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| DAN RYAN: A major Chicago thoroughfare |
The
“it” being the protest march by which some eight busloads of people being led
by Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina parish will try to force the majority of
Chicagoans who like to ignore the problem of urban violence to acknowledge the situation.
PROTESTERS
SAY THEY plan to gather at 79th Street along the Dan Ryan, then walk
onto the interstate highway (I-90/94) to march north for a mile-and-a-half –
ultimately finishing their political statement at 67th Street.
Their
intent is to disrupt the flow of traffic to the point where, for a bit of time
Saturday morning, people won’t be able to easily commute around the city of
Chicago.
Considering
that the Dan Ryan Expressway is THE major path leading motorists from the South
Side into downtown, these protesters could cause some serious inconvenience if
they truly are capable of blocking up traffic.
Although
the fact that they’re choosing to do so on a Saturday morning means they’re not
messing with the rush of workers to jobs downtown that exists every weekday
morning. I suppose that is Father Pfleger’s one concession to the rest of Chicago
in staging this protest action.
I
HAVE HEARD some people who say they plan to join in the protest that they’re
not terribly concerned about interfering with traffic because they’re more
concerned about the level of violence that occurs in parts of Chicago.
Some
will say they think their inconvenience living in certain South and West side
neighborhoods and having to tolerate such violence as an everyday fact of life
is far worse than any drive into downtown that will be messed up Saturday
morning.
But
the part that has me wondering is for the people who feel compelled to drive
along the Dan Ryan and have to pass through the portion from 79th to
67th streets.
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| The portion that protesters want to clog up |
BUT
IT IS a part of the city that many pass by without giving it, or the
surrounding neighborhoods, much of any thought.
I’m
wondering how many people trying to drive along the Dan Ryan will suddenly find
the pedestrians trying to walk in the road and will have trouble stopping in
time.
Will
we have protesting pedestrians being rushed to the hospital, or a pileup of a
few automobiles that collided because they were trying to avoid hitting someone
in the street.
There’s
a reason that state law specifically prohibits people trying to walk along the expressways,
and why the Illinois State Police (who have jurisdiction over the Dan Ryan)
have warned they will arrest anybody who tries to carry out their protest to
the fullest extent of their threats.
WHICH
COULD MEAN there won’t be much of a protest along the Dan Ryan – instead, it
will be eight bus loads of people being loaded into wagons and hauled away for
arrest, Eventually, they will face court dates on charges of Criminal Trespassing
to State-Supported Property – and any other charges that police and prosecutors
deem necessary.
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| How busy will they be Saturday |
Which
will likely be decided by how peacefully they cooperate with police Saturday
morning. The ones who persist in putting up a fight are the ones who most
likely will get charges piled on – and wind up having no chance of working out
a deal that results in all charges dropped.
The
“worst case” scenario for Saturday morning is that protesters wind up getting
killed, and a majority of people in this city turn cold-hearted and say they
got what they deserved for walking along an Interstate highway.
Which
would truly be the worst possible message that could be sent by people who are
trying to make for a safer Chicago for all of us.
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