芝加哥抗议者呼吁关注枪支暴力

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.

希望公众注意芝加哥强制暴力问题的抗议者一度封锁了芝加哥著名的沿密歇根湖畔的湖边大道。

《芝加哥论坛报》报道，抗议规模不是很大，但是大约200名抗议者实现了他们阻断成千上万驾车人交通的目标。

抗议组织者说，他们的要求是芝加哥警察总监约翰逊和市长伊曼纽尔辞职，因为他们在减少枪支暴力方面工作失败。

抗议组织者说，他们在市中心较富裕人口生活的地区举行抗议是为了也让他们分担枪支暴力和经济困境的痛苦。他们说，芝加哥很多黑人和拉美裔社区遭受的影响最严重。

抗议发生之际，正值芝加哥旅游业繁忙的一周。俊杰音乐节星期四拉开序幕。

抗议组织者之一利文斯顿牧师呼吁在音乐节上表演的艺术家与抗议者站在一起，取消他们的演出。不过，看来没有任何艺术家响应。

芝加哥今年已经发生了300多起谋杀，为美国所有城市之最，但是比芝加哥去年同一时期减少了23%。