Thread by @_KellyGarcia__

Currently outside McCutcheon Elementary in Uptown where a press conference is set to start soon regarding a four-year-old student who was roughed up by an off-duty police officer at the school last Spring.

Protestors are gathering behind the speakers.

Attorney Michael Gerard starts off the press conference sharing that on March 2, 2020 there was a four-year-old child that was violently abused in the school's hallway and the family is seeking answers about what happened.

The four-year-old, Jamari, was dragged by a security officer down the hallway while at school on March 2. The attorney mentions that they have subpoenaed records, filed multiple FOIA requests and CPS has tried to cover it up.

It wasn't until they found the case in a federal court that they figured out what happened and it wasn't until months later that they found the officer's name.

Jamari's mother is now speaking sharing that her son, Jamari, who also has a disability, did not know about the incident on the day that it happened and she was denied an incident report despite multiple requests.

"My kid does not get nap time but that day he took a two-hour nap," says Jamari's mother. "How much pain was he in that he needed to take a two-hour nap?"

"We're holding this press conference because we don't believe this is an isolated incident," says the attorney. "Why was it so hard to get information?"

One of the community reps of the LSC shares that people of color are not welcome at this school and that staff members who abuse children are getting raises.

Now hearing from Jamari's grandmother who says no child should be going through this in Chicago Public Schools.

"I don't know how he's going to be handling this trauma."

A representative from the #CopsOutCPS coalition is now speaking.

"Our fight here is not over. CPS still has a $12 million contract with CPD ... it is not coincidence that most of the schools who removed SROs are from the North Side."

For clarity, elementary schools do not have school resource officers (SROs) but they still have off-duty police officers as security.

Now taking questions from CPS.

Attorney adds that they filed a federal lawsuit against the district which names the individual officer. There is no specific monetary amount—they're looking for justice. CPS continues to ignore FOIA requests.

Attorney also adds that the mandated reporters in this case to DCFS but that there is possibly videos out there.

They add that to this day they have no idea why the police officer dragged the child.

"They say that they can save our children from this pandemic," says the attorney. "But can they even save them from their own employees?"

Since the press conference, I have learned that Wilma, the community rep on the LSC who spoke out about the incident, has been getting harassed by CPS as retaliation.