NEWS: At this pivotal moment, Chicago Mayor @LoriLightfoot is inciting fear. Calling for more police. Referring to calls to "defund" police as no more than a "nice hashtag." Chicago is not a war zone. Residents are not enemies. 20+ community orgs call for: JusticeNotFear.org
"When Mayor Lightfoot first ran for office, she visited one of our events in Hyde Park where we were collecting donations for Maurice Granton Jr.'s family after he was killed by police. Where is that support now?" India Jackson. Good Kids Mad City: gkmcenglewood.com
“Our obsession w/ locking up Black & brown people in record numbers & oversaturating communities w/ cops, all while defunding schools, shuttering community hospitals, & depriving residents of needed resources is actually the problem." Tanya Watkins. From: soulinchicago.org
In an open letter, 26 community groups are calling out @LoriLightfoot for "fueling the cycle of police violence & distrust" by ignoring their calls for change & escalating a law enforcement response that will trigger more violence & incarceration. Letter: bit.ly/3gwcryR
Police violence is nothing new especially in Chicago. For years, the Chicago police department literally tortured people, including over 100 Black men, to force confessions or to get them to falsely incriminate co-defendants. theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
RACISM: The Department of Justice concluded that Chicago police had long “violated the constitutional rights of residents for years, permitting racial bias against blacks, using excessive force and shooting people who did not pose immediate threats.” theroot.com/feds-confirm-t…
There’s a history here. A history that explains the indignation, as well as the community dream for better for the city and country. Chicago police murdered 17 year old Laquan McDonald and then lied about it until dash cam footage outed them. chicagoreporter.com/how-chicago-tr…
In the last decade alone, Chicago taxpayers paid over $700 million to settle lawsuits for police brutality. And while the police union opposes any discipline in even the most egregious cases, they’ve pledged to discipline any cops who demonstrate support for Black Lives Matter.
Chicago came together. Tried to rid themselves of police violence. Elected @LoriLightfoot on a promise of change. Claimed she recognized the dangers of overpolicing: "A militarized response to the violence isn’t what people want, & ... it’s not effective.”chicagomag.com/city-life/June…
But after the police killing of George Floyd, instead of listening, "progressive" Mayor @LoriLightfoot imposed a curfew, leading to hundreds of people being arrested peacefully protesting. 75% of those arrested were Black.chicago.suntimes.com/2020/5/30/2127…
When peaceful protestors were abused, arrested, pushed in front of police cruisers, tripped, pepper-sprayed, and beaten, she chose to write off the movement to defund the police as a “nice hashtag.” politico.com/news/2020/06/2…
As the letter writers demand, @LoriLightfoot: "Listen to the wounded & angry Chicago communities — the same ones who voted enthusiastically for you — and make good on your promises by embracing a reimagined and transformed vision of public safety." More: JusticeNotFear.org
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