ACTIVATE:CHI, a grassroots activist organization, will be collaborating with Chicago Pride organizations, Northalsted Business Alliance, and the businesses of Boystown to reinstate the Pride march as “Black Trans Lives Matter: A BLM Pride Protest.” The protest will start at 11:00AM on June 28th and consist of a march from Uptown to a rally in Grant Park.
Fifty-one years ago, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and other activists, changed the course of history by bravely fighting for LGBTQ+ rights at the Stonewall Inn and igniting the Gay Liberation movement. Our goal is to bring Pride back as a protest, and recall the energy of the Stonewall Movement to fuel the activism of today. We are protesting in direct response to the ongoing state violence perpetrated against Black people, and the murders of #TonyMcDade, #GeorgeFloyd, #BreonnaTaylor, #AhmaudArbery, #RiahMilton, and #DominiqueFells. We march for them and the countless others who have been targeted, abused, and killed by racist American systems designed to devalue and oppress Black lives.
Our governments and systems have failed to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Racism and bigotry are more abundant than progress and equality. There is no more time for middle ground. There is no more time for compromise. We intend to take to the streets and speak to the world with one collective voice that – in the words of one unnamed Stonewall protestor – “This shit has got to stop!”
This event is endorsed by BLM Chicago and we stand in solidarity with their demands.
OUR DEMANDS
Local
1. Defund CPD
2. Create the Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC)
3. Remove Police from CPS
4. Decriminalize Sex Work
National
1. End Qualified Immunity
2. End Healthcare Discrimination Against Transgender People
3. Establish Community Control of Law Enforcement
SEVEN MILE MARCH:
We will begin at Clarendon Park in Uptown at 11 a.m. and end at Grant Park, celebrating and fighting for Black Trans Lives along the way. There will be 10 pickup spots along the route to Grant Park where you can join us. These pickup spots will be released as we approach the event.
Stay united
Stay peaceful
Stay safe
Our goal is to protest peacefully while elevating and celebrating Black voices. MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE
Grant Park, being public property, does not require permits or permission to hold gatherings. ACTIVATE:CHI is committed to keeping all protesters safe through the presence of legal observers, volunteer marshals and medics rather than police involvement. Our goal is to have all attendees feel safe and comfortable in the spaces we provide. Again, for the safety of yourself and your fellow protestors, please wear masks when marching and at the rally.
Interested in volunteering or providing day-of donations? Please fill out this form!
https://bit.ly/ACTIVATEVOLUNTEER
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ACTIVATE: CHI is a collective of multicultural and multigenerational community organizers initially brought together by our hunger for justice in the brutal police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade. We seek to dismantle the racist systems oppressing our marginalized communities through grassroots organizing.
More information about ACTIVATE:CHI can be found at https://activate-chi.org or https://www.activate-chi.net
PRESS RELEASE: https://www.activate-chi.net/initiatives/june-28th