Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has become a meme sensation amid the coronavirus pandemic because of her unprecedented efforts to keep constituents at home. It’s no wonder then that the first Black woman leader of The Windy City is outraged by the decision of dozens of partygoers to gather inside a Northwest Side town house for a party last Saturday night.
According to the Washington Post, a video of the house party was streamed live on Facebook. About 50 people were in attendance at the event that showed gatherers within inches of each other, most of which were not wearing masks or protective gear. Police arrived shortly after midnight on Sunday morning to send everyone home.
“What was depicted on the video was reckless and utterly unacceptable,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said Sunday in a statement posted on Twitter. “While most Chicagoans are doing their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19, reckless actions like these threaten our public health and risk erasing the progress we have made.”
WaPo reports that outside of this particular house party, Chicago police have broken up more than 5,200 groups since a statewide stay-at-home order was put in place at the end of March. The orders were implemented and remain to help stop the spread of the virus.
In early April, data from the Chicago Department of Public Health showed that the coronavirus was affecting the city’s Black neighborhoods much harder than others. Today, Blacks make up more than 55 percent of the 773 deaths in the city though only account for 30 percent of the population. The concerning disparity has been at the core of the mayor’s efforts to keep people at home.
“I know this is a very difficult time for Chicagoans, but there is a reason we are asking you to stay home and socially distance: It saves lives,” Lightfoot said on Sunday. As for the house party organizers, the mayor says, “We will hold those responsible accountable. I am asking everyone to be in this together.”