Chicago Residents Push Officials for Answers After Video Shows Police Standing By As White 'Vigilant

Chicago Residents Push Officials for Answers After Video Shows Police Standing By As White 'Vigilantes' Patrol During Protests
BY KATHERINE FUNG ON 6/4/20 AT 6:07 PM EDT

A group of Chicago residents are pressuring authorities for answers after a video appears to show white vigilantes patrolling the streets of the Bridgeport neighborhood with weapons, including baseball bats and golf clubs, while police officers watched.

On Wednesday night, a Black Lives Matter protest led by several religious organizations gathered near the police precinct in Bronzeville, the neighborhood immediately east of Bridgeport. Police began progressively blocking off the viaducts, the main route between the two areas that is separated by an interstate, between the two neighborhoods, area residents told Newsweek. It was not immediately clear why the police blocked off the streets.

Around 8 p.m., residents said reports emerged that a crowd of plain-clothed civilians wielding baseball bats as weapons were confronting people coming into the neighborhood. Shortly after, videos began popping up on social media.

"That was what really started concerning us, that this appeared to be a vigilante group," Bridgeport resident Michael Cummings told Newsweek.

Link to tweet