Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot justified implementing a ban on protesters being able to demonstrate outside her home in the city's Logan Square neighborhood, citing the large number of threats she and her wife have received during the city's heightened unrest.
"I think that residents of this city, understanding the nature of the threats that we are receiving on a daily basis, on a daily basis, understand I have a right to make sure that my home is secure,” Lightfoot told reporters, according to the Chicago Tribune.
She added comparisons to Chicago Police officers protecting previous mayors' homes is unfair because "this is a different time like no other."
Lightfoot's order was implemented in July and it was discovered in an email from then-Shakespeare District Commander Melvin Roman to officers under his command. Officers are ordered to arrest anyone if they refuse to leave and does not differentiate between protesters who are demonstrating peacefully and rioters. "It should be locked down" after a warning is given.
"I came up with the name ‘Fort Lori’ because it’s so hard to get in and out," nearby neighbor Ron Kaminecki told the Tribune, saying other residents are becoming fed up with ID checks and police barricades.
March is heading down Wrightwood toward Kimball, which is blocked off by a large group of CPD officers pic.twitter.com/HebNScXQGg
— Matt Masterson (@ByMattMasterson) August 13, 2020
Chicago Police pointed to state and city laws that prohibit protests in residential areas.
"CPD remains committed to facilitating First Amendment rights, while also protecting public safety. CPD continues to enforce state law and the City’s municipal code regarding public assembly,” police spokeswoman Margaret Huynh said. “The block is open at this time."
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