CPD blocks access to Rainbow Beach after Mayor Brandon Johnson warns of planned teen takeovers
Chicago police cars and Department of Streets and Sanitation salt trucks have blocked off the entrances to Rainbow Beach on the South Side, where a teen takeover is planned for Friday night.
According to a post shared on Facebook, the gathering was supposed to begin at 5 p.m., but as of 5:45 p.m., no crowds were visible at Rainbow Beach.
The University of Chicago Police Department also sent out an alert on Friday that there could be a teen gathering near campus at 52nd Street and Lake Park Avenue on Friday.
In a statement on Friday, Mayor Brandon Johnson urged parents to help prevent any such teen takeovers.
"As we enter the weekend, I am urging parents, guardians and trusted adults to help prevent unsanctioned teen gatherings, know where your children are, and talk with them about the risks of attending these events," Johnson said. "To Chicago's young people: do not attend these gatherings. They can escalate quickly and carry serious consequences. The Chicago Police Department will enforce curfew and applicable laws, and community violence intervention partners will be on the ground to help keep young people safe."
The mayor's warning comes after two teen takeovers over the Memorial Day weekend turned violent.
On Sunday, five police officers were injured when an 18-year-old man drove a vehicle into them in the 1200 block of South Loomis Street as they were trying to disperse a large crowd of teens on the Near West Side.
On Monday night, 53 people were arrested and nine weapons were seized after another teen gathering turned violent near the lakefront in Hyde Park. Police said several hundred people were involved in the takeover, many of them dancing on top of squad cars, and throwing objects at officers as police tried to clear the area. Three teens were shot near 55th Street and Cornell Avenue after the gathering moved from 57th Street Beach across DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Hyde Park near the Museum of Science and Industry.
