* Press release…
What we see play out in the video of Anjanette Young is an act of racism, gendered violence and yet another violation of a Black woman’s dignity and safety. She told police 43 times that they had the wrong house, yet they stood there while she remained handcuffed and unclothed. Ms. Young had the courage to pursue the release of CPD bodycam footage in the face of legal threats from the City’s top leaders. Now it’s our turn to pursue justice and accountability for the wrongful trauma Ms. Young experienced, all rooted in the same systemic racism that plagues Black people throughout our state and country. We will not let Ms. Young stand alone without answers from the City.
Signed,
Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kim Lightford
Senate Black Caucus Chair Robert Peters
Incoming House Black Caucus Chair Kam Buckner
Senator Jacqueline Collins
Senator Mattie Hunter
Senator Adriane Johnson
Senator Emil Jones
Senator Patricia Van Pelt Watkins
Representative Lakesia Collins
Representative Curtis Tarver
* In case you are unaware of this horrific case…
* ‘You Have the Wrong Place:’ Body Camera Video Shows Moments Police Handcuff Innocent, Naked Woman During Wrong Raid
* Innocent Social Worker, Anjanette Young, Violated by The Chicago Police Department.
* Chicago officials tried to block video of police arresting naked woman in botched raid
* ‘So Terrifying’: Woman Describes Moment Cops Burst Into Home, Handcuffed Her Naked
* ‘I want accountability,’ says woman seen in video of botched CPD raid
* Anjanette Young, Handcuffed Naked In Her Home By Police, To Lori Lightfoot: ‘I Believed In You As A Black Woman’
* Mayor Lori Lightfoot apologizes for wrongful raid, said it was a mistake to try and stop CBS from airing body camera video
* What Happened To Anjanette Young Isn’t New; Here Are Some Of The Faces Of CPD Wrong Raids
…Adding… Press release…
National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter Statement:
“In February 2019, Anjanette Young, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), experienced a traumatic incident that occurs in Chicago far too often—armed city officers abusing and traumatizing Black men and women under the guise of public safety. Her story is not unlike others, being reported in the news where city law enforcement wrongly traumatize communities of color with improper or incorrect warrants. In the video which Ms. Young fought to have released, a clearly vulnerable woman is shown pleading with Chicago law enforcement over 43 times that they have raided the wrong house but to no avail. The level of disdain, dehumanization, and humiliation at the hands of Chicago city officers is on full display throughout the now released video.
The National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter (NASW-IL) strongly condemns these outrageous actions by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and asks our city leaders, When will the trauma end? When will enough be enough? We further condemn the actions of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her city of Chicago’s legal department for their efforts to further traumatize Ms. Young through the suppression of the body camera footage, and the now subsequent seeking of sanctions against Ms. Young for bringing into the light the reprehensible actions of CPD.
We call on Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois State General Assembly to work to end no knock warrants and to aggressively address and enact meaningful police reforms which the city of Chicago is clearly unwilling to enact themselves. The era of deferring the safety of the residents of Chicago to powerful mayors needs to end.
Systemic oppression, racial discrimination and division, and the misappropriation of power has been ingrained in the fabric of our country and is on full display again today. There is no shortage of reforms and recommendations from the communities being traumatized to address this misappropriation of power, just a lack of will.
One of the core values of the social work profession contained in our code of ethics is that social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. As a city—and as a society at large—we are not living up to this core value. That needs to change.
The NASW-Illinois Chapter commends the bravery of Anjanette Young. We support Anjanette Young in her fight. No one should be exposed to this level of violence and trauma. “
- Left Leaner - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 3:34 pm:
Mayor Lightfoot’s actions in the this case - and those taken by people who report to her - are shocking to some of us who expected different and better from her and her administration.
The former head of COPA has very clearly shown - through her actions - that she doesn’t understand (unlikely) or care what the ‘A’ stands for.
Supremely disappointed. This is her Laquan McDonald moment, and she’s failed miserably.
- Levois J - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 3:35 pm:
I do agree that the police committed to a raid with faulty information that they could’ve found because the intended target was under electronic monitoring. They just barged into the house of an innocent woman and I hear she was left nude while they were in her home. Perhaps reasonable safeguards should be in place so that things like this won’t happen on a recurring basis.
- Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 3:48 pm:
A few bad apples spoils the bunch.
Are there any good apples left?
===Many lakefront liberals still think only the police should be able to own handguns.===
If one of those officers had so much as imagined a handgun they would have murdered Anjanette Young. Peddle your fantasies elsewhere.
- slow down - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 3:50 pm:
The utter lack of decency shown this woman as she sat handcuffed and naked in her own home is disgraceful. Even if the mistake was made in good faith (putting aside the shoddy police work that led to it), there is just no good reason why that woman had to sit there naked and cuffed. None.
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 3:51 pm:
Unless the city’s progressive leadership seriously drop the ball (and with the DSA/CTU crowd, that’s a possibility), Lori’s reelection chances are getting smaller and smaller.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 3:54 pm:
The city should drop any defence of the case and open its checkbook asap. Then discipline the cops for not verifying the tip.
- frustrated - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 3:54 pm:
Well, as long as she apologized for trying to suppress a video showing police misconduct against an innocent black woman, that should be enough.
After all, she says she supports BLM. /s/
- Anon221 - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:02 pm:
CBS news showed the footage this morning and to say it was horrific is not even enough. When one of the senior officers finally pulled the officer with the warrant outside to talk to him, they shut their body cameras off. Then the senior officer came back inside and told Ms. Young that he believed her. Didn’t hear, at least in that clip, that he was sorry. And then to find out the police could have (or should have been able to) tracked down the suspect via an ankle bracelet (banned punctuation). Supposedly an informant pointed out Ms. Young’s apartment to the police, and it seems they took that informant’s information as gospel instead of doing just a little more legwork before beating down Ms. Young’s door. How many more times does this have to happen before changes are made? Hiding behind, “This is the first time I’ve seen the footage” excuses is NOT solving what seems to be an endemic problem with police in Chicago, and in other areas of the country. I hope her lawsuit is successful, and I hope she works with her attorney to get some stipulations attached to it that the City will have to implement to prevent this from occurring to others who should feel safe and secure in their own homes because the police are taking a few extra steps to make sure warrants and information are correct.
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:09 pm:
This is egregious and some heads should roll. But this also seems to happen not infrequently. Are there that many warrants served? Maybe bring a lieutenant along with the understanding if wrong house you go down. Why not besides double checking, check the monitor for pete sake. And this does reek of a cover up I read Lightfoot is looking for sanctions against woman for releasing court information. Really? She get that idea from Rham
- Holiday Cheer - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:13 pm:
Those monsters treated Ms. Young like she wasn’t even a human being. Her attorney is absolutely correct. If it was some Lincoln Park trixie that never would have happened. Those who don’t believe in the systemic racism that pervades CPD don’t want to see it.
- 1st Ward - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:19 pm:
“Unless the city’s progressive leadership seriously drop the ball (and with the DSA/CTU crowd, that’s a possibility), Lori’s reelection chances are getting smaller and smaller
The mistakes are really starting to mount for her and a primary of 6+ people wouldn’t surprise me. I wouldn’t bet on a CTU/DSA candidate though. The DSA needs another cycle or two of increasing their caucus which is only at 6 today and legislative wins before a DSA mayoral candidate has a shot I would guess. Pillaging their own in Ald. Vasquez on the budget vote seemed short cited.
- cermak_rd - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:23 pm:
I’m not a Chicagoan so have no vote in the city’s mayoral elections, but I think this is the point where Mayor Lightfoot lost me. Not the original misconduct, that happens, but her attempt to cover it up. That was wrong.
- Not Scott Drury - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:23 pm:
Lori Lightfoot, as a former Federal prosecutor, should be ashamed of the FOIA denial.
- Jocko - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:24 pm:
No word from FOP President John Catanzara, Jr.?
A week ago, I heard him yammering, “You know, we’ve been very clear that licensing is not acceptable in any way, shape or form.”
Also, how does it take COPA 2+ years to review bodycam footage and interview seven (or eight) LEOs?
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:25 pm:
It’s so shockingly awful, I dunno what to say but that I’m sickened to this and that there was a fight to get to view the cam footage is sickening to justice.
More needs to be done.
- Monadnock Pigeon - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:47 pm:
I’m at a loss for words. I just hope that Keenan Saulter (her attorney) takes them to the cleaners.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:47 pm:
It’s pretty awful. Those cops should have badges stripped. They’ll still be out there harassing others though. Worse is Lightfoot’s response. Her statement last night said she wasn’t aware of the footage or the case until yesterday? Smells like bovine excrement to me considering the woman is suing the city and the case is at COPA, but if true, MLL should resign immediately due to gross incompetence and negligence.
I’ll say this - in just a little more than one short year, she has most assuredly converted two of her plusses to hard core minuses
- Responsa - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:49 pm:
Again this very poor image of Chicago has made national news. However the raid happened, it is horrifying. But unfortunately, even worse after the fact, Mayor Lightfoot’s attempt to block release of the footage is just more samo samo in the “cover our behind department”.
- Keyrock - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:53 pm:
From both a policy and political standpoint, the whole story is hard to understand.
The mistaken raid was under Rahm - before Lori took office. Why didn’t Lori release the video when her people first became aware of it, blame it on Rahm, and say she was reforming the warrant policy? And why did the Law Department file an obviously bad motion for an unconstitutional prior restraint on WBBM?
I’m surprised the Corporation Counsel is still employed.
- Nova - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 4:53 pm:
Horrific is right. How could CPD not know the person they were after was on home confinement? It’s the drip, drip, drip of one case of police misconduct after another that is infuriating. Lightfoot was wrong to try to stop it from being seen.
- Last Bull Moose - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:06 pm:
Years ago Scotland Yard had to arrest an armed American monster. They watched and waited till he could be taken with no shots fired.
There are times for urgency and times for patience. I think the police need to develop patience.
- Wumpus - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:08 pm:
Well, a criminal would lie. She was not a criminal and telling the truth. But the coverup shows that the new boss is the same as the old boss.
- Wumpus - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:12 pm:
Additionally, what is her judgment process when this occurred 2 years ago? Expose it and own up to the reformer mantle. Not only was it the easy thing to do, but (more importantly) the right thing to to.
- Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:15 pm:
- Left Leaner - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 3:34 pm:
She wasn’t the head of COPA, she was the head of the Police Board. She also previously headed the Office of Professional Standards (OPS), employed directly within the CPD.
COPA replaced IPRA which replaced OPS.
She also headed Rahm Emanuel’s task force on police accountability.
Her record was always far more pro-cop than she claimed, as IPRA and OPS were beyond rubber stamps.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-met-lori-lightfoot-police-reform-20190220-story.html
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/lightfoots-long-complicated-record-on-policing-easy-to-distort/
- Siriusly - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:18 pm:
A horrible mistake caused by sloppy police work. But the lack of immediate recognition of the mistake, the failure to apologize immediately and the attempt to cover this up are nearly as bad.
- Watcher of the Skies - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:26 pm:
Lightfoot simply does not like FOIA. We have a whole laundry list already.
In March, the City rejected reporters’ requests citing the pandemic. Lightfoot claimed it was a mistake.
Then she led the charge for the Illinois Municipal League in asking Pritzker and Raoul to suspend FOIA requirements - something they are not even empowered to do.
Then Greg Pratt’s recent story about the bet on the CPS strike where the real story is that her office stonewalled on documents that were obviously subject to FOIA.
And now it’s body cam footage - the exact thing that so many people believe sank Rahm.
- Thomas Paine - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:26 pm:
Replace th Law Department. Everyone.
- The Old Man - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:44 pm:
Every legislator R and D should sign this letter.
This action was horrible.
- Responsa - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:48 pm:
The reason FOIA even exists is because people in authority are historically reluctant to give up their secrets. Fighting FOIA is not a good look for anybody but especially Chicago mayors should know better. Illinois has always had a bad record with FOIA:
Illinois first approved FOIA in 1984. See Public Act 83-1013, effective July 1, 1984. However, Illinois was the last state to enact a law permitting access to public records.
- Keyrock - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 5:56 pm:
The Mayor says she just learned about this and is not happy:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/12/16/22179377/lightfoot-apologizes-botched-police-raid-anjanette-young-video-search-warrant-wrong-address
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 6:23 pm:
If she just learned of it on Tuesday, who denied FOIA, who tried to stop CBS from showing video and who filmed motion for sanctions on victim for releasing video and on what authority was this done. Lightfoot is shooting self in foot and often for no reason. Blame Rham
- Left Leaner - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 6:39 pm:
Precinct Captain - Thanks for the correction. My bad.
- Thomas Paine - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 7:16 pm:
It is not believable that the law department tried to crush this FOIA and news reporting, and the Mayor’s office is just learning about it yesterday.
Maurice Classen was handpicked by Lightfoot as her Chief-of-staff to help address the massive civil liability created by the Chicago Police Department. He has to have known about this incident, and he must have told Lightfoot.
If in fact, no one told Lightfoot what they were up to, they should both be fired. That is not what she is doing.
- Southwest Sider - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 7:55 pm:
I would think that the body cam should not be made public without the consent of Ms. Young. It grossly violates her privacy.
- charles in charge - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 8:55 pm:
==I would think that the body cam should not be made public without the consent of Ms. Young. It grossly violates her privacy.==
Hey Southwest Sider, try to keep up: She fought for two years to make this video public.
- Dotnonymous - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 9:20 pm:
It’s the cover-up…always.
- Blue Dog Dem - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 9:38 pm:
Is the city of Chicago self insured.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 9:54 pm:
Horrible. that woman was treated terribly. How are the police not prepared for such a situation? even if they came into the right place, if they found someone without clothes, they have to treat them decently. while any place has to be secured while the search is in progress, isn’t there one officer or two whose job it is to sit down and cover someone in this situation or handle children?
- northside reformer - Wednesday, Dec 16, 20 @ 10:51 pm:
Lori Lightfoot is in Rahm Emanuel territory
- Stop - Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 6:58 am:
Stop pretending like you’re shocked Lori. This case is over two years old. You have extensive knowledge. None of this was news to you yesterday, last week, or last month.nice act t
- EssentialWorkingMom - Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 8:43 am:
Ms. Young lived through a total nightmare. And for what reasons? Because she is black? Because her social worker’s income affords her to live in a neighborhood next door to the actual criminal the police were searching for that night? There are no good reasons why she should have had to live this and be treated this way. I don’t know how the officers responsible for this went home and slept in their beds feeling good about what they did. The laws give them a certain level of power to protect and patrol, but their abuse of it, over and over again, is poisonous. But yet it continues because people are afraid of words like “defund” and “reform”, when obviously something needs to change.
- SumGai1986 - Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 10:25 am:
I could almost forgive the cops for making a mistake, but to cover it up after the fact is deplorable.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 10:39 am:
What’s additionally frustrating about this is the “ho-hum” attitude of the officers in the raid. Besides the deplorable damage to Ms. Young psychologically, what about wrecking her door? Who fixed that and how soon? Her privacy was violated in the worst way and she couldn’t even try to reclaim it because her door was wrecked?
WBBM-2 exposed these “warrants gone bad” before, and yet it keeps happening. Are there more recent cases or has it been stopped completely?
Mayor Lightfoot’s righteous indignation routine isn’t cutting it. And if the City has to pay Ms. Young damages, which it surely must, that comes from taxpayer money.
What a colossal mess.
- Glenn - Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 11:01 am:
How can this home invasion be justified when dealing with a compliant ankle-monitored homebound detainee, even if there was no address error complication.
Chicago is not Afghanistan, where there are no Fourth Amendment rights to be recognized by any U.S government agency.
What’s wrong with a phone call or a loudspeaker announcement, from a safe distance, of a search warrant?
The CPD doesn’t absolutely need to go Rambo as a first effort.
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 11:26 am:
The public does not forgive and will not forget this type of abuse…which seems to “happen” to Black and Brown residents repeatedly…but so rarely to White residents.
- Keyrock - Thursday, Dec 17, 20 @ 4:02 pm:
This is not going away:
https://news.wttw.com/2020/12/17/lightfoot-knew-woman-had-been-handcuffed-while-naked-during-mistaken-police-raid-november