chicagotribune--2020-06-04--George Floyd fallout: Peaceful protests and wary shoppers greet Chicago’s first day of reopening

But that — along with nervous shoppers finding narrow entry corridors through back doors and between shattered glass — was @ @ @ @ @ optimism and painful reality that greeted the resumption of Chicago ’ s retail and dining @ @ @ @ @ the Southport Corridor , as modified for a coronavirus-scarred reality that had collided with the @ @ @ @ @ of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
Read more here .
-- Chris Jones , Adam @ @ @ @ @ Nick Kindelsperger , Kasondra Van Treeck , Lauren Zumbach and Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz

Police officers guarding the Trump International Hotel & Tower hold back protesters in the Loop on May 30, 2020, during a rally and march to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
For the latest updates, check out Friday’s live blog here.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot declined Thursday to comment on video from the Brickyard Mall where an officer knelt on a woman, saying it’s an ongoing investigation, but promised that the police oversight agency investigating “is doing everything it can to identify the officers and then make an appropriate recommendation.”
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Meanwhile, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office said that it was conducting its own review of the incident in collaboration with the FBI. Hours earlier, the attorney for the woman, Mia Wright, demanded a criminal investigation.
Also on Thursday, Lightfoot said the city will not tolerate vigilantism after groups of mostly white men patrolled the streets of Bridgeport on Wednesday night in response to a nearby city protest. The situation in Bridgeport frightened and angered many residents and activists who expressed concerns about racism and violence.
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Additionally, state health officials are urging anyone who participated in mass gatherings following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis to be tested for COVID-19, and said tests are now available to everyone regardless of symptoms at 11 state-run sites.
[ Tribune photographers capture the protests and unrest in Chicago in response to the killing of George Floyd ]
[ Column: I tried to ignore the killings of Black men because it hurt too much. Then came the personal reckoning. ]
[ Get breaking news as it happens with email alerts from the Tribune ]
Here are the latest developments:
8:50 p.m. (updated): Kanye West appears to join march on South Side
It appeared that Kanye West showed up shortly before 8 p.m. to join marchers as they prepared to head down South State Street.
The South Side rapper, with his face mostly covered, emerged after a series of speeches from students and activists. He did not address the crowd and appeared to have left a half hour later as marchers continued north on State.
It appears Kayne West has joined a march after speakers called for CPS to cancel its contract with CPD in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/55JlTkmTG9 — armando l sanchez (@mandophotos) June 5, 2020
The Tribune asked organizers for confirmation of West’s appearance, but they just pointed to the surrounding security.
According to CNN, West has made a $2 million donation to support the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor
As the sun set, marchers cheered: “CPD, KKK, how many kids did you kill today?” —Morgan Greene
8:21 p.m.: Large crowds turn out at suburban events to decry racism in aftermath of George Floyd’s death
More than 400 protesters marched through the streets of Grayslake on Thursday afternoon, decrying racism and police actions in the deaths of African Americans in several recent tragedies across the country.
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Chanting the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Laquan McDonald, the crowd stretched about a half-mile and shut down Illinois Route 83 and the entrance to the College of Lake County.
The march was one of many similar events held throughout the suburbs this week that have drawn large crowds.
Many of the protesters in Grayslake were students from local schools. The protesters, some of whom wore red shirts, carried signs reading, “Black Lives Matter“ and chanted, “No justice, no peace, no racist police.”
“I’m out here because I’m tired of seeing people who look like me getting killed across the country,“ said Jeremy Glende, 21, of Gurnee.
Protesters were trying to broaden the focus, he said, from just one incident to many. Read more here. —Robert McCoppin
8:07 p.m.: Young people rally for counselors instead of cops
A crowd of a few hundred people, skewing young, showed up Thursday evening under a clear sky outside the closed Zenos Colman Elementary School on the South Side to call for the removal of Chicago police from Chicago Public Schools.
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Protesters held signs with messages like “Counselors Not Cops” and “No more CPD in CPS.” Organizers walked around with hand sanitizer and water bottles. The crowd cheered “Books not cops” as students shared stories about the possibilities of what the cost of the police contract could instead fund.
Michelle Yisrael, a nearby resident, said she came to the gathering because most of the men in her life, including her adult sons, have had problems with police. “And also I am an educator, and I never thought it was OK for the Chicago Police Department to be in the high schools. That’s never been OK with me.
“I think it’s important for us to think about the fact that black people did not choose to be here,” she said. “We built this place. It’s just time for things to change. I would like to see my grandchildren and my great grandchildren have a different experience.”
Yisrael said she “will march as many days as my feet will carry me.”
Shelia Hamlin, 53, of Englewood, said she came to the event for her nieces and nephews.
“I just want to get out here and show my support for the young people and let them know it needs to stop,” she said. —Morgan Greene
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7:42 p.m.: Hundreds gather near Lincoln Park High School echoing call to defund police
Crowds of hundreds of young people and other Chicagoans gathered at Oz Park near Lincoln Park High School Thursday evening to rally and demand that the city defund the police.
Many gathered on the peak of a nearby hill holding signs, clapping and chanting. Protesters rode in bikes and skateboards, performing tricks before the rally organizers started chanting into a megaphone.
Growing group here near Oz Park, composed predominantly young people. Many are on bikes or skateboards. pic.twitter.com/f0hEEiGRiH — Jessica Villagomez is FURLOUGHED (@JessicaVillag) June 4, 2020
It was another in a series of protests and marches held around the Chicago area in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Several more were taking place around the region Thursday evening, including another student-led march on the South Side.
On the North Side, as protesters clapped and cheered, more than 20 police officers stood at the park’s perimeter.
The group also called for justice for victims of police violence and demanded the release of all protesters from jails. There were also demands for a civilian police accountability council.
According to the city’s budget overview, almost $1.8 billion was budgeted for CPD in 2020.
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As hundreds headed west on Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street, Camille Garst, 23, of Edison Park, kept an eye out for fellow marchers. Garst said she has been involved in a march almost every day since Saturday.
“I know there a lot of people going out by themselves but I’m encouraging people to stay together,” she said. “I’m trying to take care of my friends.”
Garst added she’d continue to march until change is made.
“This is what you gotta do,” she said. “Come out until they can commit to policy changes.” —Jessica Villagomez
Huge crowd heading West on Chicago Ave now. pic.twitter.com/r2C29uo9xZ — Jessica Villagomez is FURLOUGHED (@JessicaVillag) June 4, 2020
7:25 p.m.: Police killing of George Floyd amplifies calls to remove school resource officers from CPS
Outrage over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis is fueling a local push to get police officers out of Chicago Public Schools.
Since Floyd’s death, the Minneapolis Board of Education has ended its contract with the local police department. Pressure is mounting for school districts nationwide to follow suit, a movement that was already underway in Chicago.
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Among the demands of protesters this week, including many CPS students, is for the district to nullify the $33 million contract it entered with the Chicago Police Department in August for school resources officers in CPS buildings.
The only board member to vote against it was Elizabeth Todd-Breland, who cited research showing that having police in schools often contributes to the school-to prison pipeline, which disproportionately affects students of color.
High school senior Diego Garcia, who lives in Brighton Park, cited the same concern when he spoke out against school resource officers.
“The city of Chicago should be investing that money ... in our communities. They should be investing that money in after-school programs and mental health resources," said Garcia, 18. “We don’t need more cops. At the end of the day we are just being set up for the school-to-prison pipeline.”
The police department is currently reviewing its policies for school resources officers, who are assigned to 77% of CPS-run high schools, according to the district. The contract already includes several reforms to the way police are trained and involved with schools, a shift from reactive enforcement to proactive intervention. Read more here. —Hannah Leone
7:24 p.m.: Lake Zurich rally organized by students draws hundreds
In Lake Zurich’s Breezewald Park, a rally organized by high school and college students drew more than 300 people in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and to protest the death of George Floyd in police custody.
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Students from Lake Zurich High School said they wanted to stand in solidarity with black victims of oppression such as Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest in Minneapolis last week.
They emphasized they wanted a peaceful protest in contrast to the rioting and looting that occurred following protests elsewhere.
“It’s just as important to educate white people they need to use their voices to stand against oppression of black people,“ said co-organizer Zach Richards, 17, who is just graduating from high school.
The parents of 15-year-old Dana Fleming wouldn’t let her attend a protest in Chicago, so she decided to organize her own event. She said it’s important for people with white privilege to “stand up for people of color.“
Isabelle Jordan, 19, said her research showed there was a Ku Klux Klan rally in the area in 1921, suggesting a racist history to the predominantly white area.
Along with students and families, some older residents also show their support. Octogenarians Beryl Ibbotson and Bill Ditman said they hoped the Minneapolis incident would bring about change.
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Ibbotson called Floyd’s death “outrageous and disgusting."
“This has gone on for 400 years,” said Ibbotson, who is originally from England but now lives in Hawthorne Woods. “I’m hoping this will be a wake-up call for everybody.“
Lake Zurich Mayor Tom Poynton said some residents were worried about the rally or questioned why it had to be there, but he reassured them it would be a peaceful.
“We need to do better,“ he told the crowd. “We need to be committed to change.“
And Waukegan parks commissioner Marc Jones called on those attending to be not just non-racist, but anti-racist, actively working to end discrimination.
The crowd stayed silent for about nine minutes in memory of the length of time a police officer knelt on George Floyd before he was pronounced dead. They then made a peaceful march through downtown Lake Zurich.
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As the protesters marched through town, their chants of “black lives matter” could be heard across the lake.
Other demonstrations were scheduled Thursday for the Lake County communities of Waukegan, Zion and Buffalo Grove. —Robert McCoppin
7:06 p.m.: Black and Latino Chicagoans unite to condemn anti-blackness. ‘Don’t let them divide us.’
Latino and black Chicagoans organized Wednesday on the Southwest Side to denounce reports of violence against black people in Latino neighborhoods after protests and looting followed George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis.
Many joined peace marches and engaged in other collective actions throughout the city in an attempt to begin the dismantling of the anti-black narrative and avoid more violence between the two communities.
Racial tension intensified after social media posts showed alleged Latino gang members in Little Village and Cicero attacking black passersby in those neighborhoods.
The social media reports fueled more fear and frustration in the black community, said Jai Simpson, who participated in a Little Village unity march organized by El Foro del Pueblo, a grassroots organization made up of volunteers to promote civic engagement.
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Although he had doubts at first, Simpson, who is black, joined about 200 people at Wednesday’s march because he said he believes the wrongdoings come from a small group of Latinos who do not represent the community as a whole. Read more here. —Laura Rodríguez Presa
A crowd chants “Black Lives Matter,” by the Little Village arch. Black and Latino Chicagoans unite to condemn anti-blackness: https://t.co/f7xUX7uKw3 pic.twitter.com/2NVI6B3Dkk — Laura N. Rodríguez Presa (@LAURA_N_ROD) June 4, 2020
More faces of the peace march in Little Village. The actions in solidarity with the Black community will continue through the weekend, in efforts to ease racial tension upheave after reported violence against Blacks in Latino neighborhoods: https://t.co/f7xUX7uKw3 pic.twitter.com/4iR3dvKQQL — Laura N. Rodríguez Presa (@LAURA_N_ROD) June 4, 2020
6:32 p.m.: Cook County state’s attorney’s office says it will review Brickyard Mall arrest
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office said Thursday it is reviewing allegations that Chicago police pulled a woman from a car by her hair and placed a knee on her neck.
“We are aware of the incident that occurred at Brickyard Mall and are currently conducting a thorough, independent review of the matter, including the conduct of the police officers involved,” the office said. “We take law enforcement accountability seriously and have reached out to the family involved through their attorney.”
The investigation into the officers’ conduct is being done in collaboration with the FBI, according to Cook County state’s attorney’s office spokeswoman Aviva Bowen.
The statement came hours after the attorney for the woman, Mia Wright, demanded a criminal investigation into the incident last Sunday. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt and David Jackson
4:24 p.m.: Grocery stores that closed during the George Floyd fallout start to reopen. But food remains elusive in some neighborhoods.
Many grocery stores that shut their doors this week during the fallout from George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis started to open again Thursday with limited hours, hoping the unrest that damaged dozens of neighborhood businesses had quieted.
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But some remain closed with no word on when they might resume operations, raising concerns about food access in communities that already had limited options.
In South Shore, Local Market, which had been boarded up and closed since Sunday, opened with shortened hours Thursday after hearing from residents who said they needed the store to function because they didn’t have food, co-owner Eva Jakubowski said.
Parts of the neighborhood had been designated a food desert by the city before Local Market opened in December on a site that had been vacant since Dominick’s closed six years before.
Looters tried to break in Monday but the store’s security guards, with reinforcement from police , fended them off before they caused serious damage, Jakubowski said. On Wednesday, close to 500 volunteers gathered to help clean up the store.
“The way the community has stepped up to support their store is something I have never seen before,” Jakubowski said. “So many people are depending on us because they really need us.” Read more here. —Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
4:03 p.m.: Activists call for investigation into how Chicago police handled George Floyd protests
Activist groups have asked the court-appointed monitor overseeing reforms to the Chicago Police Department to investigate and report on allegations that officers abused protesters who flooded the streets last weekend to decry police mistreatment of African Americans.
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The groups also want the monitor, former federal prosecutor Maggie Hickey, to require the city to discourage officers from arresting protesters. The letter to Hickey, who is overseeing a consent decree that mandates broad changes to the troubled police force, also complains of protesters being detained without contact with lawyers and asks her to establish a process for attorneys to communicate with arrested clients.
In the letter sent Thursday, Sheila Bedi, a Northwestern University law professor who is among the attorneys for the groups, wrote: “Clearly, the consent decree entirely failed to provide any meaningful protection to the people of Chicago against CPD violence during the recent protests.”
“If the independent monitoring team fails to take decisive, urgent action at this moment, the consent decree will be a historic failure,” the letter states. Read more here. —Dan Hinkel
3:56 p.m.: Lightfoot says Brickyard incident is under investigation, rejects calls to defund police: ‘It would be irresponsible’
Mayor Lori Lightfoot declined Thursday to comment on video from the Brickyard Mall where an officer kneeled on a woman, saying it’s an ongoing investigation, but promised that the police oversight agency investigating “is doing everything it can to identify the officers, and then make an appropriate recommendation.”
“I don’t want to get ahead and I’m not the head of (the Civilian Oversight Police Authority). I’m the mayor and I want COPA to be doing its job, but doing it independently,” she said. “They have to call balls and strikes. I mean, of course I have my own personal opinion about it, but I’m not going to share it, because I don’t want to influence what COPA’s work is, they’ve got to, they have the jurisdiction and the mandate, and more importantly they have my full support to do their job, independently.“
Lightfoot said it isn’t easy to identify officers in a “grainy video” but they are being investigated and once they’re identified they’ll be reported to Chicago police Superintendent David Brown.
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Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx released a statement Thursday afternoon saying that her office was conducting its own review of the incident.
“The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is committed to public safety and pursuing the fair administration of justice for everyone in our communities. We are aware of the incident that occurred at Brickyard Mall and are currently conducting a thorough, independent review of the matter, including the conduct of the police officers involved. We take law enforcement accountability seriously and have reached out to the family involved through their attorney," the statement said.
The mayor, meanwhile, rejected calls from some progressive aldermen such as Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, 33rd, to defund the police department.
“I don’t think that’s an appropriate action at this time. I think that the people in our neighborhoods want and have been begging for more police support,” she said. “In light of what’s happened over the last couple days, it would be irresponsible for me to even entertain any idea that we would cut back on our public safety resources at this time.“
Lightfoot again reiterated her support for some civilian oversight of police but noted that there remain “a final few issues” her administration is stuck on with activists.
“It’s my hope that we’ll be able to break the logjam and move forward,” she said. —Gregory Pratt
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3:44 p.m.: More than 400 protesters — many of them students — march through Grayslake
More than 400 protesters marched through the streets of Grayslake Thursday afternoon, decrying racism and police actions in the deaths of African Americans in several recent tragedies nationwide.
Chanting the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Laquan McDonald, the crowd stretched about a half mile and shut down Illinois Route 83 and the entrance to the College of Lake County.
Many of the protesters were students from local schools. They many wore red shirts, carried signs reading, “Black Lives Matter,“ and chanted, “No justice, no peace, no racist police.”
“I’m out here because I’m tired of seeing people who look like me getting killed across the country,“ said Jeremy Glende, 21, of Gurnee.
Protesters were trying to broaden the focus, he said, from just one incident to many.
Harper Fischer, a social studies teacher at Grayslake North High School, said she joined the crowd because, “I feel I can’t look my students in the face and tell them they’re safe in America.“ —Robert McCoppin
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3:04 p.m.: Family seeks criminal investigation after they say Chicago cops pulled woman from car by hair and placed knee on her neck
The family of a woman who says Chicago police pulled her from a car by her hair and placed a knee on her neck demanded a criminal investigation into the officers Thursday.
“I didn’t do anything,” Mia Wright, 25, said at a news conference in the parking lot of Brickyard Mall, where she said the officers surrounded her car, broke the windows with clubs and pulled her to the ground on Sunday.
“I was trying to get out with my hands up. They continue to break the window, and before you know it I was being pulled out of the vehicle, pulled by my hair,” Wright said, crying. “The officer grabbed me. I had my hair tied in a bun. He grabbed me by the top of my bun and pulled me out of the vehicle. And that is when they threw me on the ground, and he proceeded to put his knee in my neck.” Read more here. —Chicago Tribune staff
2:50 p.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot denounces vigilantism in Chicago after white men patrol Bridgeport streets with bats
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city will not tolerate vigilantism after groups of mostly white men patrolled the streets of Bridgeport on Wednesday night in response to a nearby city protest.
Multiple streets were blocked in the Bridgeport neighborhood Wednesday night as nearby protests dispersed. Near West 39th Street, water hurled from an open fire hydrant as small groups gathered on corners. Some of the men held bats. One wore a shirt that said “All Lives Matter,” one sipped a beer and another waved at an officer as he drove by. Additional groups of people, some armed with bats, lined West 31st Street.
Asked about the situation in Bridgeport, a diversifying neighborhood that served as an Irish-American power base for the Daley political family, Lightfoot said, “It is absolutely not appropriate for people to take up arms, bats, pipes, whatever in patrolling neighborhoods.”
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“We’ve seen that end with tragic results across the country and we’re not about to allow that practice to happen here in Chicago. If there’s an issue, call 911,” Lightfoot said. “I absolutely support neighbors being vigilant as to what’s going on on the streets and in their blocks but taking up arms, that leads to chaos and we’re not supporting vigilantism in the city of Chicago under any circumstances.”
The situation in Bridgeport frightened and angered many residents and activists who expressed concerns about racism and violence. — Gregory Pratt and Morgan Greene
2:47 p.m.: Illinois AG Kwame Raoul among attorneys general asking Congress for broader authority to investigate policing
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of state legal officers in urging Congress to give them broader authority to investigate “unconstitutional policing,” his office said Thursday.
The letter to congressional leaders from Raoul and 17 other attorneys general asks for an expansion of the law enforcement misconduct section of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, enacted three years after Rodney King was beaten by Los Angeles police officers.
“Once again, our nation has been called to reckon with police brutality against black people in this country and the systemic failures that cause and allow this misconduct to perpetuate,” the letter states. “Many members of the public have no trust in the police, with tensions visible in the streets across this nation. Urgent action is necessary at all levels of government to remedy the injustice of police misconduct.” Read more here. —Jamie Munks
2:11 p.m.: Kanye West launches college fund for George Floyd’s daughter, reveals $2 million in additional donations
It’s been nearly 10 days since the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hand of a Minneapolis police officer, during which time massive protests against police violence have taken place across the country. But while tens of thousands have taken to the streets to express their anger at the systemic racism that has gripped the United States, the usually vocal Kanye West has been surprisingly quiet.
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Today the rapper revealed via a representative that he has donated $2 million so far to charities associated with Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and has set up a college fund to cover tuition for Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter Gianna. In addition, the rapper has pledged to cover legal costs for the Arbery and Taylor families. And in his hometown of Chicago, he’ll also be aiding black-owned businesses with financial contributions. Read more here. —Variety
1:47 p.m.: Judge sets bail at $750,000 each for 3 former Minneapolis police officers accused of aiding and abetting in death of George Floyd
A judge set bail at $750,000 apiece Thursday for three fired Minneapolis police officers who have been charged with aiding and abetting in the killing of George Floyd.
Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng were making their first appearances in Hennepin County District Court since their arrests Wednesday.
The Minneapolis Police Department fired them last week, along with Derek Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death. Widely seen bystander video shows the white police officer pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck, ignoring the African American man’s pleas that he can’t breathe, until he stopped moving. Read more here. —Associated Press
1:34 p.m.: Even with much of downtown reopened, some bridges still up
Even as much of downtown has been reopened and transit service has resumed, several city bridges downtown and on the South Side remained closed Thursday afternoon, according to the city.
Bridges at Michigan and Wabash avenues, as well as State, Van Buren, Jackson, Adams and Franklin streets and at 92nd Street remained closed, according to the city. —Chicago Tribune staff
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Notify Chicago: Bridges remain closed at Van Buren, Jackson, Adams, Monroe, Michigan, Wabash, State, Franklin and 92nd Street. Seek alternate routes. — Chicago OEMC (@ChicagoOEMC) June 4, 2020
12:10 p.m.: Illinois expands COVID-19 testing to all and urges those who participated in protests to get tested
Testing for the new coronavirus is now available in Illinois to anyone who wants it — regardless of symptoms — at nearly a dozen state-run testing sites, state public health officials said Thursday.
The availability of on-demand testing was a key component of moving from phase three of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan, which began May 29, to phase four, though officials later reframed it as a goal rather than a requirement.
The expansion of free testing to anyone, without the need to display symptoms or have a referral or doctor’s order, comes as more businesses have opened and as thousands have taken to the streets in recent days to protest the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
The state is encouraging anyone who has participated in mass gatherings to get tested. Read more here. —Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks
9:06 a.m.: Pastors call on Joliet mayor to resign following viral video of protest skirmish, cite previous disciplinary action from his work as a cop years ago
Three local pastors have called for Joliet Mayor Robert O’Dekirk’s resignation in the wake of a skirmish between the mayor, who is white, and an African American protester that was captured on a video that has gone viral as the Chicago area and nation reel from unrest over issues of racial injustice.
The video, which surfaced Tuesday, depicts a chaotic scene where police are dispersing a crowd of demonstrators who had gathered along Jefferson Street in Joliet in protest over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
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O’Dekirk, a former Joliet police officer, appears to grab a protester by the collar and forcibly walk him backward to a police vehicle. The two then fall to the ground when another man appears to jump on O’Dekirk from behind.
O’Dekirk said he would not resign or apologize, and has maintained that he was acting in self-defense. Read more here. —Angie Leventis Lourgos and Alicia Fabbre
8:08 a.m.: Witness who was in car says George Floyd didn’t resist arrest: ‘I’m going to always remember seeing the fear in Floyd’s face’
A longtime friend of George Floyd’s who was in the passenger seat of Floyd’s car during his fatal encounter with a Minneapolis police officer said Wednesday night that Floyd tried to defuse the tensions with police and in no way resisted arrest.
“He was, from the beginning, trying in his humblest form to show he was not resisting in no form or way,” said the friend, Maurice Lester Hall, 42, who was tracked down Monday in Houston, arrested on outstanding warrants and interviewed by Minnesota state investigators.
“I could hear him pleading, ‘Please, officer, what’s all this for?’ ” Hall said in an interview Wednesday night with The New York Times.
Hall recounted the last moments with Floyd on Memorial Day, May 25, after they had spent part of the day together. Read more here. —The New York Times
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5:25 a.m.: Peeking out from behind plywood, nervous Chicago stores and restaurants weigh getting back into business
When Chicago announced last week its intention to reopen the city Wednesday, its leaders did not anticipate servers emerging with cold drinks and hot plates of food from behind boarded-up windows.
But that — along with nervous shoppers finding narrow entry corridors through back doors and between shattered glass — was the bittersweet mix of cautious optimism and painful reality that greeted the resumption of Chicago’s retail and dining operations from 75th Street to the Southport Corridor, as modified for a coronavirus-scarred reality that had collided with the fallout from the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Read more here. —Chris Jones, Adam Lukach, Grace Wong, Nick Kindelsperger, Kasondra Van Treeck, Lauren Zumbach and Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
5:20 a.m.: Police investigating alleged racial insult and physical altercation outside River Forest grocery store
River Forest police are investigating after a woman posted a video on social media claiming a man made a racial insult and then scuffled with her.
The incident took place at about 10 a.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of a Jewel store at 7525 W. Lake St. in the western suburb, police said.
In the video, the woman says the man called her a “black b----”, among other insults, while in line at a nearby coffee shop, and asks the man, “Do you have anything to say for yourself now?” Read more here. —Steve Schering
5:15 a.m.: Why Chicago Police Department reform moves slowly despite cries for immediate change
After days of street protests urgently calling for changes in the way police treat African Americans, Mayor Lori Lightfoot lamented in a televised speech this week that “the process of reform has been too slow.”
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Indeed, it took decades to even get to the starting line of reforming the historically troubled Chicago Police Department. The police union strongly pushed back, and politicians disagreed on the need for significant change. Overhauling the nation’s second-largest police force is a task of daunting scope. Now, a pandemic stands to slow reforms further.
While Lightfoot promised a handful of prompt adjustments, what she listed largely involved educational and support programs for officers, rather than policy changes to guide the police conduct that has driven protests. She also made a vague call for training efforts that appear similar to some already contained in the federal court order governing department operations. Read more here. —Dan Hinkel
5 a.m.: Family alleges brutal police restraint with knee on neck in Chicago arrest caught on video
Tnika Tate said she was parking near a looted mall Sunday when Chicago police surrounded the vehicle, broke the windows and searched Tate and a group of four friends and relatives in the car with her.
Tate, 39, said an officer restrained her cousin Mia Wright, 25, by placing a knee on Wright’s neck while she was prone on the ground. Wright was charged with disorderly conduct and released Monday, according to police and the family.
A video of part of the incident was taken by family friend James Smith, 40, who was driving in a second car. A copy of the video was first published by the nonprofit digital news organization Block Club Chicago, and Smith provided the Tribune with a copy later Wednesday. Read more here. —David Jackson


chicagotribune--2020-06-04--Daywatch: Why CPD reform moves slowly despite cries for change, Latino activists address racial tens

Daywatch: Why CPD reform moves slowly despite cries for change, Latino activists address racial tension with black Chicagoans and a nervous city gets back to business

When Mayra Velazquez dropped her husband , Saul , off at a hospital near their home in the northwest suburbs @ @ @ @ @ realize it would be the last time she would be with “ the love of @ @ @ @ @ was not done with the Hanover Park family .
In the days that followed , @ @ @ @ @ drop off both of her parents outside the hospital .
Neither survived .

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s what you need to know about the continued George Floyd fallout and coronavirus pandemic. Sign up for our breaking news alerts to get the latest updates throughout the day.
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Chicago police officers monitor a crowd of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd at a rally outside Chicago police headquarters on June 3, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
After days of street protests urgently calling for changes in the way police treat African Americans, Mayor Lori Lightfoot lamented in a televised speech this week that “the process of reform has been too slow.”
Indeed, it took decades to even get to the starting line of reforming the historically troubled Chicago Police Department. The police union strongly pushed back, and politicians disagreed on the need for significant change. Overhauling the nation’s second-largest police force is a task of daunting scope. Now, a pandemic stands to slow reforms further.
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A woman’s family says a Chicago police officer restrained her by placing a knee on her neck. A family friend captured the incident on video.
Server Katherine Ceron delivers food to customers dining on the outdoor patio at Tweet on Chicago's North Side on June 3, 2020. The brunch spot was open for the first time since coronavirus restrictions closed restaurants. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
When the City of Chicago announced last week its intention to reopen with loosened coronavirus restrictions Wednesday, its leaders did not anticipate servers emerging with cold drinks and hot plates of food from behind boarded-up windows.
But that — along with nervous shoppers finding narrow entry corridors through back doors and between shattered glass — was the bittersweet mix of cautious optimism and painful reality that greeted the resumption of Chicago’s retail and dining operations from 75th Street to the Southport Corridor.
Chicago leaders cautiously optimistic as city reopens amid calming protests: “We are not letting our guard down”
Stephaine Villanova displays a sign as people calling for unity between African Americans and Latinos listen to speeches on 26th Street at Pulaski Road in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, June 3, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The organizing efforts of some Latino groups to peacefully protest and help protect their communities from unrest were quickly overshadowed by racial tensions after reports that alleged Latino gang members were profiling and targeting black people in Little Village earlier this week.
“The system is corrupt and they want to see minorities fight against one another to weaken us,” said community activist Montserrat Ayala, who helped organize a peaceful protest in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement over the weekend. “We need to work together to dismantle racism.”
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Columnist Dahleen Glanton writes about how civil unrest in Chicago exposed a fault line between Latinos and African Americans
Saul and Mayra Velazquez take a selfie from the front seat of a car in an undated photo. In the back seat are Mayra’s parents, Maria and Francisco Gomez. (Family photo)
When Mayra Velazquez dropped her husband, Saul, off at a hospital near their home in the northwest suburbs, she didn’t realize it would be the last time she would be with “the love of my life.” But COVID-19 was not done with the Hanover Park family. In the days that followed, Velazquez would be forced to drop off both of her parents outside the hospital. Neither survived.
In her first public comments after an unimaginable loss, Mayra Velazquez, 37, said she hopes it will serve as a cautionary tale for others to heed public safety guidelines, especially as Illinois has begun to slowly reopen.
The Tribune is working to chronicle those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 in the Chicago area. These are some of those victims.
Joshua Thomas holds a rose handed to him by a fellow protester during a rally and march in Chicago's Loop on May 30, 2020, to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
“Seeing a police officer kill another Black man is like watching my own funeral. Or my brother’s. Or my father’s. It highlights the frailty of my existence. It conjures up thoughts of slavery, lynchings, fire hoses, Jim Crow and Rodney King. It opens up emotional scars. It forces me to question my worth. It makes me realize that the complexion of my skin denies me the chance of making even one misstep,” writes Tribune reporter Javonte Anderson.


chicagotribune--2020-06-04--Why Chicago Police Department reform moves slowly despite cries for immediate change

“ The mandate that the people have put forward is that the status quo has to change , and we @ @ @ @ @ of so-called reform , ” Pulley said .
“ None of that has worked , @ @ @ @ @ need radical change .
We need a radical redesigning of our social relations in this @ @ @

Chicago police officers monitor a crowd of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd at a rally outside Chicago police headquarters on June 3, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
After days of street protests urgently calling for changes in the way police treat African Americans, Mayor Lori Lightfoot lamented in a televised speech this week that “the process of reform has been too slow.”
Indeed, it took decades to even get to the starting line of reforming the historically troubled Chicago Police Department. The police union strongly pushed back, and politicians disagreed on the need for significant change. Overhauling the nation’s second-largest police force is a task of daunting scope. Now, a pandemic stands to slow reforms further.
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While Lightfoot promised a handful of prompt adjustments, what she listed largely involved educational and support programs for officers, rather than policy changes to guide the police conduct that has driven protests. She also made a vague call for training efforts that appear similar to some already contained in the federal court order governing department operations.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivers a televised message to the public about events arising from the death of George Floyd. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
The mayor’s proposals came as activists, driven by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, spill into streets nationwide to demand ambitious changes to law enforcement in the U.S. In one local example, Aislinn Pulley, co-founder of Black Lives Matter: Chicago, called for reducing funding for police to subsidize better health care and education.
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“The mandate that the people have put forward is that the status quo has to change, and we refuse the slow incremental steps of so-called reform,” Pulley said. “None of that has worked, and at this point we need radical change. We need a radical redesigning of our social relations in this country.”
Calls for fundamental change come as the city continues to enact the signature recent achievement of police reform advocates — a consent decree requiring changes to the way police treat people.
Far from a quick fix, that court order gives the Police Department at least five years to fully comply. And the pandemic has further slowed the pace, as U.S. District Judge Robert Dow Jr. responded by granting city lawyers a delay of all deadlines for as long as Illinois remained under a stay-at-home order, which lasted more than two months.
The department also postponed most in-service training, as well as recruit training at the academy, the branch of the agency that translates policy changes into education for officers, department spokesman Luis Agostini said in an email. Those postponements continued as of this week, he said.
Sheila Bedi, a Northwestern University law professor who represents activists involved in the consent decree case, said she was worried the city would use the pandemic as an excuse to drag out reforms. She noted that the city missed 37 of its 50 deadlines during the first six months under the court order, before the pandemic hit.
“There’s a real concern that the city and the Police Department have not demonstrated a concern for adhering both to the letter and the spirit of the decree,” she said. “That remains a concern and it remains something that we are watching very carefully.”
On Tuesday night, Lightfoot promised changes within 90 days. She talked about officer wellness programs, education for officers on neighborhood history and community relations, and training on procedural justice and handling people in crisis.
Both procedural justice and crisis intervention training already are required by the consent decree, and it was unclear from her speech how her new initiatives would differ. Mayoral spokesman Patrick Mullane did not provide details Wednesday morning as to how Lightfoot’s TV proposals were different from those already ordered by a judge.
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The street protests, meanwhile, have the potential to further strain relations between officers and the community, as activists have complained of heavy-handed police tactics.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability took in 82 complaints from Friday morning through Monday afternoon, compared with 34 over Memorial Day weekend, said COPA spokesman Ephraim Eaddy. In an email, he noted that the totals include complaints over all matters, but added that agency officials believe that more than half the recent batch were “related to protests.”
John Catanzara, the newly elected president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, said he "couldn’t be prouder of the men and women of the Chicago Police Department” for the way they have handled protests and separate property destruction.
Catanzara is an oft-disciplined officer whom the department brass have tried twice to fire and is now stripped of his police powers amid an investigation into allegations he filed a false or misleading police report in 2018 against then-Superintendent Eddie Johnson accusing him of breaking the law by allowing anti-violence marchers onto the Dan Ryan Expressway.
He complained about police being blamed for social problems that he attributed to the failure of the justice system to punish criminals and poor parenting.
“This is definitely a home problem and a criminal justice reform problem where people think that there doesn’t need to be accountability for behavior,” he said.
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The city has a long history of steps toward reform that failed to satisfy those who want change. From the 1960s onward, civil rights abuses and indictments of officers led to official reports and new oversight bodies that did not prevent the policing scandals that have remained commonplace.
Then, in November 2015, a Cook County judge forced Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration to release video of white Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. The footage sparked weeks of street protests and built political pressure for change.
In response, Emanuel made halting, contradictory moves. He first resisted and then embraced the U.S. Department of Justice investigation that led to a report casting the city’s police as poorly trained, loosely supervised and unafraid of discipline. Similarly, Emanuel waffled on court oversight of the department, only signing a consent decree after then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan sued the city to force the measure in August 2017.
Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, pitched herself to voters as a police reformer who led officer disciplinary efforts and initiatives aimed at changing the department. But her record in disciplining cops in questionable shootings was mixed, and activists have complained she has failed to go far enough in reform efforts.
More than three years after the McDonald video spurred calls for reform, in early 2019 Dow enacted the court order that aims to force changes from the philosophical to the technical. It mandates various shifts in the use of force, including banning officers from deploying Taser electric shock devices on people who are simply running away, something that had not been specifically prohibited. More broadly, the decree repeatedly urges officers to respect “the sanctity of life.”
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The independent monitor appointed to guide the city’s progress, former federal prosecutor Maggie Hickey, declined to comment through a spokeswoman who cited the consent decree’s rule limiting the monitor’s public statements.


chicagotribune--2020-06-04--Column: How civil unrest in Chicago exposed a fault line between Latinos and African Americans

African Americans point to their history as proof of their undeniable right to partake in all the greatness this nation @ @ @ @ @ horrific struggle black people have endured for centuries did not yield the progress we had @ @ @ @ @ .
Floyd ’ s killing by police proves that much work is left to be @ @

Two men emerge from a backroom inside El Patron Liquor Store in Cicero after looters broke in on June 1, 2020. Police arrested them. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
African Americans and Latinos always have had an uneasy alliance. Both groups often are too ashamed to talk about it in the open.
For years, we have fought over crumbs, arguing about who deserves the biggest share of leftovers from a table at which neither group has been invited to sit. We glare at each other with envious eyes, focusing on our differences rather than the things that make us the same.
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We have been reluctant to air our grievances publicly because opportunistic politicians are eagerly awaiting an opening to further divide us and diminish any chance that we might someday form a powerful coalition.
That is the greatest fear of those in the majority who resent the inevitable browning of America. Imagine the radical impact a union between the two largest minority groups could have on our country’s political and social landscape.
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But we are a long way from that.
The division was on full display this week during confrontations between blacks and Latinos in Chicago’s predominantly Mexican American communities. A call for unity among Latinos to guard businesses from looters quickly turned into vigilantism that resulted in violent racial clashes.
According to reports, Latino gang members in Pilsen, Little Village and suburban Cicero, some armed with clubs and guns, profiled and targeted African Americans. They surrounded cars, chased innocent people down the street and provoked fights.
The divisive actions of a few overshadowed the voices of other Latinos who marched through those same streets condemning the injustices that George Floyd and other African Americans have suffered at the hands of the police.
The violent behavior of gang members, of course, doesn’t represent the prevailing sentiment of blacks or Latinos. But the clashes offer a glimpse at what our biases toward each other look like when taken to the extreme.
Contrary to the narrative some politicians paint, the issue isn’t between African Americans and undocumented immigrants, who are accused of taking jobs away from poor black people. The most divisiveness is among African Americans and Latinos competing for political power, economic parity and social acceptance.
African Americans point to their history as proof of their undeniable right to partake in all the greatness this nation has to offer. The horrific struggle black people have endured for centuries did not yield the progress we had hoped to achieve by now. Floyd’s killing by police proves that much work is left to be done.
Some blacks perceive that Latinos, with their rapidly growing numbers, are progressing at a much faster rate but that they have not invested nearly the amount of sweat equity as African Americans. They accuse Latinos of piggybacking on the gains that black people fought and died for, and they resent being pushed aside.
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Latinos, on the other hand, aren’t quick to coalesce with African Americans on issues of equal rights.
Latinos are minorities by ethnicity. Their entry to this country is linked to voluntary immigration, while African Americans were forced here through slavery. Thus, there is no shared sense of history and often a lack of solidarity on the civil rights issues that black people feel are most important.
But the lessons of the black experience are beneficial to Latinos, who recently eclipsed African Americans as the largest minority group in the United States. Acceptance and equality will not come easy. Though they might not realize it, Latinos will face many of the civil rights challenges black people have been fighting to overcome for decades.
According to a survey released last year by Pew Research Center, only 48% of Hispanics think the country has not gone far enough in giving black people equal rights, compared with 78% of blacks.
The survey also found that Hispanics are more likely to agree with non-Hispanic whites on the question of whether being black hurts people’s ability to get ahead. Only 24% of Hispanics and 22% of whites thought it hurts a lot, compared with 42% of African Americans.
Hispanics are even more likely than whites to point to a lack of motivation to work hard as a major reason why blacks have a harder time getting ahead, the survey found.
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While blacks and Latinos tend to view education, economic security and health care as primary political issues, the details of how these policies should be implemented often are specific to the individual groups.
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Both groups see themselves as the top priority. They also consider themselves in conflict with each other, where one group benefits at the expense of the other.
These are not necessarily petty issues. They point to the reason that minorities can never be considered monolithic. Even within these racial groups, there are vast differences, particularly among Latinos, who originate from many countries.
The fact that blacks and Latinos have coalesced around some important movements in the past, including the election of Barack Obama as president, offers hope that we can find more common ground that benefits us all.
People in both groups are working hard to make that happen. The confrontations that occurred in Pilsen, Little Village and Cicero exposed a fault line that most blacks and Latinos didn’t even realize existed.
Now that it has been exposed, we are in a better position to permanently seal it up.
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dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-06-04--Man in custody after police chase that left several injured, including officers

As the pursuit continued , a police vehicle and one or two other vehicles collided three miles east at Irving @ @ @ @ @ .
Further details about the crash weren ’ t available but as many as four @ @ @ @ @ , were injured in the crash , which was somehow tied to the pursuit .

A man is detained June 3, 2020, after leading Chicago police on a long chase throughout the city, then crashing a car in the 900 block of West Pershing Road. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
A Chicago police car crashed into an SUV, killing the driver, while chasing a man suspected of a homicide Wednesday night, authorities said.
The marked police car then spun into a white Hummer stopped at a red light in the 1600 block of West Irving Park Road, injuring three people inside around 8:15 p.m., police said. The two officers in the squad car were also injured. All five were reported in fair condition.
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The suspect later hit a pole and was arrested after a brief foot chase in the 800 block of West Pershing Road. The man, 22, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition.
The pursuit began shortly after 8 p.m. when Chicago police spotted a dark-colored Jeep around 115th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue that was possibly connected to a homicide and shootings in “neighboring suburbs," police said in a statement.
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Officers tried curbing the Jeep in the 9400 block of South Union Avenue, but it sped off. Police chased it to Irving Park Road and Keystone Avenue, where the Jeep was involved in a traffic crash. No one was reported injured.
The offender ran to a gas station in the 3900 block of West Irving Park and took off in a 2016 Nissan SUV that was left running. Aerial footage by WGN-TV shows officers surrounding the silver Nissan and opening the doors, but the suspect was able to drive away.
An officer walks by three vehicles, including a Chicago police squad car, that were damaged June 3, 2020, while police pursued a homicide suspect near Ashland Avenue and Irving Park Road. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
He headed east on Irving Park, and one of the police cars chasing him collided with a black Ford Explorer traveling north on Ashland Avenue. The driver, Guadalupe Francisco-Martinez, 37, was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital and pronounced dead.
The police car then hit the white Hummer. The driver, 62, and two women with him, 29 and 44, were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair condition.
Police said the marked squad car’s emergency lights and siren were operating.
The WGN footage shows the Nissan heading south on Outer Lake Shore Drive toward downtown. The suspect appeared to zigzag south of downtown before driving on train tracks. He crashed the SUV near Pershing Road and Morgan Street.
A helicopter hovered above the scene Wednesday night on Pershing as Chicago police and state police cars stretched down the street. Shortly after 10 p.m., after trying to run from police through a giant enclosed lot, the suspect was taken into custody.
Early Thursday, Irving Park bordering Lake View High School was taped off. A police car was destroyed, its hood crushed and the driver’s side door hanging off. Debris spread across the street. A Ford Explorer and a Hummer, also heavily damaged, stood near Ashland.
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Two SUVs that had collided blocked the exit ramp of the Kennedy Expressway near North Keystone Avenue.
Chicago police officers must follow a “balancing test” when deciding whether to give chase, pursuing only those wanted for a serious crime — such as homicide, armed robbery or kidnapping — while weighing other risk factors such as traffic volume and road conditions.
Earlier, Chicago police indicated the man was wanted for crimes in Norridge and Harwood Heights, but police there said that was not true. “I have no idea how Norridge and Harwood Heights got into this. We’ve had no contact with him at all," said Cmdr. Steve Biagi of the Harwood Heights Police Department.
The Tribune’s Morgan Greene contributed


Unrest in Cicero

Looting began May 31 , 2020 , in Cicero and escalated the next afternoon when someone threw a paver stone @ @ @ @ @ El Patron Liquor Store and dozens of people rushed in , grabbing whatever they could @

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 18 Two men emerge from a backroom inside El Patron Liquor Store in Cicero after looters broke in on June 1, 2020. Police arrested them. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Looting began May 31, 2020, in Cicero and escalated the next afternoon when someone threw a paver stone through the front window of El Patron Liquor Store and dozens of people rushed in, grabbing whatever they could.


chicagotribune--2020-06-04--Alleged racial insult leads to physical altercation outside River Forest grocery store; police inves

Alleged racial insult leads to physical altercation outside River Forest grocery store; police investigating

The man then appears to stop , size up the situation and then attempt to grab the phone of the @ @ @ @ @ then falls to the ground and a scuffle can be heard , while the woman @ @ @ @ @ ’ t touch me ” and “ you don ’ t put your hands on @ @ @ @ @ then apparently kicked and the screen turns white .

After a woman posted a video on social media of what she alleged was a racially-tinged insult that escalated into what River Forest police called a physical altercation, police have a man in custody and are investigating.
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River Forest police said the alleged altercation took place at about 10 a.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of Jewel, 7525 W. Lake St.
The department said its detectives and officers are actively working with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to “investigate and properly charge” the offender in the alleged incident.
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A verbal exchange between a man and a woman began inside the store, police said, and escalated in the store’s parking lot, where the altercation became physical. Police said officers were on the scene “moments” after receiving the 911 calls.
Neither the woman who posted the video to social media nor the man who is thought to be the person filmed in the video immediately responded to requests for comment.
The video, which lasts slightly more than a minute, had more than 190,000 views on Twitter as of Wednesday evening. The initial social media post incorrectly said the Jewel was located in Oak Park, however, the author confirmed it was in neighboring River Forest.
The video begins with the woman who was filming apparently following a man walking through a parking lot who was holding a cup of coffee and wearing a surgical face mask, apparently to comply with COVID-19 rules.
The person filming says in the video that the man called her a “black b----”, among other insults, while in line at a nearby coffee shop, and asks the man “Do you have anything to say for yourself now?” multiple times.
The man then appears to stop, size up the situation and then attempt to grab the phone of the person filming. The phone then falls to the ground and a scuffle can be heard, while the woman filming says “you don’t touch me” and “you don’t put your hands on me.” The phone is then apparently kicked and the screen turns white.
Police said they are “gathering all the facts, reviewing the video, interviewing the parties involved” and are also reaching out to witnesses and store officials.
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River Forest Police Chief James O’Shea said there are “numerous” witnesses and camera footage to review as the case is pieced together.
“[The] victim initially left the scene and subsequently came into the station,” O’Shea said. “[The] man stayed on scene.”
River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci said she has no tolerance for such an incident in her village, and praised officers for the quick response and investigation.
“Any incident connected with hate is wrong,” Adduci said. “I am pleased that River Forest Police Department investigators have given this incident the attention it deserves. I am encouraged that our department reached out to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Felony Review Unit so this incident can be fully investigated and the appropriate charges applied.”
Adduci added she supports all efforts by investigators and prosecutors to hold those who engage in criminal activity that is motivated by hate “fully accountable.”
“We will take proactive steps to discuss the values of River Forest and how community and livability are important to all of us, and how we can live together without biases and hatred,” Adduci said. “This is our everyday obligation to the River Forest community. Otherwise, without this ongoing conversation, we’re not a community at all.”
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In a post on its website, the village of River Forest said it will “not tolerate hate in our community,” and will keep the public informed about the investigation.
“We understand that this is an unfortunate incident that took place in our community when we are all struggling to come to grips with the senseless death of George Floyd and at a time when we are trying to de-escalate tensions,” the statement read.
sschering@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @steveschering


chicagotribune--2020-06-04--Pastors call on Joliet mayor to resign following viral video of protest skirmish, cite previous disc

Pastors call on Joliet mayor to resign following viral video of protest skirmish, cite previous disciplinary action from his work as a cop years ago

O ’ Dekirk said the first man in the video pushed him , and that the second man tackled him @ @ @ @ @ “ repeatedly ” in the head .
The two men involved in the altercation with @ @ @ @ @ , according to the mayor .
They were among 30 people Joliet police said were @ @ @ @ @ 7 p.m. Sunday and 3:30 a.m. Monday .

Joliet pastor Steven Evans, center, is joined by other pastors and community leaders on June 3, 2020, as the group calls for Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk to resign. (Alicia Fabbre / Chicago Tribune)
Three local pastors have called for Joliet Mayor Robert O’Dekirk’s resignation in the wake of a skirmish between the mayor, who is white, and an African American protester that was captured on a video that has gone viral as the Chicago area and nation reel from unrest over issues of racial injustice.
The video, which surfaced Tuesday, depicts a chaotic scene where police are dispersing a crowd of demonstrators who had gathered along Jefferson Street in Joliet in protest over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
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O’Dekirk, a former Joliet police officer, appears to grab a protester by the collar and forcibly walk him backward to a police vehicle. The two then fall to the ground when another man appears to jump on O’Dekirk from behind.
O’Dekirk said he would not resign or apologize, and has maintained that he was acting in self-defense.
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The pastors decried the mayor’s actions, saying that as an elected official he does not have police authority and was out of line for his actions.
“The mayor, who formerly was a Joliet policeman, has no police authority and no right to attack anyone,” said Warren Dorris, pastor of Prayer Tower Church of God in Christ and a former Joliet city councilman and former mayoral candidate.
Dorris was joined at a news conference Wednesday by Herb Brooks, a Will County Board member and pastor at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, and Bishop Steven Evans, pastor of Leap of Faith Ministries.
All three clergymen called on O’Dekirk to resign and rebuked O’Dekirk’s claim of self-defense.
“To say that he was attacked ... the video speaks volumes,” said Evans, who said he has spoken with the man whom O’Dekirk allegedly grabbed. “The only attack that I saw was the one perpetrated against those young men.”
Evans added that O’Dekirk’s service in law enforcement was also troubling, citing a suspension during his tenure as a police officer.
Joliet police Chief Al Roechner, who has been with the Joliet Police Department since 1991 and was named chief in 2018, confirmed that O’Dekirk had been suspended during his tenure as a police officer, but could not confirm the number of days or the reason.
O’Dekirk acknowledged that he was suspended during his tenure as a patrol officer, but said he was not disciplined for use of excessive force. He described his career as a police officer as “highly decorated," adding that he was nominated for officer of the year four times in 10 years, and in 1995 garnered an award with his partner at the time.
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As for the video, O’Dekirk said he joined police Sunday evening when he learned of looting in the city, after a peaceful protest had disbanded. Throughout Sunday evening, rioters and looters targeted stores and set fire to a locally owned grocery store in the southwest suburb of about 150,000 people, mirroring the fallout from similar demonstrations in other cities across the country.
O’Dekirk said the first man in the video pushed him, and that the second man tackled him from behind and punched him “repeatedly” in the head. The two men involved in the altercation with O’Dekirk were arrested, according to the mayor. They were among 30 people Joliet police said were arrested during unrest between about 7 p.m. Sunday and 3:30 a.m. Monday.
The mayor added that the criticism of the three pastors was politically motivated, noting that Dorris had supported a former mayor in an election against O’Dekirk.
The police chief said he was not made aware of the mayor’s plans to be with law enforcement officers on Sunday until the mayor showed up at the scene.
“He never made contact with me, and he wasn’t invited out,” Roechner said.
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The Joliet Police Department will be asking the Illinois State Police to investigate the incident.
Dorris, a former city councilman, also urged members of the city council to “take a vote of no confidence against the mayor" and called on any council members who support the mayor’s actions to resign.
City Councilman Larry Hug said he wants to wait for an independent investigation of the incident before any action is taken. He added that it’s unclear what might have transpired before the video begins, and he wants all parties involved to have proper “due process.”
“I want calmer heads to prevail," Hug said. "We have larger issues such as those of social justice, and at the same time, our once-in-a-lifetime (COVID-19) crisis.”
While city Councilman Terry Morris said it’s too early to be calling for anyone’s resignation, he said he did tell O’Dekirk he did not think the mayor should have been out during the protests with police.
However, Morris added that he will await the result of an independent investigation before passing judgment.
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Evans, one of the pastors, said an apology from O’Dekirk would not go far enough.
“Mr. Mayor, consider changing your career,” Evans said. “Go fishing, go golfing. What we don’t want is for you to continue being mayor in this city especially when you are responsible for escalating the situation even more.”
The mayor rebuffed suggestions that it was not his duty to be on the streets during the demonstrations.
“I’m not going to resign and I’m not going to apologize for standing up for the people of Joliet and doing what I can to restore order,” he said.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter.
eleventis@chicagotribune.com