ICE protest draws thousands to Chicago Loop; car plows through early on
An immigration protest in Chicago drew thousands to the Loop, first for a rally in Federal Plaza before they took to the streets for a march through downtown Tuesday in a demonstration against the Trump administration and raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Police clashed with protesters at certain points, and several people were arrested. Meanwhile, a car sped through the crowd early in the march.
Around 6:19 p.m., the car was seen barreling down the street as the protesters marched at Monroe Street and Wabash Avenue.
The maroon sedan narrowly missed demonstrators. A Chicago police officer even took a swing at the car with a baton to no avail.
A witness, Dr. Howard Ehrman, said the car came very close to slamming into the marchers, and accused Chicago police of failing to take sufficient action.
"So basically what happened is people started running behind us. The Chicago police were on either side where State intersected Monroe, and instead of trying to block the car, they were trying to block the demonstrators. It was a miracle that nobody got hit. A sign was knocked over, somebody was knocked over, but nobody got seriously hurt," Ehrman said. "This is an example of the Chicago Police Department not doing their job of protecting the people, and instead protecting the property of the rich."
The driver then proceeded east on Monroe Street to Michigan Avenue, and drove past an unsuspecting Divvy bike. Ehrman said the car sped up as the driver fled.
"They continued to accelerate. It started off at State Street about 30 miles an hour," he said. "By the time it got to Michigan [Avenue], it was going 50 miles an hour."
Moments after the car blew through, cellphone video taken from a nearby building showed an injured woman on the ground as a crowd formed around her. She was then loaded into an ambulance.
Meanwhile, the driver of the maroon car stopped only after her vehicle broke down on State Street in the South Loop. She got out wearing a yellow tank top, and then got back behind the wheel.
Moments earlier, it appeared the same woman was on the front lines of the protest with a can of spray paint in hand.
The car did not deter demonstrators, who kept marching and holding signs. Chicago police were out in the force monitoring the group on both the ground and in the air by helicopter, but the crowd grew larger and larger as it zigzagged through downtown.
Some protesters made their way around the Loop multiple times. Some also later crossed Chicago River bridges into River North. A group marched along Clark and Dearborn streets as far north as Ontario Street.
Along State Street in the Loop, several Chicago police squad cars were defaced with anti-police graffiti.
Police were seen making arrests during the protest in the area of State and Monroe streets.
CBS News Chicago saw two people being detained at State and Monroe streets. They were taken to a police transport van. One of them was wrapped in a flag.
It was not clear what either was accused of doing.
Later, after 7 p.m. at Dearborn Street and Wacker Drive, a quarrel and a struggle ensued between a demonstrator and police. It was not clear if the demonstrator was taken into custody or if de-escalation tactics quelled the conflict.
Chicago police were working to secure the Dearborn Street bridge after a group of protesters advanced into River North. Top Chicago police brass were called to the scene to monitor the situation.
At 7:45 p.m., protesters began to converge again at Daley Plaza. Some raised an effigy of President Trump, while others waved flags and stood on the Picasso.
After protesters departed Daley Plaza early in the 8 p.m. hour, they headed east on Washington Street to State Street.
At that intersection, protesters clashed and fought with police in several separate incidents as officers held a line. Officers appeared to be blocking off the Macy's State Street flagship store.
After nightfall, protesters also surrounded a police van in the area of Dearborn Street and Jackson Boulevard. Officers rushed to the scene, in some cases heading south on the one-way-northbound Dearborn Street.
As the 10 p.m. hour came around, protesters made their way to Maggie Daley Park, then back into the Loop along Randolph Street. A large police contingent continued to speed around the Loop with lights and sirens running.
A small number of protesters were still marching through the Loop at nearly 10:45 p.m.
Earlier, metal barricades were also placed around the front of Chicago Public Safety Headquarters, at 3510 S. Michigan Ave., as a precaution. The protest never made it that far, and the barriers were later removed.
CBS News Chicago asked police how many people were arrested during the protests Tuesday night. Police said the situation was so fluid that they did not have an exact number.
Police did say there were no major injuries, and no destruction or property other than the vandalism to police vehicles.
Chicago police have been watching developments in LA, expert says
The protest in Chicago Tuesday came as anti-ICE protests have escalated in recent days in Los Angeles.
Protesters in LA have taken over several downtown streets for the past five days, resulting in nearly 200 arrests, according to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. Some of the encounters between demonstrators and law enforcement turned violent at times. Bass added that 23 businesses were looted on Monday night.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew in a section of downtown Los Angeles to stop vandalism and looting in that area.
"I'm sure that Superintendent Snelling and the members of his command staff have been closely watching the developments in LA," said retired Chicago police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy.
Roy led crowd management planning for some of the biggest events in recent years — including protests.
"You block off the streets ahead and behind, and you also block off the cross streets. It's part of, you have to play a game of — it's like a game of checkers," Roy said. "As they move forward, the group moves forward. You have to block off the next streets."
At one point, the protesters tried disrupting traffic on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. A wall of CPD officers quickly stopped that plan.
Roy said protecting major roadways like DuSable Lake Shore Drive is not only about safety, but also optics.
"The optics of that are terrible. When you see on TV that a group has taken over one of Chicago's premier roads, you know, it just sends a bad message, and it encourages more," said Roy. "They did what they had to do. They did it properly. They did it professionally. Then that's the key."
CTA bus service suspended
The Chicago Transit Authority said all bus service was suspended in the Loop and on the Near North Side Tuesday evening due to the protests.
No buses were running between North Avenue on the north and Roosevelt Road on the south, Clinton Street on the west, and the lakefront on the east. 'L' trains kept running.
The bus service suspension remained in place as of late Tuesday night.
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Anti-ICE rally held at Federal Plaza before march
At the start of the demonstration, around 5 p.m., protesters beat drums and chanted, "Revolution!" Some waved the flag of Mexico, and some also waved Palestinian flags and wore keffiyehs in solidarity with the pro-Palestinian cause.
Signs in English and Spanish featured slogans like "The People say ICE out," and, "The People say ICE out of Chicago." Many signs also referenced keeping families together.
A series of speakers took to a podium during the rally.
"Authoritarianism — period. It's not my country," one woman said. "That's not my country, and I'm here to fight for my country."
"Representing the people of not just Mexico but all immigrants," another woman said. "The injustice that's being done and being upheld by the White House is unfair, and we're here to practice our right to protest."
The group then began marching north on Dearborn Street, yelling, "F**k ICE," and "No justice, no peace!" Police kept their distance on the sides of the march.
The group that began at Federal Plaza apparently merged with a group that had been circling the downtown area for a few hours.
CBS News Chicago talked with protesters before the march began.
"We don't think what's happening is just, and personally, I'm against my government using my tax dollars to fund genocide, as well as ICE going into people's homes without warrants," said protester Timothy Edward.
"Something's happening right now like in our country where people have to ultimately decide, like, what side of history that they want to be on," said protester Johnathan Ellison.
CBS News Chicago also asked the Chicago Police Department about its protocols for handling such protests as the one on Tuesday, and the "No Kings" protest against the Trump administration planned for Saturday.
Police cited their experience with the Democratic National Convention last year as an example of successfully handling protests. Police also said they would ensure people's First Amendment rights were protected, but said violence would not be tolerated.
