Brian Bannon serves as Commissioner & CEO of Chicago Public Library. Appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2012, Bannon is charged with the oversight of the $130 million urban public library system that serves more than 10 million visitors annually through a network of 80 libraries. CPL is the largest and most visited civic institution in Chicago and is among the largest urban public library systems in the world. Under his leadership, CPL has been recognized as a top U.S. urban library and has won numerous awards and accolades including the National Medal for Museum and Library Service and being named the best urban public library in the United States. Bannon is a recognized leader in the government and nonprofit sectors and known for driving growth and impact within large complex organizations.

Prior to this role, Bannon held a variety of leadership positions within the San Francisco Public Library, Seattle Public Library and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He received his master of library and information science from the University of Washington Information School, his BA in LGBT Studies from Pacific Lutheran University and he is a 2017 Henry Crown Fellow within the Aspen Global Leadership Network.</s>Anti-violence protestors took to the streets of Chicago to march for the “forgotten” people as tensions continue to rise in the troubled city.

Also at issue, protestors have called for Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, to step down for their handling of racial incidents in communities of color.

Hundreds of protestors rallied to bring attention to the prolific gun violence in the city and marched through the city’s South and West sides, shutting down traffic before taking up residence outside of Wrigley as fans filed in to the stadium for a Cubs game.

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The march took place outside of the baseball field, “bringing the pain of so many forgotten residents to the affluent areas,” said organizer Rev. Gregory Livingston, the Chicago-Sun-Times reports.

“We came here to redistribute the pain in Chicago. People in this neighborhood don’t feel the pain we feel every day, so we brought it to their doorstep,” said activist and organizer Tio Hardiman.

Last month, thousands of anti-gun violence protesters, led by Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Catholic Church, crammed onto the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago and shut it down, carrying signs and chanting “Stop the killing” to protest the city’s gun violence epidemic and demand change.

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This time, the protestors are trying to send a message that wasn’t quite delivered during last month’s march, said former CPS Principal Troy LaRaviere, who is running against Emanuel for Mayor.

“We need to remove this administration.”

Chicago had 650 homicides in 2017, the most in the nation, according to USA Today. And as the weather gets warmer, gun violence has reportedly been on the rise in the city. So far, Chicago has had 252 homicides and 1,100 shootings in the first six months of this year.</s>Protesters seeking Thursday 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 were marching to demand the resignations of Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel for failing to lower gun violence.

FILE - Protesters arrive at Wrigley Field to deman Protesters arrive at Wrigley Field to demand more government action against gun violence, Aug. 2, 2018, in Chicago. Protesters arrive at Wrigley Field to demand more government action against gun violence, Aug. 2, 2018, in Chicago.

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 came during a busy tourism week for Chicago, with the annual Lollapalooza music festival starting Thursday. The 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 homicides so far in 2018, more than any other U.S. city, but a 23 percent decline in killings compared with the same time last year.</s>Demonstrators protest in front of Wrigley Field before the start of the matchup between the Cubs and the Padres on August 2, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The demonstrators, who marched from Lake Shore Drive and through the nearby neighborhoods were protesting the ongoing violence, corruption and the lack of economic investments in African-American communities on the city's west and south sides.

CHICAGO – Dozens of protesters temporarily shut down the Windy City’s iconic Lake Shore Drive on Thursday as they expressed outrage over Chicago’s endemic gun violence and called for the resignation of the city’s mayor.

The demonstration's organizers timed the protest to coincide with rush hour traffic along the busy thoroughfare on the city’s lakefront and then marched to Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs were set to host the San Diego Padres.

Police preemptively closed a roughly two-mile stretch of Lake Shore Drive to vehicular traffic shortly before the scheduled start of the protest. Authorities reopened the area about 35 minutes later as marchers cleared the area, and made their way to the ballpark.

About 300 officers were assigned to the protest, but police estimated only 150 people participated in the demonstration.

Rev. Gregory Livingston, one of the march’s lead organizers, said demonstrators decided to bring the protest through the heart of the city’s more affluent enclaves on the North Side to “redistribute the pain” of gun violence and economic disinvestment plaguing some of Chicago’s black and Latino communities.

Livingston said that the thriving neighborhood around the ballpark – an area with million-dollar homes, prospering businesses and thriving public schools – starkly contrasts with the poverty that besets some of Chicago's most violence-plagued neighborhoods on the South and West sides.

"It's a tale of two cities," Livingston said. "One of the hardest things to do is inspire the uninspired. Sometimes you have to stick your neck out, have some skin in the game and get people to recognize that there are some people here are that trying to do something."

More: Anti-violence march ends at Wrigley Field without incident as Cubs fans gather for game

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.

The protest organizers declined to seek a permit for the march or coordinate with police ahead of the demonstration.

As the protesters made their way to the ballpark, Cubs fans in the neighborhood for Thursday's game looked on at protesters from the packed bars surrounding Wrigley.

The protesters' message resonated with some fans, but did not break through with all.

“The (protest) takes a lot of police off the streets in areas that (demonstrators) are concerned about and now they’re at the ballpark,” said Ed Warshaw, of suburban Wheaton.

Robin George, of Lombard, Ill., who was attending Thursday's game with a few friends, delayed entering the park, so she could cheer the protesters as they made their way to Wrigley.

"What they are saying hopefully raises awareness," said George, who affixed a "Resist" pin to her Cubs T-shirt. "I'm a huge Cubs fan, but sports is meaningless compared to the message what they have to say about the need for the whole city to address violence."

Also: Chicago mayor claps back at Illinois governor after activists shut down expressway

More: Can you change how criminals think? Chicago hopes behavioral therapy can cut gun violence

The protest comes during a busy tourism week for Chicago with the annual Lollapalooza music festival starting Thursday in downtown Grant Park. On Thursday, Livingston called on the festival performers to stand with protesters and cancel their performances. It did not appear any artists heeded his call.

The demonstration comes weeks after a separate group of anti-violence protesters, led by Rev. Michael Pfleger, shut down traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway, a highway that cuts through some of Chicago’s South Side neighborhood most impacted by gun violence.

Police initially tried to dissuade Pfleger from marching on the interstate. But eventually Mayor Rahm Emanuel expressed support for the Dan Ryan protest. At one point during the July demonstration, Police Supt. Eddie Johnson even marched arm-in-arm with Pfleger.

Organizers of Thursday’s march, however, said that the last thing they wanted was the Emanuel administration’s blessing.

"When a mayor endorses a protest, it's no longer a protest, it's a parade," said Rev. Ira Acree, an activist from the city’s West Side.

Emanuel, who is up for re-election next year, has faced criticism from some city activists who say he he hasn't brought enough investment to black and Latino communities on the South and West sides, while Chicago’s downtown and North Side flourishes.

The mayor’s standing in the black community also took a hit following the 2015 release of chilling police dashcam video showing a white police officer fire 16 shots at Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old black suspect who was wielding a small knife but appeared to be walking away from police.

The footage of the fatal shooting was released under court order 400 days after the incident, and spurred weeks of peaceful protests on the streets of Chicago. Van Dyke, who was charged with first-degree murder, is scheduled to go on trial next month.

Emanuel rolled out a series of reforms for the police department in the aftermath of McDonald shooting, including equipping all officers with body-worn cameras, tightening the department’s use of force policy and improving mental health training.

Last week, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Emanuel announced that they had come to an agreement on a draft consent decree laying out a plan to implement further court-monitored reforms for the Chicago Police Department.

As protesters marched, they frequently took aim at Emanuel with chants calling on him to step down.

A spokesman for the mayor did not immediately respond to request for comment.

During the rally, the mayor's campaign, however, sent out an email touting that the students at the city's public schools, a population that is about 84 percent black or Latino, are leading the country in academic progress.

"We’ve made a lot of progress-and now we need to protect that progress," Emanuel wrote in the campaign e-mail. "Will you stand with us by joining our campaign today?</s>Demonstrators on Thursday blocked two miles of Lake Shore Drive, the main road that runs alongside the shoreline of Lake Michigan in Chicago, for over two hours, during a march against endemic gun violence that has claimed more than 300 lives this year in the neighborhoods where African-American communities live.

The protesters - not more than 200 people according to the police - chanted slogans to demand the resignations of the Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the superintendent of Chicago Police Department, Eddie Johnson.</s>CHICAGO – Protesters are set to march on the Windy City’s iconic Lake Shore Drive Thursday to express outrage over Chicago’s endemic gun violence and call for the resignation of the city’s mayor and police superintendent.

The demonstration organizers said they planned to shut down rush hour traffic along the busy thoroughfare on the city’s lakefront and then march to Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs were set to host San Diego Padres.

Organizers of the march say that some protesters may try to force their way into the ballpark.

The protest is set to start at 4 p.m. CST.

Police, however, announced out of concern for safety for protesters and motorists that they would preemptively close a roughly two-mile stretch of Lake Shore Drive to vehicular traffic shortly before the scheduled start of the protest. They planned to reopen it soon after marchers passed through the area.

Rev. Gregory Livingston, one of the march’s lead organizers, said demonstrators decided to bring the protest through the heart of the city’s more affluent enclaves on the North Side to “redistribute the pain” of gun violence and economic disinvestment plaguing some of Chicago’s black and Latino communities.

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.

The protest organizers declined to seek a permit for the march or coordinate with police ahead of the demonstration.

“We’re not looking for permission because we need to really make an impact on City Hall,” Livingston said.

More: Chicago mayor claps back at Illinois governor after activists shut down expressway

More: Chicago police: Video shows man killed by officer was armed

More: Can you change how criminals think? Chicago hopes behavioral therapy can cut gun violence

The protest comes during a busy tourism week for Chicago with the annual Lollapalooza music festival starting Thursday in downtown Grant Park. On Thursday, Livingston called on the festival performers to stand with protesters.

“I’m asking the stars of Lollapalooza not to perform today and Shutdown Lollapalooza,” Livingston said. “This would be a show of solidarity with Marchers who can’t afford Lollapalooza tickets but rather struggle to breathe under the looming shadows of death, poverty and second-class citizenship.”

Thursday's performers include English rock band Arctic Monkeys, indie rock act Franz Ferdinad, and the Scottish synth-pop band Cvrches. Lollapalooza officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The demonstration comes weeks after a separate group of anti-violence protesters, led by Rev. Michael Pflegar, shut down traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway, a highway that cuts through some of the Chicago’s South Side neighborhood most impacted by gun violence.

Police initially tried to dissuade Pflegar from marching on the interstate. But eventually Mayor Rahm Emanuel expressed support for the Dan Ryan protest. At one point during the July demonstration, Police Supt. Eddie Johnson even marched arm-in-arm with Pflegar.

Organizers of Thursday’s march, however, said that the last thing they want is the Emanuel administration’s blessing.

"When a mayor endorses a protest, it's no longer a protest, it's a parade," said Rev. Ira Acree, an activist from the city’s West Side.

Emanuel, who is up for re-election next year, has faced criticism from some city activists for bringing little investment in black and Latino communities on the South and West Sides, while Chicago’s downtown and North Side flourishes.

The mayor’s standing in the black community also took a hit following the 2015 release of chilling police dashcam video showing a white police officer fire 16 shots at Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old black suspect who was wielding a small knife but appeared to be walking away from police.

The footage of the fatal shooting was released under court order 400 days after the incident, and spurred weeks of peaceful protests on the streets of Chicago. Van Dyke, who was charged with first-degree murder, is scheduled to go on trial next month.

Emanuel rolled out a series of reforms for the police department in the aftermath of McDonald shooting, including equipping all officers with body worn cameras, tightening the department’s use of force policy and improving mental health training.

Last week, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Emanuel announced that they had come to an agreement on a draft consent decree laying out a plan to implement further court-monitored reforms for the Chicago Police Department.</s>CHICAGO—After days of speeches and anticipation, about 150 protesters took over Lake Shore Drive near Belmont Avenue on Thursday for an anti-violence demonstration designed to disrupt the evening rush hour. Chicago police shut down both the northbound and southbound lanes of the drive for a time, although northbound traffic resumed within an hour of the march’s start. Protesters shouting “Shut it down! Shut it down!” walked from the grassy area west of the drive onto the southbound lanes about 4:15 p.m. as dozens of police officers looked on.

Protest organizers are calling for the resignations of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. “There are too many killings in Chicago, there are too many police-involved killings in Chicago,” said one of the demonstration’s organizers, Tio Hardiman. “It’s time to change the narrative in Chicago.” Demonstrators wrote messages in chalk onto the asphalt of Lake Shore Drive. City snowplows blocked traffic on the drive in the vicinity of the protest. Traffic was at a standstill as motorists were forced to exit the roadway. Curious onlookers and media members also converged on the scene.

By 5 p.m., the drive was reopened to traffic. After protesting on the lanes of Lake Shore Drive, the demonstrators were proceeding to Wrigley Field. As the protest neared its start time, the grassy easement leading to the southbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive began to fill with demonstrators, many of whom brought signs condemning police shootings and overall gun violence. Nearby cars continued to zip by as bike cops lingered farther back in silent formation. Still, there were a number of nearby residents and onlookers who watched as the numbers grew. Julie Swislow, a Lincoln Park resident, arrived to the meeting place because although she didn’t plan on participating, she wanted to show her support despite the minor inconvenience for her and her neighbours. “It’s good to be a little uncomfortable. It’s one day of discomfort, not a lifetime of discomfort,” she said, referring to violence on the South and West sides.

A man wearing a Grateful Dead shirt and riding a bike yelled from a distance, “Influence children in a positive way!” After having words with a protester, the cyclist rolled away, saying, “Get out of my face and raise your kids!” Early arriving demonstrators unfurled a blue-and-white banner with the message, “#ResignRahm: End the Tale of Two Cities. Justice for ALL Chicagoans!”

In the park nearby, Grant Harmon, 35, sat with his 7-month-old daughter Charlotte near where the march was set to launch. Harmon said protesters have valid concerns, pointing out that he’s able to play with his daughter at a park without worrying about his safety. He lives about two blocks from the lakefront green space. “If I was a parent on the South Side, it’s fair to want the same thing,” he said. About two hours before the protest was set to begin, a middle-aged Lakeview man relaxed on a shaded bench at Tescler Playground watching his 4-year-old son play just outside of where protesters began gathering. The man, a Cubs season ticket holder, sold his seats for Thursday’s game in anticipation of the protest but said he was supportive of the demonstrators if they remain nonviolent. “I think it’s a great idea,” said the man, who declined to give his name because he didn’t want to receive hate mail. “You can protest for a decade on the South Side without getting any attention. Come up here, you can reach people untouched by violence. “You got a lot of rich who’re people who, it’s not their problem. I guess you can make it their problem.” Protesters, including one man who held a raised fist above his head while carrying a red, black and green Pan-African flag, began arriving about 2 p.m. to the area around Belmont Avenue and the drive. A news conference was planned before the march, which was organized by the Rev. Gregory Livingston, Tio Hardiman and the Rev. Ira Acree. Livingston has been organizing and speaking at marches, rallies and demonstrations for years. At a May Day rally for labourers in 2005, he elicited encouraging shouts from the crowd during a passionate speech at the memorial to the 1886 Haymarket Riot. “Don’t let nobody tell you what you can have,” Livingston said. “And don’t let anyone tell you what you be.” In the 13 years since that speech on the Near West Side, Livingston has spoken out about the killing of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, led a march on Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile to protest the Laquan McDonald shooting and confronted the mayor at a Roseland news conference about police patrols. The latest demonstration may be Livingston’s most high-profile yet. “We are going down commercial strips, and if people are upset about us disturbing their entertainment and their cafe life, human life is more important than recreation,” Livingston, a pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in West Humboldt Park, said last week. “We all need to recognize that.”</s>Protesters have taken their anti-violence message to the North Side, shutting down Lake Shore Drive before eventually marching toward Wrigley Field.

Protesters are chanting “16 shots and a cover-up”–referring to the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke, who has been charged with murder. The demonstrators have been on Lake Shore Drive for a longer period that originally planned.

Other protesters, including anti-Trump and Pence demonstrators and members of the Communist Party, USA, were joining the march.

The city of Chicago has shut down Lake Shore Drive for an anti-violence protest.

The protesters assembled at Belmont and inner Lake Shore Drive around 4 p.m.

The group of protesters are taking over a portion of Lake Shore Drive, shutting down northbound and southbound traffic.

The group congregated on the west side of Belmont Harbor and will proceed west on Belmont Avenue to Clark Street, then north to Addison Street. Police said the protest is supposed to disband nearly Wrigley Field.

Anti-violence protesters are demanding the Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Supt. Eddie Johnson resign.

Organizers of the march said they chose their route in order to make residents on Chicago’s North side open their eyes to violence on Chicago’s South side.</s>CHICAGO — Chicago officials have issued parking bans and are warning motorists of rolling street closures ahead of a rush-hour protest march along the city's busy Lake Shore Drive.

The march is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Thursday on Lake Shore Drive near Diversey Parkway. Protestors plan to walk on Lake Shore Drive to Belmont Avenue to Clark Street and on to Wrigley Field where the march will end. The Chicago Cubs have a home game at 7:05 p.m.

Organizers say they are marching to press demands for the resignations of Police Supt. Eddie Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. They claim the officials have failed in efforts to lower gun violence.

A San Diego Padres-Chicago Cubs game is scheduled Thursday evening, and it's the first day of the Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park.

Organizers say they believe the march in the affluent neighborhood will draw attention to violence, corruption and the lack of economic investment in the city's African-American neighborhoods.

The demonstration comes almost a month after anti-violence protesters shut down traffic on a Chicago interstate.</s>CHICAGO (AP) — About 200 demonstrators briefly shutdown Chicago's Lake Shore Drive as they marched through one of the city's more affluent neighborhoods Thursday to draw attention to gun violence in the city's poorer areas.

Organizers hoped the march would draw attention to violence, corruption and the lack of economic investment in the city's African-American neighborhoods. The protesters are also demanding the resignation of police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel for failure to stem gun violence.

Johnson has asserted in recent weeks violent crime in the city has declined, attributing it to new police tactics. However, he conceded more has to be done in the neighborhoods where much of the violence takes place.

"There are too many killings in Chicago, there are too many police-involved killings in Chicago," said Tio Hardiman, one of the demonstration's organizers. "It's time to change the narrative in Chicago."

City plows and garbage trucks blocked traffic on Lake Shore Drive in the vicinity of the protest. It brought traffic to a standstill as motorists were forced to exit the roadway.

After protesting on Lake Shore Drive, the demonstrators marched to Wrigley Field as fans were arriving for a Chicago Cubs game, snarling traffic and attracting onlookers. Chicago police performed rolling street closures as the march progressed, creating traffic headaches across the North Side.

The protesters marched through a crowded neighborhood of high-rise condominiums and multi-story townhouses and apartment buildings.

Rochelle Sykes told the Chicago Sun-Times she was marching for a 15-year-old nephew, Demetrius Griffin, whose body was found burning in a West Side alley in 2016.

"I'm glad folks can afford to live up in the penthouse, but there's bad stuff going on here on the ground floor," Sykes said.

The number of protesters appeared to grow to about 400 people once the marchers arrived in front of Wrigley Field, where the Cubs were hosting the San Diego Padres. The demonstrators waved signs demanding Emanuel's resignation and chanted "one city, one Chicago" and "Rahm has to go," as fans watched from inside the park.

Harold Gatewood, a neighborhood resident, pointed out streets in his neighborhood that are blocked off regularly for street festivals and activity at the ballpark.

"It's nice to have the script flipped for a more important cause," Gatewood said.

Several hundred police officers watched over the marchers, with officials saying they were there to protect the protester's rights as well as public safety.

The demonstration came almost a month after anti-violence protesters shut down traffic on a Chicago interstate.

At least a thousand people participated in the July 6 march, led by Roman Catholic priest the Rev. Michael Pfleger, who said he couldn't support Thursday's march because the organizers were advocating the resignation of Emanuel and Johnson. He said that would do nothing to stop the violence.
Anti-violence protesters take to the streets of Chicago to draw attention to the problem of gun violence in Chicago, which briefly shuts down Lake Shore Drive. Protesters also call for Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel to step down for their handling of racial incidents in communities of color.