Chicago Officials Outline Safety Plans Ahead of Sunday’s Pride Parade

Matt Masterson | June 23, 2023, 3:02 pm

Interim Police Superintendent Fred Waller speaks during a news conference June 23, 2023. (WTTW News)

Chicago’s interim top cop said he’ll be canceling days off for officers this weekend in anticipation of Sunday’s Pride Parade that begins in the Uptown neighborhood.

Interim Police Superintendent Fred Waller said he met with local business leaders to assure them the police department has safety plans in place for the parade and other Pride events this weekend.

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“Chicago is a welcoming and accepting city, and we want to make sure all members of our LGBTQ+ community feel safe and protected during this parade and every day,” he said during a news conference Friday.

According to Waller, additional officers will be deployed to the parade route, while the department’s “most experienced” officers will be working through Sunday night after the parade.

The CPD will also be setting up additional command posts to maintain communication and will be canceling days off for sworn officers Sunday. In addition to uniformed officers, Waller said, the department will also have “undercover assets” assigned to work within the crowds around the parade.

“We’ll have the manpower,” he said.

Waller said the CPD is constantly monitoring social media for any types of threats ahead of the parade, but did not identify any specific threats the department is aware of.

Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th Ward) said his office has been working closely with the CPD and the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications to ensure there’s a safe parade.

According to city officials, the parade starts at noon Sunday, with the route beginning at Montrose and Broadway. The parade will move south along Broadway to where it meets Halsted, and will then continue south on Halsted to Belmont. From there, the parade will continue on Belmont east to Broadway, then on Broadway south to Clark and Diversey, and then finally on Diversey east to Cannon, where the parade will end.

The route of the the 2023 Pride Parade. (Chicago Transit Authority)