A city task force charged with making recommendations on how to reform the Chicago Police Department heard from a crowd of about 200 people Thursday at the South Shore Cultural Center, with many residents expressing lack of confidence in police and the newly created Police Accountability Task Force.
“There’s a problem with the power dynamic here, the way the task force is set up,” said Steve Craig, who is with Stop Police Crimes, a campaign by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression. “We’ve got the Chicago Police Board. We’ve got (Independent Police Review Authority.) We’ve got the Police Accountability Task Force. This is all the same thing. We’re rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic.”
Lori Lightfoot, a task force member and president of the Chicago Police Board, said that while any actions to change the Police Department will be up to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and aldermen, she believes the recommendations made by the task force will have an impact.
“We hope you will continue to raise voices on and demand change in the direction where this is going to go,” Lightfoot said. “I’m confident that this will change the course of the way things will go in the Police Department because it has to.”
The task force, appointed by Emanuel in December, is exploring five areas of possible overhaul in the Chicago Police Department: video release policies; best practices for de-escalating situations; community engagement; personnel management; and legal oversight and accountability. It is scheduled to submit a list of recommendations March 31 to Emanuel and City Council.
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Several audience members asked about allegations of excessive force by police, police-involved shootings and the perception of racism in policing tactics. While the task force addressed some questions and comments, others went unanswered, such as one that read, “Why did it take this long to do something?”
For the most part, the hearing was a diplomatic exchange of ideas. But some of the speakers were noticeably upset, including a woman who compared the mistrust of police in Chicago to what’s going on in Ferguson, Mo., where people rioted after a grand jury declined to indict a police officer in the fatal shooting of teenager Michael Brown.
“I want to believe ya’ll,” the woman said. “Just change. We’re tired.”
One man who exceeded his two-minute speaking time continued to shout that the killing of African-Americans by police was “genocide.” Another man threw papers, pounded the lectern and told members of the task force, “You guys are a joke!” before storming out.
The gathering strongly contrasted the sparsely attended first meeting Feb. 2 at JLM Life Center. The next meeting is Feb. 23 at Benito Juarez Community Academy.
Twitter @_tonybriscoe