A "groundbreaking" march is set to step off Friday along the Eisenhower Expressway in Chicago.
The mass gathering, dubbed the "Spirit of the King March," aims to honor the memory of George Floyd and "shed light on the nation's challenges of racism, disparities and injustice."
Leaders of the march say they expect to be joined by members of the Chicago Police Board and the Civilian Officer of Police Accountability. They also announced earlier this week that the city's mayor and Sen. Dick Durbin would be in attendance, but the mayor's office said Friday she will not be at the march.
"This march will be the first of it’s [sic] kind to where Christians, Catholics, Jews and Muslims walk through the Westside with a common theme," organizer said in a release. "With one voice and one message the group will advocate for better schools, improved housing, affordable healthcare services and increased economic development in black and brown communities. All of which the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. firmly articulated when he moved his family to Chicago’s Westside."
It is scheduled to step off at noon along the Eisenhower Expressway at Independence Boulevard to Roosevelt Road. It is then set to travel south on Central Park Boulevard to 16th Street, then westbound to the site of the apartment where MLK once lived. That apartment is located at 1550 S. Hamlin.
Later in the day, another protest is set to march on Chicago's North Side.
Ald. Tom Tunney alerted residents this week that a protest was planned for the Wrigleyville and Lakeview areas Friday.
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"A protest has been planned and will start at the 19th District Police Station at 5 p.m. this Friday, June 12th," Tunney said in a message to residents Wednesday. "Protesters will then march south to the 44th Ward Office. Police will be visible throughout the neighborhood before, during and after this gathering."
Other marches and events have also been announced across the city and street closures are likely.
