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Updated 3 hours ago
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After video was released Thursday showing the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, the Chicago City Council s Latino Caucus called for the passage of an ordinance to create a new commission of community members with civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department, among other changes.
Originally backed by the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability and the coalition for a Civilian Police Accountability Council, the unity ordinance named Empowering Communities for Public Safety will give city communities a choice over electing a civilian commission to oversee the police force. Don t miss local breaking news and weather! Download our mobile app for iOS or Android
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As Lori Lightfoot rose in the polls against better known rivals two years ago, she pulled together nearly $300,000 to launch her first television ad.
In the commercial, first aired in January 2019, Lightfoot walked into a dark room, flicked on the lights and said, âIâve prosecuted corrupt aldermen and held police accountable. Now, Iâm running for mayor to finally make City Hall work for you.â
Speaking directly into the camera, Lightfoot said she supports an elected school board, âmaking all neighborhoods safe and reducing the unfair tax burden on working families.â
The ad, combined with intense fallout from the federal corruption case against Ald. Edward Burke, helped propel Lightfoot into a runoff against Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a press conference at City Hall in the Loop, Wednesday morning, where she and Police Supt. David Brown announced reforms in how search warrants are approved, planned, carried out and reviewed following the botched raid on Anjanette Young’s home in 2019. Male police officers entered the wrong home while executing a search warrant and handcuffed Young, who was naked and pleading, for 40 minutes.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
We’re glad Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Police Supt. David Brown on Wednesday announced reforms on the use of no-knock and other search warrants, which give police permission to enter homes and other buildings. But we wish they had gone farther and urge them to do so.
AP Photos
The police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd strengthened anti-racist organizing with national coverage and renewed public interest in a major issue plaguing American cities: unchecked police violence.
During the past year, tens of thousands of Chicagoans took to the streets in shows of interracial solidarity, demanding that politicians address the problem. This once-in-a-lifetime display of collective anger has yet to translate into concrete political change.
Opinion
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the City Council have largely ignored the mass demands of their constituents. Chicagoans received a promise from the mayor in early January much like the one she campaigned on in 2019 that she would tackle the problem this year. The mayor’s procrastination is all the more frustrating because grassroots organizations, such as the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, have been offering proposals since before the mayor began her term in office.