Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot threatened citations and arrests for those who failed to comply with stay-at-home orders and held parties instead.
“I’m not playing. Stay home (your own home). Save lives,” Lightfoot tweeted along with a video of her statement Saturday.
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
“Now I’ve directed Superintendent Brown to order all police districts to give special attention to these parties. And this is how it’s going to be,” Lightfoot said. “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. Period. There should be nothing unambiguous about that.”
“Don’t make us treat you like a criminal,” Lightfoot continued. “But if you act like a criminal and you violate the law and you refuse to do what is necessary to save lives in the city the middle of a pandemic, we will take you to jail. Period.” (RELATED: Chicago Mayor Urges Citizens To ‘Stay Home, Save Lives’ — Until She Needs A Haircut)
Lightfoot gave the statement in response to house parties that were being held despite the orders that have been in place for over a month.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police superintendent are on the West Side warning people to stay home after CPD broke up “widespread house parties” last night. She gets desire to go out but:
“Those aspirations simply cannot become a reality in the middle of a pandemic,” she said. pic.twitter.com/kgsP6g4Ube
— Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) May 2, 2020
Following her news conference, Lightfoot called on locals to go home, prompting a response from some who suggested she “go home.”
After a news conference decrying house parties and telling people to stay home, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot crossed the street to tell youth outside a school to go home.
One young man responded: “Y’all need to find a cure, you’re talking about go home. You go home.” pic.twitter.com/uZHhNbcS0U
— Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) May 2, 2020
Lightfoot was previously criticized for getting a haircut — and taking a photo with her stylist that ignored social distancing recommendations — despite the fact that she was telling her constituents to stay home.