Lightfoot defends Millennium Park curfew for minors after deadly ‘Bean’ shooting

It comes as police are rethinking their technique for coping with giant crowds of minors after the lethal taking pictures on the “Bean” this weekend.

The chaos on the Bean Saturday evening had police outmanned and scrambling, with police brass ordering officers to start rounding individuals up.

SEE MORE: Mother of youngster fatally shot at ‘Bean’ says he frightened about residing previous 21

“It is a mass arrest state of affairs, in the event that they’re breaking the legislation make the arrests,” a command-level officer could possibly be heard ordering over the scanner.

That didn’t occur resulting from a scarcity of police manpower. However in response to an altercation that led to the taking pictures dying of 16-year-old Seandell Holliday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has ordered that minors with out an grownup won’t be allowed in Millennium Park after 6 p.m. from Thursday by way of Sunday.

“Millennium Park has change into a gathering place, but additionally a flashpoint,” Lightfoot mentioned. “We will not enable any public area to be became a spot of chaos and violence.”

Throughout a groundbreaking for a brand new athletic discipline at Farragut Profession Academy Tuesday morning, Lightfoot burdened that merely arresting younger individuals throughout giant gatherings does not work.

SEE MORE: Teen charged after boy killed close to Millennium Park ‘Bean;’ Mayor Lightfoot enacts weekend curfew

“That is not our objective,” Lightfoot mentioned. “Our objective is to ensure that we create public areas like this one, the place kids and households can get pleasure from themselves in security and peace.”

2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins mentioned he’s involved in regards to the pressure mass gatherings placed on police, delaying 911 responses in neighborhoods.

“There have been as much as three hours of a backlog on Saturday evening and a few of these calls have been severe calls, batteries and fights in progress, burglar alarms going off,” Hopkins mentioned.

Police are rethinking methods to hopefully deter violence that mass gatherings would possibly spark.

“Now we have discovered classes, we do after-actions after every considered one of these and we’ll proceed to enhance because the summer time goes on and finally we’ll get this proper,” Chicago police Chief of Patrol Brian McDermott mentioned.

Lightfoot as soon as once more burdened that younger individuals are welcome in any public area, however she vowed that those that break the legislation will face penalties. Beginning Thursday, her new order for Millennium Park order will likely be put to the take a look at.