芝加哥抗議者呼籲關注槍支暴力

Protesters aiming to draw attention to the problem of gun violence in Chicago briefly shut down the city's famed Lake Shore Drive, which runs along Lake Michigan.

The Chicago Tribune reported that while the protest was not large, about 200 marchers achieved their aim of disrupting traffic for thousands of motorists.

Organizers said they are marching to demand the resignations of Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, for failing to lower gun violence.

Organizers said they brought the protest to the heart of the city's more affluent enclaves to "redistribute the pain" of gun violence and economic blight plaguing some of Chicago's black and Latino communities.

The protest comes during a busy tourism week for Chicago with the annual Lollapalooza music festival starting Thursday.

Reverend Gregory Livingston, one of the march's lead organizers, called on the festival performers to stand with protesters and cancel their performances. But none of the artists appeared to comply.

Chicago has recorded more than 300 murders so far in 2018, more than any other U.S. city, but a 23 percent decline in killings compared to the same time last year.希望公衆注意芝加哥強制暴力問題的抗議者一度封鎖了芝加哥著名的沿密歇根湖畔的湖邊大道。

《芝加哥論壇報》報道，抗議規模不是很大，但是大約200名抗議者實現了他們阻斷成千上萬駕車人交通的目標。

抗議組織者說，他們的要求是芝加哥警察總監約翰遜和市長伊曼紐爾辭職，因爲他們在減少槍支暴力方面工作失敗。

抗議組織者說，他們在市中心較富裕人口生活的地區舉行抗議是爲了也讓他們分擔槍支暴力和經濟困境的痛苦。他們說，芝加哥很多黑人和拉美裔社區遭受的影響最嚴重。

抗議發生之際，正值芝加哥旅遊業繁忙的一週。俊傑音樂節星期四拉開序幕。

抗議組織者之一利文斯頓牧師呼籲在音樂節上表演的藝術家與抗議者站在一起，取消他們的演出。不過，看來沒有任何藝術家響應。

芝加哥今年已經發生了300多起謀殺，爲美國所有城市之最，但是比芝加哥去年同一時期減少了23%。