After weeks of negotiations, the city and anti-war activists on Wednesday agreed on the particulars of a permit that will allow protesters to demonstrate against the NATO summit to be held at Chicago next month.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the city has waived fees for protest organizers to use Grant Park's Petrillo Music Shell as the march's May 20 starting point, marking what protest organizers see as a victory.
(Scroll down to watch a report on the agreement between NATO protesters and the city.)
The march is now slated to head west on Jackson Boulveard, south on State Street, east on Harrison Street and finally south on Michigan Avenue to McCormick Place. The protest is slated to begin with a rally at 2 p.m., followed by the parade, which must be completed by 4:15 p.m.
Protest organizer Andy Thayer told the Chicago Tribune that he was satisfied by the route and had accepted the permit.
Still, activists remain concerned that the federal Secret Service might still thwart their plans by imposing a tighter security perimeter around the McCormick Place, CBS Chicago reports. According to the Sun-Times, the city's agreement with activists fell short of agreeing to side with protesters should such a scenario arise.
"We've had a problem in other cities with these national special security events, where the feds come in and they put sweeping barriers down that are not just an inconvenience to local businesses and residents, but also keep people way away from the object they’re protesting; in this case, of course, the NATO summit at McCormick," Thayer told CBS.
Activists were originally granted a permit to march past Daley Plaza during the G-8 Summit, one of two international assemblies Chicago was slated to host this summer. When the G-8 Summit was relocated, the group requested the permit be moved from Saturday, May 19 to Sunday, May 20 to coincide with the NATO summit, and the Chicago Transportation Department initially turned them down.
WATCH a report on NATO protesters' plans: