31st Street Beach should close at 9 p.m. due to violence, Ald. Lamont Robinson says

Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) wants the 31st Street Beach to close earlier after recent shootings have left three people dead.Robinson called violence in the area “unacceptable” and wants the Chicago Park District to close the beach at 9 p.m. instead of 11 p.m.The first-term South Side City Council member also wants the Chicago Police Department to enforce the early closure and prohibit people from loitering near the beach at night.“We need enforcement of the 9 p.m. closure until we can ensure the beach is safer for all beachgoers and the surrounding community,” Robinson said Friday in a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times.Robinson said he requested the safety measures in a letter to the park district on Thursday.The Chicago Police Department said it is “working alongside the Chicago Park District and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications to strengthen security at beaches and lakefront parking lots throughout the city, including 31st Street Beach. We are also continuing to secure the Chicago Harbors by addressing boat slips with multiple complaints.”The park district and the mayor’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.Early Friday morning, two people were near 31st Street Beach, in the 3100 block of South DuSable Lake Shore Drive.A 23-year-old man and 22-year-old woman suffered multiple gunshot wounds about 3:20 a.m. Friday, police said. They were pronounced dead on the scene.Police took several men into custody after the initial investigation indicated the wounded man was exchanging gunfire with others.A about 10 p.m. Wednesday in the 600 block of East 31st Street, police said.A 22-year-old woman was taken to Insight Hospital and Medical Center with three gunshot wounds to her chest. She died at the hospital. A 20-year-old woman was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center with a gunshot wound to her thigh in good condition.Robinson said he has been working with police and the mayor’s office to station violence interrupters at the beach nightly for a few weeks to “help deescalate potentially violent situations.”