President Obama and the first family walked to a wedding in their hometown neighbourhood of Kenwood Saturday under tight security. Strolling out in the open along the leafy streets, Mr Obama, his wife Michelle and daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha 11, were back in Chicago together for the first time in two years.
They were attending the wedding of the daughter of President Obama's advisor Valerie Jarrett, at her home, although the White House will not officially confirm this.
The president was seen to be wearing a tan suit, while Michelle Obama was dressed in a sleeveless green top with a white skirt. Sasha was seen to have a green dress on and Malia a yellow dress as they walked the one block from their own Kenwood home to attend the sunset wedding of Laura Jarrett to Tony Balkissoon.
Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, was also with the party as they were photographed walking.
The media was cordoned away from the Jarrett's residence, but guests seen arriving were subject to strict searches by security and the Secret Service was an obvious presence.
Arriving in Chicago on Friday evening, the first family have caused road closures and traffic restrictions to be imposed for the length of their stay which ends on Sunday.
And before the wedding began, two light aircraft were intercepted on Saturday afternoon by an F15 fighter jet dispatched from NORAD in Colorado Springs. Both jets were not threats to the President but fell foul of the airspace restrictions put in place for the duration of his visit.
It is believed that up to 200 police officers are expected to be taken off the crime-ridden streets of Chicago to provide security at the wedding due to President Barack Obama and his family's presence. Between 100 to 200 police officers have been drafted in to secure the perimeter of the Jarrett property, which is about a block and a half north of the President's home.
The First Family will jetted into Chicago on Friday as Valerie Jarrett’s daughter Laura Jarrett, a former Harvard Law student, prepared to wed fellow graduate Tony Balkissoon. The wedding will took place in the backyard of the Jarrett family home in Kenwood, with some gatherings planned at the nearby Obama mansion.
It seems that the city will not be reimbursed by the federal government for the extra security measures. The cops will be pulled from all districts in the city to guard the whole perimeter around where the wedding takes place.
The news will came as a shock to some anxious Chicago residents, who have seen a rise in the number of murders and violent crimes in the city, last weekend nine people were killed and 53 were wounded.
According to the Chicago Police Department on the whole, the number of murders in the Illinois city has risen by 46 per cent since last year.
The President Obama will be in town for three days of unofficial business, with no public appearances scheduled.
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