Alderman wants to close 31st Street Beach early following pair of deadly shootings

BJ Lutz
·1 min read
2

CHICAGO — Following two consecutive nights of deadly shootings, an alderman said he wants to see a beach in his ward close early in hopes of stemming “unacceptable” violence.

“The 31st Street Beach needs to be temporarily closed and loitering prohibited after 9 p.m. rather than the current 11 p.m. closure time,” Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) said in a statement. “We need enforcement of the 9 p.m. closure time until we can ensure the beach is safer for all beach goers and the surrounding community.”

A man and a woman were killed after a shootout near 31st Street Harbor early Friday morning. Roughly 29 hours earlier, a 22-year-old woman was killed and another injured in a shooting at the beach.

“The level of violence happening at the 31st Street Beach is unacceptable,” Robinson said, adding that his office is working closely with police and the mayor’s office.

Robinson, a vice chair of the city council’s police and fire committee, said violence interrupters have been out helping to de-escalate potentially violent situations.

Beaches maintained by the Chicago Park District officially close at 11 p.m.

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