Street closures in effect during Mexican independence celebrations

? >> WELL, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE AND A LOT OF TRAFFIC ALL DAY LONG. BUT WHAT HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST HOUR AND A HALF OR SO? THINGS HAVE GOTTEN AWFULLY QUIET. WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING DOWNTOWN FOR THE EL GRITO, AS YOU MENTIONED, AND JUST A TYPICAL SATURDAY HERE IN CHICAGO. BUT WE'VE ALSO SEEN A LOT OF MEXICAN FLAGS. SO IN THE LAST ABOUT 830 IS WHEN THEY STARTED THOSE STREET CLOSURES. AND THAT ONE, THINGS STARTED GETTING QUIET. WE DIDN'T HEAR THE HORNS, WE DIDN'T HEAR THE CROWDS. WE'RE HEARING A LITTLE BIT OF FIREWORKS BEHIND US. WE HAVE SOME VIDEO OF SOME OF THE TRAFFIC THAT WAS STOPPED EARLIER. MICHIGAN AVENUE WAS CLOSED AND SOME EAST WESTBOUND STREETS IN THE LOOP ARE AFFECTED AS WELL. WHAT WE SAW IS TRAFFIC STOPPED AT MICHIGAN AVENUE AND SOUTH WATER STREET. NOW IN THAT STOP TRAFFIC, WE ALSO SAW MORE OF THOSE MEXICAN FLAGS, BUT WE ALSO SAW SOME PEOPLE WHO APPEAR TO BE CAUGHT UP IN THE TRAFFIC AMONG THE REVELERS. AND OF COURSE, ALL OF THIS IS A RESULT OF MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS. YOU MENTIONED ROBIN YEARS PAST, WE HAVE SEEN THE CELEBRATIONS SPILL OUT INTO THE STREETS, CAUSING SOME TRAFFIC PROBLEMS, BUT WE ARE NOT SEEING THAT RIGHT NOW. IT CERTAINLY WAS VERY LOUD, VERY BOISTEROUS. A LOT OF HAWKING AND THINGS LIKE THAT AND A LOT OF FLAGS. BUT WE DIDN'T SEE ANY PROBLEMS. TRAFFIC WAS MOVING THE WHOLE TIME. BUT WE DO UNDERSTAND AND CITY OFFICIALS DID MAKE A DECISION TO MAKE THOSE CLOSURES . AND OF COURSE, AS A RESULT OF THAT, NOW IT IS AWFULLY QUIET WHERE WE ARE. WE ARE AT RANDOLPH AND MICHIGAN AVENUE, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE ACCESS POINTS. NOW, THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE LOOP, PEOPLE WHO ARE CRITICAL WORKERS NEED TO GET TO HOSPITALS. FIRSTRILLIONESPONDERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THERE ARE ACCESS POINTS, BUT YOU WILL NEED YOUR IDENTIFICATION TO GET IN THROUGH THOSE ACCESS POINTS. THERE ARE ALSO, WE SHOULD MENTION A LOT OF POLICE OFFICERS. THERE'S A LOT OF SECURITY, PRIVATE SECURITY WITH EL CERRITO AS WELL AS HERE , MILLENNIUM PARK AND A LOT OF POLICE OFFICERS STATIONED HERE DOWNTOWN. AND INTERESTINGLY, THERE ARE FAR MORE SECURITY THAN REGULAR FOLKS, CIVILIANS JUST WALKING THE STREETS RIGHT NOW. IT IS AWFULLY QUIET, BUT THEY ARE WONDERING HOW THINGS MIGHT CHANGE A LITTLE LATER AS MORE PEOPLE COME OUT OF EL GRITO AND SOME OTHER THINGS COME TO AN END. BUT FOR NOW, IT HAS BEEN A PRETTY CALM DAY. UH, PEOPLE CELEBRATORY, PEOPLE, FRIENDLY AND TRAFFIC WAS, UH, NOT SO GOOD, THOUGH. IF YOU WERE TRYING TO GET ANYWHERE IN THE LAST HOUR AND A HALF. CERTAINLY IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME DOWNTOWN RIGHT NOW, DON'T. BUT IF YOU ARE A FIRSTRILLI