A Mayor Cracked Down On Parties During The Coronavirus Lockdown. His Wife Defied Him.

COVID-19 Victims

5G Conspiracy

Wisconsin Primary

China Quarantines Lifted

Immigrant Detainees

Amazon Employees

CORONAVIRUS

A Mayor Cracked Down On Parties During The Coronavirus Lockdown. His Wife Defied Him.

Mayor Brant Walker said he was “embarrassed” that his wife was among the people police rounded up at a bar a day after he cracked down on social gatherings in Alton, Illinois.

By Tasneem Nashrulla

Posted on April 7, 2020, at 4:36 p.m. ET



City of Alton / Via Facebook: cityofaltonil

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, become a member and sign up for our newsletter, Outbreak Today.

A mayor in Illinois last week chided residents in his city for not adhering to the governor’s stay-at-home order to stop the coronavirus from spreading.
“These are very serious times and I’m begging you to please stay at home, and parents, please keep your kids at home — doing so is vital to our health,” Alton Mayor Brant Walker said at a briefing on Friday.
Walker said he had directed the city’s police department to more strictly enforce the order by issuing citations or arresting those in violation of the order.
“We will do whatever it takes to decrease the spread of this deadly virus,” Walker said.
The following night, the Alton Police Department cracked down on a social gathering at a local tavern.
Among those they rounded up was the mayor’s wife, Shannon Walker.
The mayor apologized to Alton residents on Monday, saying he was “embarrassed” by the incident and that his wife had shown a “stunning lack of judgement.”
In a statement, Walker said that the Alton police chief informed him on Sunday at 1 a.m. that officers had stopped a social gathering in downtown Alton that was occurring in violation of the statewide stay-at-home order.
He said that police told him that his wife had also been attending this “prohibited social gathering.”
“I instructed the Police Chief to treat her as he would any citizen violating the ‘Stay At Home’ order and to ensure that she received no special treatment,” Walker said in his statement.
He said his wife will face the same consequences “for her ill-advised decision” as the other attendees who violated the order.
“My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgement,” Walker said. “I am embarrassed by this incident and apologize to the citizens of Alton for any embarrassment this incident may cause our City.”
The Alton police said in a press release that they found several individuals in Hiram’s Tavern on Sunday, “clearly disregarding the executive order and public pleas for compliance” on Sunday.
Officers issued a criminal complaint for reckless conduct “against every person found gathering at the bar,” police said. Each individual will be summoned to court at a later date. The Class A misdemeanor charge is punishable by up to 364 days in jail and/or a fine of $2,500.
The mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MORE ON THIS

All People In Illinois Have Been Ordered To Stay Home To Stop The Coronavirus From SpreadingClarissa-Jan Lim · March 20, 2020



Tasneem Nashrulla is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Contact Tasneem Nashrulla at tasneem.nashrulla@buzzfeed.com.
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.

Play a bigger role in our journalism

Want to see more stories like this? Become a BuzzFeed News member.
Start

 View Comments

TRENDING NEWS



The Coronavirus Meme About “Nature Is Healing” Is So Damn Funny



People In Wisconsin Waited In Line For Hours To Vote Despite Fears Over The Coronavirus



How Influencer Arielle Charnas Became The Face Of “Privilege In The Age Of The Coronavirus”



Justin Trudeau Said The Word “Moistly” During A Coronavirus Update And Immediately Regretted It



Amazon Will Give Partial Pay To Employees It Sends Home With Fevers During The Coronavirus Pandemic



A Mayor Cracked Down On Parties During The Coronavirus Lockdown. His Wife Defied Him.



The Coronavirus Killed This Woman’s Mother, Father, And Brother. Her Husband Has Been In A Coma.



The Victims Of COVID-19



Lifestyle Influencers Are Now Sharing Some Bogus Far-Right Conspiracy Theories About The Coronavirus On Instagram



A “Bored” Sports Broadcaster Filmed His Dogs Racing To Eat Their Food And His Commentary Is The Best Thing

TOP BUZZ



Bhad Bhabie Looks Very Different In Her New Instagram Posts, And People Are Accusing Her Of Blackfishing



People Are Sharing The Unrealistic Movie Stereotypes That Get Them All Riled Up And I Agree One Hundo Percent



Sarah Hyland Revealed How She’d Have Liked Her “Modern Family” Character’s Story End After Being Disappointed With The Series Finale



Two Pandas At An Empty Zoo Under Coronavirus Quarantine Finally Boned After 10 Years Together



People Shared What Documentaries To Watch After “Tiger King” And Wow, These Are Fascinating



We Know How Old You Are Based On The Food Combos You Love And Hate



There Are 50 US States And I’ll Be Impressed If You Can Find 15 Of Them



A Tiger At The Bronx Zoo Has Tested Positive For The Coronavirus



Sorry, Millennials, But There’s Zero Chance You Can Identify More Than 10/20 Celebs In This Picture



If You Get A 5 On This AP “Twilight” Test, I Will Be Very Impressed

Sections

Arts & Entertainment

Books

Business

Investigations

LGBTQ

Opinion

Politics

Reader

Science

Tech

World

Follow Us

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Company

Support Us

BuzzFeed.com

Privacy Policy

User Agreement

a  brand

California residents can opt out of “sales” of personal data.

Do Not Sell My Personal Information