If there is nothing stopping Chicagoans from going to the beach,are the beaches really closed?
Back when the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois started imposing stay-at-home restrictions to try to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, people would congregate on the Lakeshore Trail (which, as the name implies, follows most of the Chicago portion of the shore of Lake Michigan) and many lakefront parks and beaches. Worried about social distancing, Mayor Lori Lightfoot did something that added to the growing "Lightfoot ain't playing" meme - closed the Lakefront Trail and the parks and beaches along with it.
But that was in late March.
As you may recall, during the Memorial Day weekend, I went to take some photos of the "Reopen Illinois" rally. And I stayed in Grant Park for a few more hours. I soon discovered that, while the path to the Lakefront Trail was very much closed, there was nothing stopping people from hanging out at Grant Park itself, even though it was a lakefront park. There weren't that many people, but there was more than a few - hanging out on the lawn, playing Frisbee, running around.
About a week and a half later, when the city was still reeling from protests and looting that erupted in response to George Floyd's death, I went to the closest lakefront park to my current apartment - the Loyola Park. I saw that the police barriers were only blocking the trails leading into the park, but not all the grass around it. And, when I went back the following day, even that was gone. Again, it's not like there were massive crowds, but I was hardly the only person there, either.
Over the next week and a half, I went back several times - same thing.
After Chicago libraries reopened (with some restrictions), I went over to the Edgewater branch library to pick up a hold i made all the way back in January. And I decided to swing by the nearby beach - the Hollywood Beach - which just happened to be the spot where the Lakefront Trail ended.
I discovered that while there was a barrier blocking the spot where the trail merged into the street, nothing was blocking the path from the trail to the beach, and there was nothing blocking the path from the street to the beach, so not only could the people on the trail simply walk around the barrier, but there was nothing to stop them from getting to the beach.
And, you guessed it - people took advantage.
Hardly anyone was swimming, but there were people suntanning, playing volleyball or just sitting on the benches. Under normal circumstances, the crowd would be about twice as big, and there would've been more swimmers, but still.
Out of curiosity, I decided to check out Berger Park, the lakefront park closest to my old apartment. Last time I was there at the beginning of April, there were several barriers blocking the way.
But, by the middle of June, some barriers were moved aside, and the others were just gone.
There was no way the city didn't know about it. Cops patrolled those streets every day, and we know that CPD watches social media. Even if nobody spotted the crowds, the Instagram photos alone would give it away.
As COVID-19 positive tests, hospitalizations and deaths declined, Lightfoot announced that the lakefront parks and Lakefront Trail would reopen - but not the beaches - would reopen on June 22.
I went to Loyola Park the day before, and saw that there were some people on the beach. And, the following weekend, I saw more people on the beach, and more people swimming.
One thing I have been noticing since the start of June is that nobody was emptying the garbage cans.
Last Monday, Ald. Maria Hadden (49th), whose ward includes Loyola Park and most of the Rogers Park neighborhood in general, pointed out the obvious - the city should either enforce the restrictions or, if it wasn't willing to do that, it should have lifeguards watching the beaches, just in case someone needs help. And vladiatorr told me that, on Friday evening, one of his friends was stopped when visiting a beach. But I have no idea if this applies across the board.
As Vlad pointed out, there may be some logic to that. Watching every single beach may not be the best use of city resources, and the city can reserve that tool if things really get out of hand.
But I also have to wonder - is there really a point in saying that the city will close the beach if it's not really going to close it? Maybe it would be better if the city simply imposed crowd limits?
Because, as it is, one has to wonder - how seriously one should take orders that don't have much of a real weight?
But that was in late March.
As you may recall, during the Memorial Day weekend, I went to take some photos of the "Reopen Illinois" rally. And I stayed in Grant Park for a few more hours. I soon discovered that, while the path to the Lakefront Trail was very much closed, there was nothing stopping people from hanging out at Grant Park itself, even though it was a lakefront park. There weren't that many people, but there was more than a few - hanging out on the lawn, playing Frisbee, running around.
About a week and a half later, when the city was still reeling from protests and looting that erupted in response to George Floyd's death, I went to the closest lakefront park to my current apartment - the Loyola Park. I saw that the police barriers were only blocking the trails leading into the park, but not all the grass around it. And, when I went back the following day, even that was gone. Again, it's not like there were massive crowds, but I was hardly the only person there, either.
Over the next week and a half, I went back several times - same thing.
After Chicago libraries reopened (with some restrictions), I went over to the Edgewater branch library to pick up a hold i made all the way back in January. And I decided to swing by the nearby beach - the Hollywood Beach - which just happened to be the spot where the Lakefront Trail ended.
I discovered that while there was a barrier blocking the spot where the trail merged into the street, nothing was blocking the path from the trail to the beach, and there was nothing blocking the path from the street to the beach, so not only could the people on the trail simply walk around the barrier, but there was nothing to stop them from getting to the beach.
And, you guessed it - people took advantage.
Hardly anyone was swimming, but there were people suntanning, playing volleyball or just sitting on the benches. Under normal circumstances, the crowd would be about twice as big, and there would've been more swimmers, but still.
Out of curiosity, I decided to check out Berger Park, the lakefront park closest to my old apartment. Last time I was there at the beginning of April, there were several barriers blocking the way.
But, by the middle of June, some barriers were moved aside, and the others were just gone.
There was no way the city didn't know about it. Cops patrolled those streets every day, and we know that CPD watches social media. Even if nobody spotted the crowds, the Instagram photos alone would give it away.
As COVID-19 positive tests, hospitalizations and deaths declined, Lightfoot announced that the lakefront parks and Lakefront Trail would reopen - but not the beaches - would reopen on June 22.
I went to Loyola Park the day before, and saw that there were some people on the beach. And, the following weekend, I saw more people on the beach, and more people swimming.
One thing I have been noticing since the start of June is that nobody was emptying the garbage cans.
Last Monday, Ald. Maria Hadden (49th), whose ward includes Loyola Park and most of the Rogers Park neighborhood in general, pointed out the obvious - the city should either enforce the restrictions or, if it wasn't willing to do that, it should have lifeguards watching the beaches, just in case someone needs help. And vladiatorr told me that, on Friday evening, one of his friends was stopped when visiting a beach. But I have no idea if this applies across the board.
As Vlad pointed out, there may be some logic to that. Watching every single beach may not be the best use of city resources, and the city can reserve that tool if things really get out of hand.
But I also have to wonder - is there really a point in saying that the city will close the beach if it's not really going to close it? Maybe it would be better if the city simply imposed crowd limits?
Because, as it is, one has to wonder - how seriously one should take orders that don't have much of a real weight?