CHICAGO — A Chicago tradition honoring the lives of CPD officers killed in the line of duty brought together hundreds of law enforcement personnel and the families of fallen officers along Michigan Avenue and surrounding streets downtown Sunday morning.
The St. Jude Memorial March is a tradition that began more than 90 years ago. The St. Jude Police League is a non-profit organization that supports officers’ families during times of bereavement. Founded in 1932, it’s the oldest fraternal order in support of CPD.
Every May, members of CPD and other law enforcement agencies march to honor the fallen.
This year’s march, the 96th annual, was followed by a ceremony for Gold Star Families and a 21-gun salute and comes just weeks after the shooting death of CPD Officer Luis Huesca in the Gage Park neighborhood while Huesca was returning home from work.
Huesca was laid to rest six days before the march.
In May 2023, Officer Aréanah Preston was shot and killed outside her Avalon Park home. The St. Jude Memorial March took place the very next day. And earlier in 2023, Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso was shot and killed while on a domestic-related call.
Huesca was on everyone’s minds at this year’s march, along with Preston, Vásquez Lasso and all other CPD officers killed in the line of duty.
That number is now 601.
Family members of CPD officers voiced their support during Sunday’s march and said the safety of their loved ones on the job is always on their minds.
“Since he’s been on the force 30-plus years, every day we always want to make sure he’s safe, and his partners and anyone who falls under his supervision are safe,” said Ronald Hill, relative of a CPD officer, on Sunday. “They do a valuable job, and sometimes they don’t get a lot of credit for it.
“So we appreciate it.”
Said Dolores Hill, another relative of a CPD officer: “I want to be here for my son and for all of the police officers, because they are getting such a bad rap.
“It’s sad. It’s really sad. I feel there is no respect for the police officers now, and I hope things will change.”
The St. Jude Memorial March took place on Michigan Avenue until 2006, when it was moved to Museum Campus to center around Soldier Field and the Gold Star Families Memorial. But the march returned to Michigan Avenue this year because of its more central location, allowing more people to watch it.
