The 2015 Pride Parade will once again unroll in Lake View and Uptown in June 2015. But city officials warned that, unless significant changes took place, the parade might just move in the future.
In a joint April 27 statement, Alds. Tom Tunney ( 44th ) and James Cappleman ( 46th ), along with officials from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, said, "As the parade continues to grow in popularity and size, its growth has presented additional challenges. Over the past several months, the Mayor's Office and local aldermen have met to discuss the future of the Pride Parade, and an advisory group of community stakeholders has been assembled to recommend changes to this year's parade.
"These changes will include a stricter public safety plan, enhanced enforcement against drinking on the public way, and improvements to parade operations. The parties are in agreement that if there is not a serious improvement in the parade's impact on surrounding residents' quality of life this year, the next step is to assemble an advisory group to make recommendations for moving the parade out of the Lakeview community."
The statement went on to "ask for your support in keeping the parade safe by celebrating both responsibly and respectfully. If we do not see significant improvement this year, it may be the last year that the parade is in our community. Let's work together to ensure that the Pride Parade is a positive reflection of our pride in our neighborhood, city and LGBT community."
Tunney's staff had reportedly told Lakeview residents that the parade would likely stay in place this year, but was analyzing how the event overwhelmed police and neighborhood resources, as well as infringed on the safety and well-being of area residents, but had to this point held back on an official announcement.
The June 29, 2014, Pride Parade was beset by conflicting reports about disruptions; a number of eyewitness accounts suggested rampant unruliness along the route, but police officials reported only a handful of arrests. Dueling petitions appeared the following week, one asking that the parade be moved, the other asking that it stay in place. Tunney's office later did a survey, reporting that the majority of respondents wanted the event to stay in Lake View.
The Crime in Wrigleyville + Boystown blog reported April 21 that a number of city department heads had endorsed the idea of a move. It also published excerpts from a number of city reports on disruptions during the parade.
In a January interview, Tunney said, "We have changed the route in the past, so I'm not afraid to work on that. I think we did a good job with it. We've also secured a lot more police resources there. The converse question is, has it outgrown the neighborhood? … Two things that need more work are responsible patronage, with alcohol, and being a responsible community."