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'Idiots' at South Side Irish Parade Won't Be Tolerated, Alderman Says

By Emily Morris | November 1, 2012 3:25pm | Updated on November 26, 2012 7:20am

CHICAGO — To ensure next year's South Side Irish Parade is a family-friendly event, one alderman wants higher fines for drunkards caught near a parade, the Sun-Times reported Thursday.

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) wants to increase the minimum fine for adults caught drinking in public within 200 feet of the parade five-fold, from $100 to $500, he said during Wednesday's City Council Meeting, according to the Sun-Times. Those caught who don't want to pay the higher fines would spend up to six months in jail.

In past years, the South Side Irish Parade was "hijacked by idiots," O'Shea said, as rowdy public drunkeness and indecent exposure earned the parade a three-year hiatus, the Sun-Times reported.

The parade was brought back in 2012 — along with a "zero-tolerance policy" for public alcohol consumption ahead of and during the event, the Sun-Times reported. Next year's parade is scheduled for March 10 and will run from Western Avenue between 103rd Street to 115th Street in Beverly, according to the event's site.