For Immediate Release: April 4, 2019

Contacts: Ellie Klausmeyer, eklausmeyer@fenton.com , 202.276.8343

New York — Rashad Robinson, president of Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice group, issued the following statement in response to attacks against State’s Attorney Kim Foxx for her decision not to pursue charges against Jussie Smollett from outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago police union, and suburban police unions:

“The attacks on State’s Attorney Kim Foxx are not really about the Jussie Smollett case. Opponents of criminal justice reform are attacking the first Black, female chief prosecutor in Chicago’s history, a woman who is doing more to reform the system than any of her predecessors. This ‘no confidence’ vote is a backlash, pure and simple, against Foxx’s promises to work against the racist system of mass incarceration.

“If the people who are attacking Foxx are so concerned about mistakes in our justice system, if they are so concerned about criminals not being prosecuted, why did they demonstrate so little outrage over the January acquittal of the three officers who covered up the police killing of Laquan McDonald? Where has the outrage been for decades of documented police brutality, torture, and terrorism of the Black community in Chicago? The police are trying to distract from these atrocities by creating a scapegoat in Foxx. They admitted their real motives when they said that Foxx’s refusal to prosecute their petty arrests for nonviolent crimes is one of their problems with her.

“All over the country, prosecutors like Foxx who are pushing for reform—Rachael Rollins in Boston, Aramis Ayala in Florida, Wesley Bell in St. Louis, and Larry Krasner in Philadelphia—are under similar attack from the old guard. This old guard includes the Chicago FOP, which has a long history of fighting reform and defending police violence, including the horrific John Burge police torture ring,  for decades.We have to see these attacks for what they are—a reflection of the racist and regressive attitude that sits at the heart of the Chicago FOP.”

Rashad Robinson is available to speak to the actions of Foxx and recent developments in the “no confidence” vote by the Chicago police union.

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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 1.4 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.