52 Arrested During Chicago Pride Parade, Police Say

Police say they arrested 52 people during Chicago’s annual Pride Parade Sunday, Redeye reports, more than double the number of people arrested at Wrigleyville’s Blackhawks rally.

The parade blew through Lake View and parts of Uptown on Sunday, bringing in more than a million people to watch the event. It’s unclear how many people rallied after the Hawks victory, but the main celebration packed Clark Street near Wrigley Field.

Police made 23 arrests and handed out 21 additional tickets during the rowdy Blackhawks celebration following the Stanley Cup win. Arrests were mostly made for disorderly and reckless conduct, and the tickets were issued for nonviolent crimes.

All but two of the arrests made at the Pride Parade were misdemeanors, Redeye writes, with a more serious offense being the arrest of Camile Campbell, 20, of Lincoln Park.

Campbell reportedly walked into an area blocked off by police, threw a 2-foot long flag at an officer’s face and proceeded to strike the cop and scratched his face, Redeye reports. She was charged with aggravated battery to a police officer and was held on $50,000 bond.

The details behind the remaining misdemeanors are still a mystery, but drinking near the parade may not have contributed to the 52 arrests.

This is the first year Chicago has enforced a strict new ordinance regarding drinking at the parade. However, Sgt. Jason Clark of the 19th Police District said they don’t take offenders to the station for that type of issue.

“For drinking on the public way, we issue tickets,” Clark said when interviewed about the new ordinance. “Therefore officers aren’t making physical arrests. When a person doesn’t have a valid ID or is unwilling to sign the (ticket), then a physical arrest is made.”