Rev. Al Sharpton has turned his attention toward the Chicago police department and its longstanding allegations of brutality, just as the city prepares to mount a campaign to host the 2016 Olympics.
The activist has given Mayor Richard Daley until Dec. 29 to respond to a series of recommendations Sharpton announced Monday to reform the police department. If no contact is made by the deadline, Sharpton said he will make good on his threat to lobby against the city's Olympic bid by launching an international press tour featuring victims allegedly abused by Chicago cops.
"The Olympics can be a point of leverage for people in this city that have not been able to get direct action by the city fathers," said Sharpton, president of the National Action Network.
Sharpton recommended that the U.S. Justice Department take control of the city's police force; that the city reject Daley's choice for police superintendent, J.P. "Jody" Weiss, because of what Sharpton called a lack of community input into his selection; and that the head of the Independent Police Review Authority be prohibited from speaking publicly about misconduct cases until agency investigations are completed.
When asked about Sharpton's threats at an unrelated news conference, Daley said, "He can do that; that is part of America."
Chicago beat out several other U.S. cities to become the U.S. Olympic Committee's nominee for the 2016 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee will pick the host city in 2009.
• Chicago's police department has been beset by claims that officers abused their positions. Four inmates were recently awarded almost $20 million between them to settle lawsuits claiming they had been tortured by a former lieutenant into falsely confessing to crimes.
• In July, prosecutors accused officers of torturing suspects in the 1980s.
• In September, four special operations members were charged with robbery, kidnapping and making false arrests.
• The department has also has been embarrassed by other accusations of brutality — some caught on tape, including the alleged beating of a female bartender by an off-duty officer.
1 comment:
I totally agree with Mr. Sharpton about the chicago police and the way they abuse their power and others. I am online right now trying to find my cousin some help. I believe her Civil Rights were violated by the police. She got into an altercation with a lady on the playground at her son's camp about two weeks ago. The lady spit in her face and took her telephone from her as she called 911. The lady called her a ghetto bitch and told her she probably lived in the projects and received welfare. When the police finally arrived they first spoke with the lady for several minutes and not my cousin (who called them). After speaking with the lady, the officers told my cousin to leave the park. My cousin refused because she told them she wanted to file a complaint against the lady. To shorten this long story; my cousin was arrested and charged with intimidating a child and some other bogus charges. Later while she was waiting to be released, she learned that the lady that she was in the altercation with was a police officer. This woman never identified herself, my cousin was never read her rights, and this happened in the Bridgeport area in chicago. Bridgeport has been known as a very racist area to blacks for many years. Something has to be done about these police. There is a whole lot more to this story. please tell me how to help my cousin. I told her to contact the NAACP and the news media.
Ossie (773)387-7367
ossielockmoss@yahoo.com
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