Priest Spends Birthday In Middle Of Street Demanding Gun Control

CHICAGO, IL - An outspoken South Side priest has taken to the streets yet again. This time, Father Michael Pfleger spent much of his 69th birthday in the middle of the busy intersection at 79th and Racine asking for a stop to gun violence.

Pfleger, the longtime pastor at Saint Sabina Catholic Church around the corner at 78th and Throop, said the idea came from one of his mentors: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"My mentor Dr. King always spent his Birthday doing something for others," he said the morning of his birthday on Tuesday. "So today at 4pm I will spend 2 Hours in the middle of the street at 79th and Racine Holding a Sign that says AMERICA PUT DOWN YOUR GUNS...STOP THE NRA SAVE OUR CHILDREN! to draw attention to the Murdering of our Children."

He then shared a live video from out in the street.

ALSO ON PATCH: 'Jail-Like' Entrances At Fifth Third Bank Target Black Communities, Pfleger Says

Patch file photo / Tim Moran