No Plans To Cancel Chicago Lunar New Year Parade After Deadly Shooting

CHICAGO — As Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood prepares to celebrate the Lunar New Year this weekend, officials are working with the city’s police department to ensure a safe parade environment in the wake of the mass shooting in California over the weekend.

Chinatown’s Lunar New Year parade will take place on Sunday, just more than a week after 10 people were killed and 10 more were wounded at a New Year celebration in a dance studio Monterey Park, Calif.

The shooting took place after thousands of people had been in the area for the first of two days celebrating the Chinese New Year. The suspected gunman was found dead following a manhunt.

Chicago Alderperson Nicole Lee (11th Ward) said in a statement issued to Patch on Monday that her office has engaged with Chicago Police and parade organizers to ensure a “safe and welcoming experience that our community and parade-goers deserve.”

Lee continued: “The safety of our community is my top priority and it’s my job as Alderman to ensure we are using available resources, and demanding more when needed, to keep our community safe everyday. We deserve to enjoy this celebration of our culture and community, and we will do so with pride, just as we have for generations.”

Organizers said that there are no plans to cancel the parade, which begins at 1 p.m. and celebrates the Year of the Rabbit.

In a statement issued after the Monterey Park shooting, Chicago police said they continue to monitor the situation and will take "necessary steps" in efforts to keep the city's Asian American Pacific Islander community safe as it prepares to celebrate the New Year on Sunday.

"While there is no actionable intelligence in Chicago, we are strengthening security for Lunar New Year celebrations in the upcoming days by increasing our visibility and presence at these events," the CPD statement said. "Our business liaison officers, and community policing officers will also remain in communication with the AAPI community throughout the Lunar New Year activities."

It added: "We will continue to keep the Monterey Park victims and their families in our thoughts as we mourn this tragedy together."