Police thwart protesters’ attempt to enter New Eastside

During a clash that resulted in several arrests and injuries, Chicago Police prevented protesters from entering the New Eastside neighborhood on August 15. 

The incident occurred as marchers in a demonstration to defund the Chicago Police Department and to abolish ICE attempted to advance east of Michigan Ave. on Wacker Dr.

According to Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, the escalation began when a participant assaulted an officer with a skateboard while attempting to conceal his identity with an umbrella.

“You can see on video,” he explained during a press conference earlier today. “The umbrella goes up. Protesters put gas masks on. They change their clothing. You see the skateboard comes up, and the skateboard used as a weapon.”

The alleged offender, 25-year-old Jeremey Johnson, was taken into custody and charged with felony aggravated battery to a peace officer, according to the CPD.

The incident sparked “aggressive pushing into the police officers.”

“That was all under the disguise of umbrellas going up,” he said. “You can’t see into the crowd that that’s happening until something comes at you, a projectile or something … the method gives an advantage to those who want to mete out violence.”

Videos of the incident show police officers confiscating umbrellas within reach and throwing them away from the protesters.

Additional incidents occurred as the protest moved westward onto LaSalle St.

Earlier protest fails to shut down Dan Ryan

Earlier on Saturday, IL State Police Officers stymied a protest that was designed to enter the Dan Ryan Expressway at noon.

Officially called, “Black Lives Matter March: Shutdown Our Dan Ryan,” the demonstration was publicized on a Facebook invitation that stated, “We need 25,000 people to shut it down.” Afterwards, the invitation showed that 323 people attended.