Chicago is known as the “Windy City” and is known for its weird rules, beautiful buildings, and deep-dish pizza. Some rules are made to help people, while others have been around for a very long time.
A Chicago law once banned ‘ugly’ people from being in public. Yes, you read that correctly. An 1881 law in Chicago made it illegal for ‘ugly’ people to be in public, in an attempt to eradicate street begging. The law stated that no person who is diseased, maimed, mutilated or in any way deformed would be allowed in public places. Beggars were reportedly fined $1-$50 or shipped off. The law was later abolished in the 1970s.
More about Chicago’s “Ugly Law”
Back in the late 1800s in Chicago, there was this rule called the “ugly” law. It said that anyone who looked different because of a disease, injury, or deformity and was considered unattractive or gross couldn’t be seen in public. This law wasn’t really about people’s physical problems, but more about how society saw them. It’s like they judged people based on their disability, not just what they could or couldn’t do, as reported in National Library of Medicine.
This paper discusses how, in those days, disabled people were treated differently depending on their status. Some disabled people were permitted to work or perform in shows, whereas others were viewed as charity cases. The ugly law was enacted to keep certain disabled beggars off the streets, particularly following a major economic crisis in 1873.
So, while it appeared that the law was against all disabled people, it was actually aimed at beggars with disabilities. It is critical to understand who the law was intended to regulate and who it was not.
How “Ugly Law” Stayed on Chicago’s books for 93 years?
In 1881, a man from Chicago called James Peevey set out with a great goal: to rid the streets of anything that was impeding them.
When Peevey talked about street blockages, he didn’t mean food carts, construction stuff, or broken roads.
He was referring to beggars, such as those featured in the newspaper, who begged for money on the streets. A man with one leg looked unhappy, some guys yelled about bananas, and a woman with two sick children played a sorrowful song on a street corner.
Peevey didn’t like seeing people with disabilities begging for money, so he did something about it. In May of that year, Peevey convinced the City Council to pass a rule. This rule said that anyone who looked sick, injured, or deformed in a way that people found ugly couldn’t be out in public asking for money. If they did, they could be fined a lot of money or sent to a poorhouse. Peevey did try to make an exception for a soldier who lost a leg and an arm in the war. But mostly, his rule made it hard for blind, deaf, or disfigured people to ask for help in Chicago.
Chicago wasn’t the only city doing this. Many other cities also passed similar rules called “unsightly beggar” laws or “ugly laws.” It started in San Francisco in 1867, not long after the Civil War ended, and then other cities in the West and Midwest followed.
Back then, people thought these rules would make their cities better. They thought poorhouses, like the one in the story “Oliver Twist,” would help poor people find work and stay off the streets. But later, they realized poorhouses were too expensive and too corrupt.
In 1872, the Cook County Poorhouse, located near the Dunning Asylum, the county’s mental hospital, was not functioning properly. Within 20 years, it had once again become infamous for bad behavior and cheating. So it’s not surprising that some poor people choose to be on the streets.
However, the leaders were concerned about what might happen if the streets were crowded with beggars. They were concerned that disfigured beggars would scare women, as well as fights between classes. They also felt compelled to aid the destitute because of their religious beliefs. So they chose to keep the impoverished out of sight, thinking that people would forget about them.
The worst part of these laws was that they showed a lack of trust in poor and disabled people. In the 1800s, there was an argument about who deserved help. Most people thought widows and orphans should get help because they were victims of circumstances, but they thought able-bodied poor people were just lazy and didn’t deserve help.
People with disabilities were caught in the middle — some thought they deserved help, while others didn’t trust them. Newspaper stories didn’t help, with reports of beggars who suddenly could see or hear when they were caught by the police.
During World War I, soldiers returned injured, and society began to modify their attitudes toward crippled individuals. Laws also began to change. After World War I, there were no more ugly laws. Instead, there were intentions to assist veterans.
Things progressed slowly, with each battle bringing new developments. In the 1960s and 1970s, laws were passed to safeguard the rights of disabled persons, and cities were made more accessible to them. Finally, in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted.
Even though Peevey’s law from 1881 lasted a long time, the City Council repealed it in 1974. One of the persons who helped get rid of it described it as nasty and outdated.
10 Weird Facts About Chicago Laws
- No Whiskey for Pets: You can’t share your whiskey with your dog. Maybe they were worried about pets getting drunk, but it’s still a strange rule.
- Clean Pets Only: Pets in Chicago must be clean. If they are not, it is a violation of the law. They take pet care very seriously here.
- Movie Censorship: For a long time, movies had to be approved before being shown in Chicago movie theaters. Fortunately, that is no longer an issue.
- Meatless Mondays and Weekends: Previously, there was a law that prohibited the selling of beef after 6 p.m. and on weekends. This blue law was adopted for religious reasons and is no longer in effect.
- Limited Food Trucks: Food trucks are rare in Chicago because of lots of rules. Things are slowly changing, though.
- No Pigeon Sales: Selling pigeons is illegal in the city. It’s likely to keep the pigeon population under control.
- Pocket Change Required: Always keep some spare change! If you have less than a dollar, you might get in trouble for vagrancy. But nowadays, a dollar doesn’t go far.
- Fishing from Giraffes: You can’t fish while sitting on a giraffe’s neck. It’s a silly rule, but it’s there.
- Stinkbomb Ban: Remember those smelly bombs from childhood? Nope, can’t sell or use them in Chicago. People don’t want stinky stuff around.
- Kite Problems: Flying kites may seem like a fun activity, but it is not permitted in Chicago. Probably concerned about electricity wires and kites causing complications.
