BLACKS HAVE THEIR OWN WAY OF CELEBRATING THE 4TH OF JULY IN CHICAGO

More than 90 shot, 61 arrested as crowd clashes with Chicago cops during 4th of July celebrations

 

 By Sayantani Nath 

 

meaww

July 6, 2021 

 

Crowd clashing with the police during the 4th of July celebrations in downtown Chicago

 

Chicago police revealed that at least 61 people were arrested on July 4 as the crowd reportedly went rogue during the Independence Day celebrations. The celebrations took an unruly turn, leading to clashes with cops and resulting in arrests in huge numbers. The arrested individuals included both adults and minors. They were nabbed for firing bottle rockets at police officers and jumping on top of police cars, among other offenses. 

Meanwhile, a shocking estimate from the city showed that more than 90 individuals have been shot on the 4th of July weekend. The number is a part of over 379 shootings that took place across USA in the past weekend, causing the death of 142 people. The staggering numbers once again hint at the extent of gun violence problem in the country. In Chicago, over 90 people have faced bullets from the evening of July 2, 2021, till July 4, according to FOX 32. 

What happened in Chicago on the 4th of July?

 

Towards the end of the 4th of July celebrations on Sunday night, hundreds of people flooded the streets of downtown Chicago as part of the revelry. Soon, the celebrations took an ugly turn as there happened to be pandemonium and mayhem — fuelled by possession of guns and firearms to some extent. 

 

Speaking to WBBM-TV, Alderman Brian Hopkins revealed, "Sunday night was a disaster. We had massive chaos and mayhem downtown. We had guns in backpacks. Guns in pockets. A large number of firearms present."

 

As the police tried to control the crowd, youths reportedly threw fireworks, including bottle rockets at the cops. While one of the officers was injured from a rocket that hit him near the ear, another cop was wounded during a scuffle with a suspect. Despite repeated orders to disperse, the crowd continued to disobey the cops. The incident was caught on camera which showed the crowd in disarray while fighting the police.

 

Eventually, 61 people ended up being arrested on charges of battery, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. Meanwhile, in the western side of the city, two cops were shot around 1:30 am on Monday, July 5, as they attempted to disburse a crowd of revelers. Patrina Wines, the commander of the 15th District was shot after a man fired into the crowd. Another police sergeant also received a bullet graze on his leg. 

 

"As you know, there’s been a lot of large crowd gatherings tonight, a lot of celebratory fireworks going off, kind of spontaneous. They were dispersing a crowd when they heard shots and felt pain," Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown stated in a media conference. He informed that both the officials are currently in a stable state.