Protests outside a Little Village power plant turned tense Friday amid a confrontation between demonstrators and a truck driver.
The confrontation took place between one of the protesters and a truck driver, who was angered over the block street. Video showed the driver get out of his truck and push one of the protesters.
Sunbelt Rentals, which owns the semi the driver was seen in, said the were "aware of the situation and investigating it." It remains unclear if the driver was an employee of the company, however.
The protesters oppose a demolition that began Friday at the site after being temporarily halted in wake of a failed smokestack implosion that covered the Little Village neighborhood in smoke. Residents reported breathing problems associated with the dust in the air as a result of the first failed implosion.
Water could be seen being sprayed to keep the dust down during the latest attempt to demolish the building.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had previously halted the demolition at the former generating station in the city's Little Village neighborhood, but said Thursday that residents had been notified of the activity scheduled for Friday.
"We've been very clear with members of the community for several weeks," she said.
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Inspectors determined that the building poses a public safety hazard because the building is structurally unsound and must be dismantled.
"In order to allow additional time to continue discussions with the community about the structurally dangerous condition of that small building, the city has ordered that for now, the demolition will not move forward over the next several days," Lightfoot said previously.
On April 11, Hilco Redevelopment Partners conducted a scheduled and previously approved implosion of a smoke stack at the now-closed Crawford Power Generating Station. The smoke stack was successfully imploded, but the demolition released a large plume of dust into the air, which then settled on homes, vehicles and businesses throughout Little Village.
