Waukegan activist Ralph Peterson doesn’t want anyone using George Floyd’s death as an excuse to loot.
That’s why he said he decided to disperse those gathered at a “pop-up” protest he had helped organize Monday and has been taking his time to make sure a follow-up protest is as organized as possible.
Peterson’s protest – planned for 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Glen Flora Plaza parking lot at the corner of Lewis and Glen Flora avenues – is among a growing number of rallies, prayer vigils and other events being organized for the coming days.
The quick turnaround has given organizers and local municipalities less time to prepare but Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham said he has been hearing from event organizers.
That’s in contrast to Sunday events that included a peaceful protest in downtown Waukegan that was “hijacked” by those looking to loot and cause property damage, Cunningham said.
The unrest Sunday night resulted in numerous businesses burglarized, a significant amount of property damage and damage to five Lake County Sheriff’s Office squad cars, according to the sheriff’s office. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared Lake County a disaster area Wednesday, allowing access to more resources amid unrest.
Since the weekend, Lake County has experienced relative calm with no mass looting or violence, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.
The city of Waukegan has also remained spared, though some businesses remained boarded up, some as a result of Sunday’s unrest and others in an effort to deter would-be looters. Cunningham said he plans on keeping the city’s 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in effect through at least Monday morning.
To keep Thursday’s protest in Waukegan peaceful, Peterson said organizers have been developing security plans and have been coordinating with the city.
“Looting is not acceptable,” Peterson said. “It proves nothing. It’s about someone looking out for themselves, taking care of themselves instead of the message. It doesn’t accomplish anything.”
That’s the focus for Clyde McLemore, the founder of the Lake County chapter of Black Lives Matter, as well.
He has a march in the works for 3 p.m. Saturday in Zion that he hopes takes over Sheridan Road from the Walgreens parking lot at 2100 Sheridan Road, south to Wadsworth Road, something that he hopes frustrates area businesses into pushing local legislators for change.
“Black Lives Matter, we don’t believe in the looting and the riots,” McLemore said. “What we want to do is a peaceful march. … We want to show that we can do a peaceful march.”
The pushback to looting was a common theme at events across Lake County over the past two days and those planned for the coming days.
One protest billing itself as “a respectful and peaceful forum to discuss a movement toward positive change within our community” is scheduled to take place at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at David Park in Zion. The plan had originally been to host it at Bowen Park in Waukegan.
A racial justice rally seeking to end the black lives “lost to police brutality, racial injustice and white supremacy” is in the works for 5 p.m. Thursday in downtown Lake Zurich at the corner of Old Rand Road and Main Street, according to a Facebook event.
Cunningham said he attended a Waukegan prayer vigil, a protest at Glen Flora Plaza and a concert event at Stretch’s Sports Bar and Grill Tuesday, all of which had a common theme of community members coming together.
Those gathered decried the “hijackers who camouflaged themselves among the peaceful protesters” and wanted to return the focus to George Floyd and holding those responsible for his death accountable, he said.
