Chicagoans are welcoming back the unofficial start of summer. On Friday, North Avenue Beach was filled people craving a little sun to kick off Memorial Day weekend.
It looks a lot different than it did just a year ago. Police shut down this beach-- they said because of the excessive heat. Others feel it was thanks to several fights, some believed to be gang related at several Chicago beaches.
"There was like, no where to walk so we were all the way down there last time. It was like a mosh pit," beach goer Chloe Black said.
Black tried bringing her dogs Sade, Abigail and Tyson, but the police turned her away because of the massive crowds.
Jacob Kaiser was also down here working at the beach last year.
"The weather was so nice so suddenly last Memorial Day," Kaiser said. "It was very cold up until a certain point and Memorial Day snapped on and everyone was in beach mode. This year we kind of eased into it a little more, we had the longer warm weather spells."
Chicago Police officers on bike and on foot are highly visible at the center of the beach. The hope is that this year will not be a repeat of last.
"It's calm now, people are having a great time, it's beautiful weather. But, who's to say, I mean, it's Memorial Day, it's a big holiday. Hopefully people will behave themselves," Kaiser said.
Friday, May 17 2013 10:37 PM EDT2013-05-18 02:37:06 GMT
On Friday, the current Chicago Teacher's Union President Karen Lewis announced that she has been re-elected and says she won with 80 percent of the vote.
On Friday, the current Chicago Teacher's Union President Karen Lewis announced that she has been re-elected and says she won with 80 percent of the vote.
