Downtown residents struggle to get home during Mexican Independence Day celebrations
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Cars caught in gridlock traffic on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
Many downtown residents and workers were blocked from getting to their jobs and homes by police trying to manage Mexican Independence Day traffic over the weekend.
The big picture: Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said despite early indications that the crowds were smaller than previous years, his inbox was flooded with residents and downtown workers saying they were turned away at police checkpoints.
What they're saying: "It was just absolutely chaotic and many people were denied the ability to get home," Hopkins, who represents parts of Streeterville and River North, tells Axios.
- "The city's response just wasn't good enough."
Zoom in: Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) said her office received several complaints from residents who couldn't get past checkpoints.
Context: The annual car caravans were supposed to be less of a problem, with the city renewing El Grito Festival in Grant Park after canceling it years prior.
- Yet the celebratory revelers clogged downtown streets, forcing police to create rolling road closures and set up checkpoints.
- Hopkins says about 15,000-20,000 cars converged on downtown this weekend. "There is no police response in the world that can control that without chaos."
Between the lines: Residents, downtown workers and hospital staff were told to enter the downtown area at set-aside locations.
- Hopkins, who chairs the public safety committee in City Council, says the police did an excellent job managing "an unmanageable situation" but far too many residents were denied at checkpoints even though they had proper identification, while others complained they couldn't get to the checkpoints because of nearby gridlock.
The other side: Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said his office received complaints but also a handful of calls complimenting Chicago police for their work.
- He blamed the checkpoint confusion on officers who weren't familiar with the protocols for this kind of event.
- "The police did an excellent job," Reilly tells Axios. "Unfortunately, some checkpoints did not allow residents to pass through and access their homes."
Hopkins believes the festival did help lessen the impact of the crowds, saying he believes more would have joined the caravan without it.
- He says the caravan grew after the festival ended, as many attendees stayed downtown and joined in.
Zoom out: The mayor's office didn't respond to Axios, but in a statement the Office of Emergency Management and Communications said it communicated checkpoints to residents, including "possible street closures, as well as access points for entry for those living and working within the closures."
The intrigue: Hopkins says this year the police deployed a winning strategy by using aerial surveillance and traffic cameras to coordinate road closures, intentionally pushing caravans to streets that forced them to the outbound expressways.
- On Sunday, after being forced out of the Loop, about 200 cars took over the Stevenson Expressway, setting up an impromptu party that stalled all traffic.
- "The expressway party surprised us," Hopkins tells Axios. "We'll have to talk about that for next year."