From the something-you-don’t-see-everyday file: Traffic on Chicago’s Dan Ryan Expressway came to a virtual standstill Monday when a cowboy on horseback decided to take a ride down the middle of the busy roadway.
The Illinois State Police switchboard began lighting up at about 4:30 p.m. as motorists called to report the fish-out-of-water, authorities say. When officers arrived, they found the cowboy and his horse trotting south on the expressway at about 15 miles per hour while hundreds of cars drove slowly behind them, police say.
It turns out the rider was Adams Hollingsworth, a local man who’s gained notoriety as the “Dreadhead Cowboy.” The stunt was an attempt to draw attention to a charity endeavor called “Kids Lives Matter,” which aims to raise money for youth programs in low-income areas. “Until we understand kids’ lives matter, nothing else matters,” Hollingsworth says. Apparently, blocking traffic also matters — Hollingsworth was arrested and charged with reckless conduct, disobeying a police officer and criminal trespass, police say.
Is saying “Kids’ Lives Matter” offensive in the same way “All Lives Matter” is? Where in Chicago would one keep a horse, anyway?