St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Chicago Saturday made quite the impression online — but not for the famous green dye in the river or the parade in Grant Park.
Many spectators poked fun at the efforts of Chicago police to confiscate and collect BORGs in viral posts over the weekend.
A BORG, or “blackout rage gallon,” is an alcoholic concoction typically contained in a plastic gallon jug. The mixture can contain one or multiple types of alcohol, and drinkers add water, juice or electrolytes to mask the taste and provide hydration.
Videos posted to TikTok showed officers making what video creators referred to as “BORG morgues” or “BORG jails.” Police were filmed dumping out the contents onto the street or in drains and standing in front of piles of plastic jugs with colorful liquids inside. One video with nearly a million likes showed filled BORGs piled in the back of a garbage truck.
Jessi Cuthbert, a 26-year-old physician assistant student, posted that video. Cuthbert said she saw police lined up Saturday morning outside Ogilvie Transportation Center when she got off the train from Bloomingdale. The officers were throwing away the jugs from people who looked to be about high school- or college-aged as soon as they got off the trains, she said.
“They wouldn’t let people take 10 steps out without throwing them away,” Cuthbert, who didn’t partake in the trend, said. She added that a couple she estimated to be in their 40s was inside the train station, warning young people that their BORGs would be taken.
Cuthbert said many commenters on her video said it taught them what a BORG was. Alcoholic concoctions are nothing new — recall “jungle juice” — but BORGs specifically are. They became popular online around 2023 among college students and underage drinkers.
Saturday’s fiasco also gained traction on the social media platform Reddit. One user received over 300 comments on a picture of four police officers standing in front of a pile of empty plastic jugs.
“The Chicago Police Department enforces all laws, including laws related to drinking in the public way and public intoxication,” the department said in a statement to the Tribune Monday. A spokesperson added that no individuals were charged with disorderly conduct on Saturday in the 1st District — which includes the Loop — and one minor was arrested for obstructing an officer and possessing alcohol underage.
Despite their popularity, BORGs aren’t safe to drink, medical experts warn. The Cleveland Clinic notes that even though alcohol is diluted in a BORG, the high alcohol content can still lead to alcohol poisoning. By masking the alcoholic taste, BORG users may not realize just how much they’re drinking. In 2023, nearly 50 University of Massachusetts Amherst students were hospitalized after drinking BORGs.
Chicago law prohibits people from drinking on any “public way” except at outdoor businesses that have a liquor license. Violators can face a fine between $100 to $500 and six months imprisonment. Those who violate the rule within 800 feet of a parade route can face even greater fines.
Bolu Ajayi, 23, was one of the people who had her BORG taken outside Ogilvie. She said she came back to Chicago after moving to Atlanta in the fall to celebrate her favorite holiday. But immediately after traveling in from Arlington Heights, Ajayi said she and her boyfriend had to hand over their BORGs — which they bought $70 worth of drinks to make — to Chicago police.
“If we didn’t give it to them, they said that they’d give us a ticket or arrest us,” Ajayi said.
Ajayi said she had alcohol in previous years at the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations without issue. She added that she didn’t expect her BORG to be confiscated, especially since most other people were drinking too.
Ajayi said it seemed like police were ramping up security overall, which she appreciated even if it came at the expense of her BORG.
Some videos claimed police officers asked drinkers to pour their BORGs out into the Chicago River or showed officers dumping them down drains that empty into the river. Friends of the Chicago River, an organization dedicated to protecting the river, said it’s impossible to know the effect the BORGs would have on the waters without knowing how much liquid was poured in.
“However, no one should ever release anything into a waterway without understanding the potential impact on the water quality and wildlife,” the group said in a statement to the Tribune.
Still, BORG makers flooded the streets near the river on Saturday. Many had made their liquids green and gave their BORGs names like “I hate being soBORG.” Videos posted online by partygoers show names referencing “Heated Rivalry” characters or popular internet jokes.
Ajayi named one of her jugs BORGan Freeman. Even though the famous actor’s semi-eponymous container had to go in the trash, Ajayi still had a great day celebrating.
“I realized (police) were taking everyone’s BORGs, so it was bound to happen,” Ajayi said. “But now I know not to have a BORG next year.”
