The Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) and the Chicago Police Department reminds the public of traffic and public safety precautions ahead of the Saturday, May 14 Rally and March in Union Park as part of a nationwide "Day of Action" in Chicago and other cities throughout the nation. The rally begins at 10 a.m. in Union Park at 1501 W. Randolph Street and the march is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. The march will head east on Washington from Union Park to Wacker and LaSalle. Motorists and pedestrians in the area should be aware of delays in the area.

The City of Chicago will have the appropriate resources in place to maintain public safety for all those in the area of the march, as well as those exercising their First Amendment rights

Annual Bridge Life and Boat Run

Motorists and pedestrians in the downtown area should also be prepared for increased traffic and delays due scheduled spring bridge lifts from Ashland Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive beginning at 8 a.m. The annual boat runs allow recreational sail boats to move from boat storage yards to harbors in Lake Michigan. During boat runs, the bridges are raised sequentially, typically one at a time. Each bridge lift takes an average of eight to 12 minutes.

Suspicious Activity Reporting

OEMC stresses the importance of always being aware of surroundings and reporting suspicious activity by calling 9-1-1. Chicago will have citywide deployments to ensure the safety and security of the public for all events being held over the weekend.  OEMC will monitor events and weather conditions citywide from the Operations Center and coordinate public safety resources with the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and City of Chicago infrastructure departments.

OEMC will issue any alerts and notifications needed to keep residents and attendees up to date on traffic, weather conditions and emergencies.  Sign up for NotifyChicago alerts at NotifyChicago.org. OEMC also issues TEXT alerts for lakefront notices, issues affecting businesses or COVID-19 updates:

• CHILAKE: For lakefront notices, TEXT “CHILAKE” to 7-8-0-1-5
• CHIBIZ: For alerts affecting businesses, TEXT “CHIBIZ” to 6-7-2-8-3
• COVID: Get COVID-19 updates by TEXTING “COVID19” to 6-7-2-8-3

For additional information on emergency preparedness information, visit the OEMC website at Chicago.gov/OEMC. Follow the Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Facebook (@coemc), Twitter (@ChicagoOEMC) and Instagram (chicago_oemc_911).

# # #