Thousands of people flooded the streets of Chicago Saturday as part of the ‘No Kings’ protests.
The protests were scheduled nationwide to protests many Trump Administration policies, including immigration policies and the president’s use of ICE.
Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling said from the start, demonstrators were exercising their first amendment right and were peaceful and complimentary of police officers.
Snelling estimated about 15,000 people were in attendance at the protest and approximately 500 police officers.
“The officers did a spectacular job making sure that they kept the protests safe and they kept the city safe nothing got out of control,” Snelling said.
The superintendent also confirmed there was one officer struck by an individual. That individual was taken into custody, and according to Snelling, the officer is not injured.
Snelling said that was the only arrest reported as of Saturday evening.
Although there were large crowds seen at several points throughout the day, Snelling said there was no issue clearing crowds when necessary.
“We see who is in the crowd and we take precautions. There were kids in that crowd also,” Snelling said. “We want to make sure what we’re doing doesn’t escalate into anything and doesn’t escalate into violence. This is our city, we want to protect it.”
As far as the planning of the protest went, Snelling said respect was a key element.
“We talk to the organizers, we communicate with them, we level set expectations from the very beginning,” Snelling said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
