Pride parade pays tribute to Orlando victims

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CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -- After much planning and additional law enforcement, officials say the 47th annual Chicago PRIDE parade was a safe and successful one.

The increase in security comes two weeks after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida where 49 people at the gay establishment were killed by a gunman.

Kicking off the Chicago parade was a somber tribute to those victims as people held up their pictures and walked quietly.

“Where there is hate we are going to meet it with love, where there is fear we are going to meet it with hope,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Close to one million people lined the streets for the parade – one of the largest LGBTQ parades in the country. The route was lined with extra patrols, uniformed and undercover and ther was surveillance from the ground and the sky.

The colorful parade was made up of scantily-clad performers, dancers and a sea of balloons. Parade-goers said the mood was sobering at times, but still had “positive energy and everybody was getting along.”

Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management reports no major incidents. To be clear Chicago police officials said there was never any credible threat to the parade or the community.