The Loop will be closed off overnight starting Monday, August 10, to prevent looting and vandalism in the area.
Late on Sunday, August 10, several stores, banks and other businesses across Downtown Chicago were broken into and vandalized. The attack, which seemed to be widespread and coordinated, started around 11 pm on Sunday night and continued into the early hours of Monday morning according to CBSN Chicago. In response to this incident, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Superintendent David Brown announced Downtown Chicago would be restricted overnight for the foreseeable future.
UPDATE: Mayor Lightfoot joins CPD Superintendent Brown to provide update on overnight criminal activity. https://t.co/84k7ybMJuY
— Archived: Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot (@mayorlightfoot) August 10, 2020
The restrictions will be in place from 8 pm to 6 am daily and is meant to go into effect on Monday night. In a more recent update for the media, Lightfoot stated city officials were still talking to CTA and looking into lifting the bridges.
Details on how the area would be closed off are not yet finalized, but the Mayor said the city wanted to make matters easier for Downtown residents. “We want to make sure, obviously, that people who work or live Downtown have easy access to the Downtown area, but we’re gonna make sure we make everything we can.”
MEDIA UPDATE: Mayor Lightfoot joins members of the press for a media availability. https://t.co/X5H4DjbnrE
— Archived: Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot (@mayorlightfoot) August 10, 2020
In addition to the shutdown, Lightfoot said city officials would be “sending out resources” both to the Downtown area as well as other neighborhoods to help implement the multi-layered plans that were developed earlier this summer.
See also: Fines Up To $2,500 Could Be Imposed On Businesses That Don’t Enforce Mask-Wearing Policies
[Featured image: @mychicagoshots, Instagram]