By the time I arrived at Logan Square Park for the rally, the crowd had already reached numbers I haven’t seen since the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend in 2020, when thousands descended upon Daley Plaza in protest following the murder of George Floyd. The organizers giving speeches and instructions before the march were inaudible to most of the crowd. They were being drowned out by the sound of at least three helicopters hovering overhead — one of them was a news chopper while the others appeared to be CPD. Once the march began around 7:00 p.m., CPD helicopters were still hovering over the action.
Helicopter surveillance isn’t new for protests of this magnitude, but on Friday they felt particularly egregious, as they impeded on moments of silence held in recognition of Toledo’s life and the lives of others killed by police. And I’m not the only one taking notice.
“We’re wasting so much money on helicopters, and on hundreds of police just for today,” said 35-year-old Cynthia Brito. Brito is a mentor with Revolutionary Oak Park Youth Action League (ROYAL) and was on the frontline of Friday’s march.
“If any of those resources were given to Adam Toledo instead of to the cops, he would’ve been supported. He would still be alive today,” Brito explained. “We give so much money to the cops when it could be going to schools, mental health resources, for healthy food, for extra-curricular programs. It’s ridiculous.”
The march headed down Milwaukee. It was led by members of Toledo’s family holding up a banner with his picture on it. They were followed by organizers from groups including Little Village Community Council, GoodKids MadCity, Brown Berets and more. The crowd was full of people performing traditional Indigenous dances, dragging boomboxes blasting Chicago rapper Lil Durk, playing instruments and shouting “Fuck 12.”