Police shut down South Side, West Side businesses over violence, go easy on clout-heavy bars downtown

LiqrBox, 873 N. Orleans St., where a man was killed outside the club on Sept. 18, 2021. Under similar circumstances, the Chicago Police Department has ordered the closings of dozens of other businesses linked to shootings. But it didn’t shut down LiqrBox, whose clout-heavy owner runs a string of restaurants and clubs, holds the liquor license for Lollapalooza and is a political contributor to Mayor Lori Lightfoot. (Frank Main / Sun-Times)

When a patron of a glitzy Near North Side bar called the LiqrBox was gunned down in the middle of Orleans Street, Chicago police officers spoke with a friend of the man. He told them the Sept. 18, 2021, incident had begun inside the club.

Under similar circumstances, the Chicago Police Department has ordered the closings of dozens of other businesses linked to shootings.