CHICAGO _ For months, memes have appeared to show Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot watching for crowds and threatening to close parts of the city if residents don't abide orders and closures during the coronavirus pandemic.
But on Saturday, Lightfoot herself _ not just a Photoshopped picture of her, like those used in such memes _ apparently had a hand in breaking up a large gathering at Montrose Harbor, according to social media posts by the mayor and crime blog CWB Chicago.
And within hours of the mayor's appearance, fencing started going up where the party had been held, according to Michele Lemons, a park district spokeswoman.
"The Chicago Park District installed fencing at Montrose Beach to deter large gatherings like those observed (Saturday). While the lakefront trail is open, Chicago's beaches and parkland, east of Lake Shore Drive remain closed under the Chicago Department of Public Health's executive order. The fencing will remain in place indefinitely to remind the public of the restrictions implemented as part of the City's ongoing COVID response plan," Lemons wrote in an email.
Lightfoot had on Saturday posted to Twitter an image of dozens of people engaging in what she called "reckless behavior."
"It's called a pandemic, people," said the mayor's post, which included a picture of partygoers. "This reckless behavior on Montrose Beach is what will cause us to shut down the parks and lakefront. Don't make us take steps backwards."
Lemons noted the mayor just last week announced that lakefront concessions and restaurants with patios could reopen under strict guidelines that include proper social distancing and no congregating.
In a follow-up tweet, Lightfoot confirmed she was at Montrose Harbor in person and seemed to suggest she had already ordered new fencing seen Sunday morning: "In case you were wondering, I stopped by to see for myself. It's being addressed," she wrote at 7:30 p.m., about 90 minutes after she posted a picture of the party.
Stoking concerns that the mayor had followed through on threats to close the "parks and lakefront," were additional images circulating on social media of police cars blocking a Montrose Harbor entrance. The trail also was blocked by police officers at Montrose Avenue and Lake Shore Drive Sunday morning.
Authorities confirmed that as of Sunday morning police officers were detailed to entrances for Montrose Harbor, according to Anthony Spicuzza, a Chicago police spokesman. However, Spicuzza said officers frequently have been detailed to lakefront access points throughout the pandemic, so the presence of officers Sunday did not necessarily indicate any changes had been made.
"Foot access is available but you're not supposed to park there," Spicuzza said. "The 19th District has bike teams available to patrol that area as well but they aren't specifically detailed there like the squad cars are."
On CWBs Twitter post, one individual responded with a poorly-lit video that appears to show a fence being erected in the same area as the party.
The Tribune verified about 50 yards of fencing along the edge of the lakefront, north of the boat dock. There are concrete steps that go down to the water's edge and the fence is parallel to the water, on the grass side of the approach. The fence doesn't go the entire length of the concrete path though, so one need only approach from either end where the fence stops and walk down the stairs to the water.
About 10:30 a.m. crews were working on putting up additional fencing down the lakefront path. The fencing, which looks like to be made of wood and wire, did not deter passersby, including those on foot and bicyclists, most of whom who sped by, ignoring the fence.
A single can of mango White Claw and a disposable face mask lay on the ground near the fence.
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