Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and record single-day counts of new cases, hundreds of people gathered along the East Peoria riverfront last Saturday for the annual "White Trash Bash."
Photos of the gathering, as well as local media reporting from the scene, show an absence of face coverings or social distancing that public health officials emphasize are the best ways to prevent spread of the coronavirus.
Just last week, Gov. JB Pritzker came to Peoria to warn the region was potentially just days away from renewed restrictions as positive case counts and hospitalizations spike.
The Fon du Lac Park District Police Department, which operates one of the only maritime police agencies in the region, asked those gathering to use "common sense and social distancing" ahead of the event.
On Monday, park district Director Mike Johnson issued a statement saying the police agency doesn't have authority to enforce Pritzker's restrictions on crowd sizes and protective measures designed to limit the virus' spread.
"Our maritime duties during this event were to deter crime as outlined in the Illinois Compiled Statutes and respond to water-related emergencies, i.e. boating incidents, injuries, etc.," said Johnson.
By Monday, news stories about the riverfront party made national headlines in Newsweek and the New York Post, among other publications.
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