The salt trucks were positioned in Grant Park for the Taste of Chicago festival and weekend protests. Several social media posts are erroneously claiming Mayor Brandon Johnson deployed the salt trucks along Chicago's expressways to create a block ICE operations.

The department “deployed salt trucks to support public safety efforts related to a planned protest and the Taste of Chicago. This is a routine practice,” a spokesperson said.

Videos of the salt trucks lining Grant Park popped up on social media over the weekend. Several claimed that Mayor Brandon Johnson deployed the trucks to form a roadblock and interfere with ICE operations.

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  • Bizzle@lemmy.worldEnglish
    15·
    14 hours ago

    Well when you have ICE on the roads you send the salt trucks, I don’t see what the big deal is

  • Gustephan@lemmy.world
    10·
    18 hours ago

    Context for people from warmer climates who may not know what a salt truck is/does:

    In colder climates where the roads freeze in the winter, cities de-ice the roads. This is sometimes done by spreading salt from big trucks all over the roads to melt the ice. You could refer to a salt truck as a de-icing truck or an ice melting truck and you’d be largely correct

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
      41·
      16 hours ago

      A lot of places ice the roads before the snow, as it helps the water not freeze to the road as well. (And lower the freezing point, not much but a little.)

      • Cort@lemmy.world
        12·
        16 hours ago

        A lot of places ice the roads before the snow

        A lot of places salt ice the roads before the snow.

        My town sprays a brine solution before snow, so more salt is on the road when it starts snowing. As opposed to cars flinging rock salt off the road for the few hours before snow starts