The proposal to double the fines for drinking in the public way and public urination or defecation while within 200 feet of a parade in progress was tabled Thursday at a City Council committee meeting.
The Committee on Public Safety was set to consider the change proposed by Ald. Matthew O'Shea (19th), whose ward hosts the South Side Irish Parade. But the item was held at the request of O'Shea.
Currently, the fine ranges from $100 to $500. The proposal would double the fine to a range of $500 to $1,000. Any minor who gets busted for being intoxicated now can be fined $25 to $100. But if it is within 200 feet of a parade, they could be fined $500 or required to do 25 hours of community service under the proposed change to the ordinance.
The proposal could mean stiffer penalties for spectators of all parades who drink in the street or relieve themselves nearby, but particularly for the ever-popular Gay Pride Parade and South Side Irish Parade, which returned last year after a two-year hiatus.
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