CHICAGO — The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) wants residents and visitors to be aware of a May Day march and rally planned for Thursday, May 1 and encourages everyone to be vigilant in crowds and report suspicious activity or packages by calling 9-1-1.  OEMC will monitor the event from the Operations Center and coordinate public safety resources with the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and City of Chicago infrastructure departments.

The May Day event will be held in Union Park and Grant Park with a march through the West Loop and the Central Business District. There will be an increased police presence to ensure all those exercising their First Amendment rights can do so safely. Additional officers will also be present to maintain public safety for those living, working and visiting in the area of any demonstration.

The May Day event will start in Union Park at 9:15 a.m. with speakers and the march to Grant Park will begin at 11a.m. The route will proceed as follows:

·         East on West Washington Street to South Morgan Street

·         South on South Morgan Street to West Jackson Street

·         East on West Jackson Street and into Butler Field at Grant Park.

In Grant Park, there will be a speaking program beginning at 2 p.m. at Butler Field and the event will end at 4 p.m.

Motorists should expect rolling street closures along the route of the march and seek an alternate route.

Report Suspicious Activity:  If You See Something Say Something. The City reminds the public to be aware of their surroundings and to report suspicious activity. If you notice something suspicious, notify onsite security or call 9-1-1. If You See Something, Say Something™ is a national anti-terrorism public awareness campaign that emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities. For public safety information and tips, visit Chicago.gov/OEMC.

Grant Park and Lakefront Poles Markers/Location Identifiers: For public safety on the lakefront, residents are reminded to be aware of the numbers attached to the poles throughout the Grant Park area and on DuSable Lake Shore Drive from 5700 North to 6600 South to help them reference their location along the lakefront and within the park if you call 9-1-1 in an emergency. OEMC call takers and dispatchers will be able to provide the location for first responders. They can also be used between friends and family members as meeting point if you become separated. For complete details click HERE.

Chicago OEMC App

Residents are encouraged to download the Chicago OEMC app in order to have the latest information on weather conditions from the National Weather Service in Chicago, event information, street closures and more. To download the app, visit Chicago.gov/OEMC or the Apple or Google Play stores.

OEMC will monitor all citywide events and weather conditions through a collaboration with public safety partners and will issue several alerts and notifications to keep residents up to date on weather conditions, street closures and emergencies:

• Notify Chicago: Sign up for emergency alerts at NotifyChicago.org
• CHILAKE: For lakefront notices, TEXT “CHILAKE” to 7-8-0-1-5
• CHIBIZ: For alerts affecting businesses, TEXT “CHIBIZ” to 6-7-2-8-3

For information on the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), we encourage residents to download the Chicago OEMC app, visit the OEMC website at   Chicago.gov/OEMC. Sign-up to receive Notify Chicago alerts Follow the Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Facebook(@coemc), Twitter (@ChicagoOEMC), Instagram (chicago_oemc_911), Bluesky (@chicagooemc.bsky.social) and Threads (@chicago_oemc_911).