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Dear Neighbors,
Memorial Day was another tense day at the beach but I'm proud of the way our Chicago Police prepared for, and responded to the illegal promotion of another unlicensed event at North Avenue Beach.
As residents saw, the beach was flooded with visitors, many drawn to the area by a social media posting of another unlicensed event. As reported by the press, police were able to locate the "influencer" who posted it. At police request, the poster took it down, but hundreds of people arrived at the beach to "party" beginning around 4 pm while families and others were having a usual fun day at the beach.
Police searched bags at the entrances to the beach, seizing large quantities of liquor and, most upsetting, guns. Police chased, and successfully captured, some who tried to run, including one person carrying an assault weapon and another with a ghost gun. In total, eleven guns were seized throughout the day and evening. Everyone arrested with was charged with felony gun possession and we are following these cases in court.
After a few personal disputes began to erupt and one group began throwing things at police, more arrests were made. Police successfully shut down the event.
While there were even more people on the beach than two weeks ago, police kept activity largely off the streets and no one was hurt. We cannot praise enough the discipline, training, and skill of our police force in responding to this difficult situation.
Superintendent Brown has recommitted to me the plan for weekends at the beaches that we have had in place for 12 years:
- Mounted units making periodic appearances
- Bike patrols from both local districts and the Critical Response Team going up and down the lakefront
- All-Terrain Vehicles going up and down the path
- Periodic bag checks at various entrances to the beach
We thank Commander Hein and all the men and women who handled the situation, and want to thank the entire department for providing the resources to back up the 18th District.
Get Guns off the Beach
Let me be clear. Guns are not allowed on the beach or in public places in Chicago (except for very limited concealed carry exceptions). We are not Texas, which accepts permitless open carry of weapons and the murder of 4th graders in their schools.
I am unaware of a time when this many guns were seized during my 43 years in this neighborhood.
I'm calling on the State's Attorney to vigorously prosecute every one of these cases. All people deserve the chance to safely enjoy our parks, beaches, and open spaces. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, Illinois is sixth in the nation for the strength of our gun laws. While we have strict laws on our books, we are no different than Texas if we don't enforce them.
Our right to life and safety outweighs the risk to the reckless individuals who are carrying guns.
The first court date for the individuals arrested on Memorial Day is June 8th at 9:00 a.m. Sign up for court advocacy with alfred.robinson@chicagopolice.org.
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