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in response to protests, vandalism and some instances of looting throughout the city. This afternoon, Lightfoot announced via Twitter that the curfew has been lifted, effective immediately, lauding residents for "working together to navigate this challenging time."
Protests and demonstrations in response to the killings of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police and Breonna Taylor by Louisville police have continued throughout Chicago (and around the world) this weekend, drawing thousands of residents to streets and parks. On Saturday, June 6, a march organized by a group called Activate: Chi drew an estimated 30,000 people, according to a report from Block Club Chicago, beginning in Union Park before moving north to Cabrini-Green, the former site of one of the city's largest public housing projects.
Chicago's curfew was seemingly imposed to keep protesters off of the city's streets at night and to curb looting and vandalism, which broke out throughout the city amid peaceful protests in the Loop on Saturday, May 30. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois called for curfews throughout the state to be lifted in a press release distributed ahead of the weekend, noting that "curfews are a blunt tool that invite unnecessary police interactions and often result in arbitrary and selective enforcement aimed at Black people and people of color, the type of biased policing challenged by many protesters."
Over the weekend, the city limited vehicular access to the Loop, closing down a portion of Lake Shore Drive, raising bridges across the Chicago River and restricting non-essential traffic throughout sections of the River North, the West Loop, the South Loop and the Loop. The city maintained CTA service downtown over the weekend and opened Grant Park and Union Park to protesters. It's unclear if the city will continue to restrict traffic in the Loop throughout the week or during upcoming weekends.
The curfew is lifted effective immediately. I know this time in our city and our country has been difficult for us all, and I’m grateful to our residents for working together to navigate this challenging time.
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) June 7, 2020
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