Chicago's Dreadhead Cowboy among Dan Ryan protesters arrested for blocking traffic

'Dreadhead Cowboy' rode horse down Dan Ryan in 2020 to protest gun violence against children

Liz Nagy Image
Friday, May 28, 2021
Dreadhead Cowboy arrested during Dan Ryan protest
Self-proclaimed "Dreadhead Cowboy" Adam Hollingsworth livestreamed the event Thursday afternoon as the holiday weekend rush hour audience was held captive in their cars.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago's self-proclaimed "Dreadhead Cowboy" was arrested for a second time while protesting gun violence on the Dan Ryan Expressway.



Adam Hollingsworth livestreamed the event Thursday afternoon as the holiday weekend rush hour audience was held captive in their cars.



SEE ALSO: Chicago's Dreadhead Cowboy rides horse on Dan Ryan Expressway



"All the gun violence, listen, all these killings, we need to understand. We're losing too much," Hollingsworth said.



The small but dedicated group of protesters headed outbound on the Dan Ryan, then stepped out of their cars and stopped traffic near 53rd Street. The protest closed the outbound lanes briefly from 3:45 p.m. to 3:57 p.m., Illinois State Police said.



"Kids lives matter," Hollingsworth said as he joined the group in the name of stopping gun violence against children.



"They took my horse trying to silence me, man, but it's all about support," Hollingsworth said.



SEE ALSO: Dreadhead Cowboy denies animal cruelty allegations following Dan Ryan protest



This was Hollingsworth's most recent rodeo. Last summer he captured national attention galloping down the expressway on his horse, denouncing gun violence. Police arrested Hollingsworth then, and again with a group on Thursday.



Illinois State Police, who patrol the expressway, showed up and tried to clear the group. It resulted in a brief scuffle before they cleared the roadway and reopened it to outbound traffic.



"We were fighting for equality, social economic equality," protester Greg Sherman said.



A handcuffed Sherman joined others detained by state police at a Far South Side police district hours after the expressway interruption. He said he has no regrets.



"This was necessary for our future," Sherman said. "That is why we will continue to shut down the highways and the byways. We gotta stop killing each other."

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