Lakeview Residents Push Alderman For Pride Parade Relocation

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jul 15, 2015 7:40PM

Revelers at this year's annual Pride Parade in Uptown and Lakeview partied harder than most Cubs or Blackhawks fans, and now some neighbors want the parade to find another home.

The ongoing debate over whether the Pride Parade should be relocated out of Lakeview is flaring up again with a new push from a community group fed up with the event's crowds and crime problem.

Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), whose ward encompasses parts of Lakeview and Boystown on the annual parade route, and police officials put the parade on notice this year, saying the event's growth in recent years to include over 1 million attendees have created safety risks and made it difficult to monitor. The Alderman and other community leaders have been weighing whether to move the parade out of the ward since last year, when problems with violence, destruction of property and theft escalated after hours.

This year's parade saw over 50 arrests, including two felonies, and multiple other reports of theft and violence.

Central Lake View Neighbors is now joining the chorus recommending Tunney and the city move the parade elsewhere, according to DNAinfo:

"We're shut-ins for the weekend. We can't go to the Kenmore playlot because people are there drinking all day. We have little kids that see stuff they shouldn't see, and my alley still smells like urine," neighbor Brian Kenney said at a Tuesday night meeting of the Central Lake View Neighbors.

Kenney said the Pride disruptions far outweighed ruckus during Chicago Cubs home games or the June 15 Blackhawks celebrations.

Tunney has previously said moving the parade will be inevitable as it continues to grow. But the alderman has yet to make a final decision on next year's parade, spokeswoman from his office told DNAinfo Tuesday. More talks between him and community members are scheduled for this week.