Chicago police have issued citations to the owner of a townhome where a large house party was held over the weekend.
Illinois State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford and Chicago police confirmed the citations to NBC 5 on Monday afternoon.
The party was the subject of a now-viral video that showed dozens of people crammed into the West Side residence, a violation of the state’s “stay-at-home” order currently in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Chicago police say that officers were dispatched to the residence just after midnight Sunday morning. Approximately 50 individuals were dispersed from the residence, according to police.
The homeowner's son apparently deactivated the home’s video doorbell, so that his mother wouldn’t get notified of the increased activity at the house.
The homeowner was issued a notice of violation for disorderly conduct, a police spokesperson confirmed.
“It’s unfortunate but, you know, it’s still her property and she’s still responsible. She’s an EMT and did not know that her son was hosting this party," 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas said.
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Ford says the homeowner had no idea that her children held the party in honor of someone who had recently been killed.
“I’m hoping that she is not penalized for something that her young children did,” Ford had said earlier Monday.
Ford says that approximately 150 people were in attendance at the party.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blasted the partygoers, saying that their reckless behavior in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic was “distressing.”
“They put themselves at risk, but not only that, every single person there who put themselves at risk puts the next person and the next person that they come into contact with at risk,” she said. “That’s why, for me, that scene is so distressing.”
Ford disagreed with the decision to issue citations, and hopes that no further punishment will be handed out.
“The young people should get tested and learn from that mistake that they made,” he said.
Chicago police have advised the Chicago Department of Public Health about the incident, and the department plans to follow up on the incident to “ensure any health risks that could have arisen from this party are monitored and mitigated,” according to a statement.
Those measures do not include testing party-goers, but they could still be tested if they begin showing symptoms of the virus.
