>> THANK YOU.

>> THE LEAD ORGANIZER OF

SATURDAY'S MASSIVE ANTIVIOLENCE

MARCH SAYS HE IS REACHING OUT TO

POLITICIANS TO COMMUNICATE THE

CONCERNS OF PROTESTORS AFTER

POLITICAL WRANGLING AND

NEGOTIATIONS WITH POLICE, THE

DEMONSTRATIONS SHUTDOWN ONE OF

CHICAGO'S BUSIEST ROADWAYS: THE

DAN RYAN EXPRESSWAY.

MATT MASTERSON WAS THERE AND HAS

THE LATEST.

MATT, THE PROTEST WAS BIG AND

EYE-CATCHING?

>> FATHER MICHAEL PFLEGER HE AND

YOUTH ORGANIZERS CHICAGO STRONG

ARE WORKING TO SETUP MEETINGS

WITH MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL AND

GOVERNOR BRUCE RAUNER AND THE

CANDIDATES RUNNING TO REPLACE

THEM IN THE ELECTIONS.

THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEIR

OWN IDEAS FOR REDUCING GUN

VIOLENCE AND HEAR WHAT THE

OFFICIALS AND POTENTIAL

OFFICIALS WANT TO DO ABOUT IT.

>> DID PFLEGER INDICATE WHICH

GUBERNATORIAL AND MAYORAL

CANDIDATES AGREED TO MEET?

>> HE TOLD ME WHILE THEY HAVE

HEARD BACK FROM SOME PARTIES

THEY WOULD NOT SAY IF THEY HAVE

HEARD BACK FROM THE MAYOR OR THE

GOVERNOR SPECIFICALLY.

THEY PLAN TO KEEP REACHING OUT

THROUGHOUT THE WEEK AND THEY

WILL GO FROM THERE.

>> DID FATHER PFLEGER SAY

WHETHER FUTURE PROTESTS ARE

BEING PLANNED?

>> NOT YET BUT IT WILL DEPEND

HOW THE MEETINGS GO.

WHAT THEY HEAR FROM THE

OFFICIALS AND THE CANDIDATES THE

YOUTH SETTING UP THE MEETINGS IF

THEY ARE NOT HEARING WHAT THEY

WANT TO HEAR, THEN THEY WILL

SETUP THE NEXT DIRECT ACTION.

HE DID NOT SAY IT WOULD BE A

PROTEST OR A MARCH.

>> HAVE THE DEMONSTRATIONS HAD

AN IMPACT ON THE VIOLENT CRIME

IN THE CITY?

>> THE BELIEF WAS NOT THAT THE

PROTEST WOULD SHUTOFF CRIME BUT

IT WAS GOING TO BE AN ATTENTION

GRABBING ACTION TO GET PEOPLE

TALKING.

THIS PAST WEEKEND AFTER THE

PROTESTS, VIOLENCE CONTINUED IN

THE CITY.

THERE WERE TWO DOZEN SHOOTINGS

AND FOUR WERE KILLED BETWEEN

FRIDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING

AND THE NUMBERS ARE ON PAR WITH

OTHER WEEKENDS.

THE CITY TOPPED 1400 SHOOTINGS

THIS YEAR ACCORDING TO THE

TRIBUNE.

SO THE LONG-TERM MESSAGE OF THE

PROTEST IS THAT PEOPLE ARE

LIVING THROUGH THE VIOLENCE ON A

REGULAR BASIS AND THEY ARE SICK

OF IT AND WANTED TO TAKE A

RADICAL ACTION TO GET OTHERS TO

REALIZE WHAT THEY ARE GOING

THROUGH.

>> WHAT WAS THE PROTEST LIKE,

WAS THERE VIOLENCE OR ARRESTS?

>> IT WAS A POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE.

IT WAS ANTIVIOLENCE BUT THEY

WERE NOT CALLING OUT GROUPS OR

PEOPLE.

THEY WANTED TO SPEAK OUT IN

FAVOR OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES,

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND HIGH

QUALITY EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS.

THERE WERE NO ARRESTS ACCORDING

TO THE CHICAGO POLICE AND THEY

SAY THAT THIS THERE WAS NOT ANY

VIOLENCE OR ANYTHING, EITHER.

THIS DID NOT APPEAR TO BE AN US

VERSUS THEM.

INSTEAD PROTESTORS WERE CHATTING

WITH OFFICERS ON THE EXPRESSWAY

WHILE THEY WERE THERE.

IT WAS A VERY COMMUNAL

ATMOSPHERE.

>> EVENTUALLY, THE EXPRESSWAY

WAS SHUTDOWN BY STATE POLICE WAS

THAT SUPPOSED TO BE THE PLAN?

>> SORT OF DEPENDS WHO YOU ASK.

GOVERNOR BRUCE RAUNER HE AND THE

ILLINOIS STATE POLICE SAID THERE

WAS AN AGREEMENT REACHED THAT

WOULD ALLOW THE PROTESTORS TO

USE THE SHOULDER FOR THE MARCH

BUT PFLEGER SAID NO AGREEMENT

HAD BEEN MET IT WAS ALWAYS THE

PLAN TO SHUTDOWN THE EXPRESSWAY

AFTER THEY MARCHED ON TO THE DAN

RYAN THEY GOT A COUPLE LANES

SHUTDOWN.

AND IT TOOK NEGOTIATING BETWEEN

POLICE AND THE PROTESTORS BEFORE

THEY SHUTDOWN THE ENTIRE

NORTHBOUND DAN RYAN.

>> AND GOVERNOR BRUCE RAUNER AND

MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL THEY TRADED

BASHES ON TWITTER OVER THIS

SHUTDOWN.

>> RIGHT AFTER THE DECISION WAS

MADE TO SHUTDOWN THE DAN RYAN

GOVERNOR BRUCE RAUNER WAS

DISAPPOINTED WITH THE MAYOR FOR

ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN.

CALLING HIM TO PUT AN END TO THE

CHAOS AND MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL

TOLD THE GOVERNOR IT WAS A

PEACEFUL PROTEST AND DELETE YOUR

ACCOUNT.

THE TWEETS GENERATED RESPONSE

BUT THE MAYOR SAID TODAY WHAT

HAPPENED SATURDAY WAS NOT ABOUT

THEM BUT THE PROTESTORS'

MESSAGE.

>> MATT MASTERSON THANK YOU FOR