• CHICAGO PROTESTS

Live Updates: Chicago Protests and Unrest

City officials respond to weekend unrest

Chicago public safety officials fielded more than 10,000 calls about looting during a weekend of protests and civil unrest — sometimes at a rate of 4,000 calls an hour, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said this morning.

The mayor also defended her administration’s handling of the weekend protests in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, who died after a police officer put his knee on the man’s neck, seeking to reassure Chicagoans following a second night of violence and destruction.

“If we had a police department three times the size, it would have been difficult to keep up with all the calls we had Sunday,” Lightfoot said.

Chicago police made 699 arrests Sunday, primarily for looting, said Police Superintendent David Brown. He added that 132 officers were injured in the clashes, while there were also 48 shootings and 17 murders.

As of this morning, City Hall was still restricting access to the downtown Loop to essential workers and residents only in order to prevent further looting and rioting. The city also cautions residents to look out for street closures “along commercial corridors and designated hot spots in neighborhoods across the city.” CTA buses and trains are set to resume normal service on Monday, but will be bypassing stops in the Loop.