‘The time for educating people into compliance is over…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot threatened to arrest and/or fine anyone who violates her shelter-in place-order during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
“We will shut you down, we will cite you, and if we need to, we will arrest you and we will take you to jail,” Lightfoot said. “Don’t make us treat you like a criminal.”
I’m not playing. Stay home (your own home). Save lives.https://t.co/jPUdaRsoTp pic.twitter.com/bStBdWKIVT
— Mayor Lightfoot #StayHomeSaveLives (@chicagosmayor) May 3, 2020
Compliance with the city’s stay-at-home order dropped from 82% to 77% over the last week, Lightfoot said, which isn’t surprising given the warm weather, she added. But continued violations will not be tolerated, she said.
“If you act like a criminal and you violate the law and you refuse to do what is necessary to save lives in this city in the middle of a pandemic we will take you to jail, period,” she said.
House parties have also been taking place across the city, according to numerous reports. One rumored event allegedly hosted 1,000 people, according to the New York Post.
Lightfoot accused these partygoers of “bringing death [to the] doorstep” of anyone with an underlying medical condition, who may be more susceptible to COVID-19.
“If you host a party, promote a party, or go to a party, we are not playing games. We mean business, and we will shut this down one way or another,” she said. “The time for educating people into compliance is over.”
Chicago police broke up several social gatherings this weekend, Lightfoot said, thanks to anonymous tips law enforcement received from concerned neighbors. Lightfoot encouraged Chicago residents to continue reporting social-distancing violators.
“We’ve all been cooped up. We all miss our friends, and we all want to go outside and gather in groups,” Lightfoot said. “However, those aspirations simply cannot become a reality in the middle of a pandemic.”
Lightfoot, herself, faced criticism for getting a haircut in violation of her own restrictions but justified her actions by claiming she had to keep up appearances since she was the “public face” of the city.