In one Chicago neighborhood, police have resorted to the time-honored tactic of turning neighbor against neighbor, punishing an entire neighborhood for a church that keeps holding services within its boundaries.
Over the weekend, police put “no parking signs” all over the Ravenswood community, reports CBS 2, in an effort to create animus toward Philadelphia Romanian Church while preventing attendance at its services.
To some degree the divide-and-conquer tactics seems to be working. Christopher Swanson has lived in the quiet Ravenswood neighborhood for more than 20 years and said safety is important to him. He blamed the church for not obeying the government and shutting down.
“This is about a virus and this is about all of us not getting it,” Swanson said. “It brings 100 people into this neighborhood.”
Some other neighbors shared those concerns.
“They’re bringing in people during a stay at home order,” said Sandy Gordon.
Most residents, however, were upset about the “no parking” signs posted everywhere. Some even said that Chicago police started knocking on their doors before 7 a.m., telling them to move.
“Everybody had to find a new parking spot for about two blocks around,” Swanson said, wondering why the city can’t take a different course of action that doesn’t inconvenience them.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot directed concerns to Chicago police. CPD said they are in close communication with residents and will continue to make sure they’re aware of parking enforcement.
