By Glenn Minnis
(The Center Square) — With violent crime like robberies on the rise, a Chicago city council member is sponsoring an ordinance that would bring enhanced penalties for individuals convicted of crimes while wearing masks.
Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez’s proposal would bring extra consequences to those caught wearing masks while committing crimes—both serious crimes and minor infractions such as trespassing and blocking the public way.
Lopez pointed to protests expected to break out in the city as the Democratic National Convention arrives next month.
“Everyone wearing masks while taking over communities is what political extremists want to protect. Not you or your neighbors,” Lopez wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Not all council members are embracing Lopez’s plan as the best course of action.
“It has its merits, but at the same time, this is something that’s really going to affect the Black and Brown community,” Ald. Chris Taliaferro told The Center Square. “We’re looking at enhancing penalties and enhancing punishment when it comes down to the youth or adults in Black and Brown communities.”
With his plan calling for 10 days of imprisonment, a $5,000 fine, and up to 129 hours of community service on top of the standard penalty for the crime, Lopez touts it as a “common sense” measure, adding only those engaging in wrongdoing need to be concerned. The veteran council member adds that he plans to seek a hearing on the measure at the City Council’s next public safety committee meeting.
At the same time, Taliaferro, a former CPD detective, openly questions if his colleague is even on the right track to have any chance of turning his words into law.
“I certainly believe that this is something that he needs to be talking to our state legislators about rather than the city council,” he said. “Is he referring to violating a city ordinance while wearing a mask or is he talking about violating the state crime? We don’t handle those issues in the City Council. If he’s looking to elevate a crime based off of aggravated circumstances or wearing a mask, that’s a matter that’s going to go before the General Assembly.”
Overall, violent crimes were up by nearly 8% in Chicago over the last year, with robberies, including an influx of coordinated sprees, accounting for more than 37% of all reported incidents. At the same time, arrest rates for such crimes dropped to a five-year low of just 10.8%. Criminals in some of the crimes captured on surveillance video wore masks.
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