- After being “hijacked by idiots” who drank themselves silly, as the local alderman put it, the South Side Irish Parade made a family-oriented comeback last March.
Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) wants to make certain there’s no going back to the bad old days.
At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, O’Shea introduced an ordinance that would throw the book at those caught drinking on the public way within 200 feet of a parade in progress.
The minimum fine for adults would increase five-fold — from $100 to $500. The maximum fine would double — from $500 to $1,000. The alternative to the higher fines would be up to six months in jail.
Adults who relieve themselves in public within 200 feet of a parade in progress would face similar fines and anywhere from five to 10 days behind bars.
Minors caught drinking in the shadows of a parade would be slapped with $500 fines or required to perform 25 hours of community service.
So....is this enforcement exclusive to the South Side Irish Parade? Because without a doubt, this would make Beverly and Mount Greenwood streets among the cleanest in the nation.
And with evenhanded enforcement, Bronzeville, Washington Park and Humboldt Park could end up being spotless for the first time since the turn of last century, too.