For Immediate Release: November 8th, 2023
Contact: media@colorofchange.org
Color Of Change, SOUL, and Several Other Advocacy Organizations Pen Letter to Chicago City Council Urging Members to Vote NO on Arbitrator’s Ruling As It Relates to Police Misconduct Cases
CHICAGO – Today, Color Of Change and Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) – along with several other key civil rights and justice reform community organizations in Chicago – penned a letter to Chicago’s City Council urging Alders to reject a measure that would allow for Chicago Police Department officers accused of serious misconduct to have their cases reviewed behind closed doors instead of before the Police Board. The letter comes ahead of an expected vote in City Council on this measure, as the City of Chicago and Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police close in on a new police contract. If accepted, this measure would dramatically diminish the transparency and consistency by which officers are held accountable for their misconduct, especially as it relates to violence, racism, and biases on the job. In reflection of the severity of this moment for criminal-legal reform in Chicago, partner organizations released the following statements:
“Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) has made it clear that serious misconduct by officers will be overlooked in favor of advancing an agenda of corruption and closed-door decision-making. This ruling by Arbitrator Benn would upend 60-years of precedent and allow officers who are facing serious accusations of misconduct to be let off with a slap on the wrist. Color Of Change demands that Chicago City Council members put Chicagoans first, by rejecting a proposal that would compromise the safety of those in Cook County.” stated Michael Collins, Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs at Color Of Change.
“This move is just part of a series of disturbing patterns of the FOP attempting to find ways for police to avoid accountability. For years, community members have been demanding more transparency from CPD and this is a clear example of how they continue to violate the people’s trust.” stated Tanya Watkins, Executive Director at Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL).
“Chicagoans have worked too hard on our current police accountability structure to allow the Police Union to undermine a decade of work to improve the Chicago Police Department’s relationship with the community. With our 66 newly elected Police District Councilors, Chicago has the opportunity to be a leading example for the nation in best practices for police accountability and community oversight of law enforcement. Our community leaders will not stand for any attempts to take us backward, and we demand that all of the elected city council members ‘Vote No’ to protect what we have built!” stated Lilly Brown, Police Accountability Organizer at ONE Northside.
“Allowing serious instances of police misconduct to be settled behind closed doors, would be a devastating blow to the accountability structures that Chicagoans have fought so hard for. We urge the City Council to stand with the people and reject this measure.” stated Loren Jones, Director of Criminal Legal Systems at Impact for Equity.
“I believe that having the arbitration for serious offenses will further deteriorate the community’s trust in the police if these cases are kept behind closed doors which they will be in arbitration. The Police Board members are residents of our community who have a stake in local public safety. Their hearings are open to the public and improve transparency for both the public and the officers involved. We need this if things are going to improve.” stated Beth Rochford, 17th Police District Councilor
“CCPSA has an elected body by the people for civilian oversight. Moving all police misconduct cases to arbitration will render our new system for civilian oversight of the police null and void.” stated Darrell Dacres, 20th Police District Councilor
“Democracy is our national credo and it requires that open and transparent actions be a standard operating principle in all governmental affairs. Accountability is vital for police, a special category of city employees who have immense powers and are authorized to use a gun and badge. Their actions should not be above public scrutiny,” said Michael Harrington, Co-chair of Network 49.
“Police misconduct is a serious offense that cannot be afforded the benefit of the doubt and handled without transparency especially with Chicago’s history and current instances of police brutality and torture. The consequences of police misconduct can be devastating and life-changing for the victims and their families. This type of misconduct can lead to wrongful convictions, injury, and even death. It erodes trust in law enforcement and undermines the integrity of the justice system. In Chicago, the police department has a long history of abuse and excessive force, particularly against communities on the south and west sides. It is crucial that incidents of police misconduct are thoroughly investigated, and officers who engage in such behavior are held accountable for their actions. This requires transparency and accountability from the police department, as well as an active effort to address systemic issues within law enforcement that contribute to misconduct. Only by publicly holding police officers to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct can we begin to build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Wasn’t public oversight over law enforcement the purpose of holding elections for Police District Council Members in the first place?” stated Miranda Alexandria, Co-Chairwoman at Chicago’s N’COBRA Chapter
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ABOUT COLOR OF CHANGE:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.
ABOUT SOUTHSIDERS ORGANIZED FOR UNITY AND LIBERATION:
Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL) is a grassroots, multi-issue, power-building organization that fights for bold, transformative change for marginalized and underserved people in Chicago’s Southland. Through our organizing, we partner with faith leaders, community-based organizations, student groups, and directly impacted people — training them in disciplined organizing strategies to build leadership, educate residents about the impact of public policy, and hold their public officials accountable to the interest of their communities. Visit www.soulinchicago.org.
ABOUT ONE NORTHSIDE:
ONE Northside is a mixed-income, multi-ethnic, intergenerational non-profit organization that builds collective power to eliminate injustice through bold and innovative community organizing. Founded in 2013 through the merger of Lakeview Action Coalition and Organization of the Northeast, ONE Northside is a key driver in progressive campaigns for affordable housing, police accountability, economic justice, and much more. Visit www.onenorthside.org
ABOUT IMPACT FOR EQUITY:
For over 50 years, Impact for Equity has utilized a combination of legal tools, policy research, advocacy, organizing, and convening to combat systemic barriers to equity and fight for racial, economic, and social justice. For more: www.impactforequity.org
ABOUT NETWORK 49:
Network 49 is a progressive, community-led, political organization committed to organizing and advocating for policies and elected leadership that advance a high quality of community life, benefiting all residents in the 49th Ward of the City of Chicago.
ABOUT CHICAGO N’COBRA
Chicago N’COBRA Chapter is a coordinating body for the reparations efforts in the State of Illinois, the County of Cook, and the City of Chicago. We are developing a mass-based support for reparations by setting unified goals and strategies to obtain reparations; disseminate and exchange information on reparations issues and strategies important to Black people of African Descent in the United States of America; and, educate the general public about the just demand for reparations.