Lake Shore Drive has been reopened after it was briefly closed due to protesters marching Thursday in response to news that a New York City grand jury failed to indict a white police officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man.
Police detained at least two protesters late Thursday.
The protests disbanded shortly before midnight. Protesters vowed to return on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at 1 E. Jackson to protest the decision once again.
The grand jury decision sparked a series of marches throughout the nation.
Locally, protesters started marching from the Loop to 18th Street near the Dan Ryan Expressway. Several protesters darted past police and ran onto the southbound Dan Ryan before they were removed by officers, according to video of the incident.
Later, protesters headed north toward downtown, walking on Michigan Avenue before entering Lake Shore Drive, which brought traffic to a standstill, according to witnesses. Police shut down part of Lake Shore Drive for about 15 minutes before reopening all lanes about 9 p.m., according to Chicago Police and city officials.
Cars stuck in the southbound lanes had begun honking as protesters walked by cheering and chanting. Other protesters sat down in the northbound lanes. Officers at the scene told protesters they risk arrest if they continued down Lake Shore Drive. Police News Affairs said there were no reported arrests.
After they left Lake Shore Drive, the protesters marched south down inner Lake Shore Drive.
"Hands up! Don't shoot!" many chanted in reference to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., another racially-charged case in which a white officer was not indicted.
One protester could be seen hoisting a sign that read: "Black lives matter." Another protester marched while hoisting an upside down American flag, known as a signal of distress.
The protesters snarled traffic on the inner drive, while traffic started to return to normal on the outer drive.
One protester swore at a motorist and smacked his car as it tried to exit southbound Lake Shore Drive at Oak Street. One or two people jeered at the protesters from their high-rises.
Meanwhile, a few dozen cop on bicycles corralled the protesters to make sure they marched southbound onto North Michigan Avenue. The bike cops marched alongside the crowd as they chanted.
Some motorists beeped their horns either in support of the protesters, or out of frustration for them blocking traffic throughout the Magnificent Mile.
The police on bicycles sometimes stopped next to one another and positioned their front wheels to the side in order to prevent the protesters from moving onto the side streets off Michigan Avenue.
The bicycle maneuvering was a popular tactic to control the large crowds during the NATO protests in 2012.
As of about 10:40 p.m., dozens of police on bicycles and on foot were not letting the crowd move east on Roosevelt Road past Michigan Avenue.
Police scuffled briefly and shoved a few protesters back behind their barricade when they tried to scurry past it.
"Hold the line!" a deputy chief shouted to the officers.
As of 10:43 p.m., Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines said no arrests have been made in the protests.
Just before 11:30 p.m., police put one protester in hand restraints at 11th and Wabash and led him away from the others as he got them to join in a chant of, "Whose street? Our Street." The rest of the group were on sidewalks and no longer blocking traffic.
Eric Garner of Staten Island died on July 17 after several officers tackled him as they tried to arrest him for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes.
One of the officers, Daniel Pantaleo, put Garner in a fatal choke-hold. The scene was captured on mobile phone video by a friend of Garner's and published, sparking debate about the use of force by police.
Protesters have gathered in several cities after the decision was announced Wednesday.