Here comes another lawsuit
Thursday, Jun 4, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Chicago has shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars over the years to settle lawsuits filed against its police department. Here we go again…
* Tribune…
Tnika Tate, 39, said she was parking near a looted mall Sunday when Chicago police surrounded the vehicle, broke the windows and searched Tate and a group of four friends and relatives in the car with her.
Tate said an officer restrained her cousin Mia Wright, 25, by placing a knee on Wright’s neck while she was prone on the ground. Wright was charged with disorderly conduct and released Monday, according to police and the family.
A video of part of the incident was taken by family friend James Smith, 40, who was driving in a second car. A copy of the video was first published by the nonprofit digital news organization Block Club Chicago, and Smith provided the Tribune with a copy later Wednesday.
“She never resisted. It could have been something deadly,” Tate told the Tribune on Wednesday.
* WGN TV…
Tate is a longtime funeral director in Chicago, and said she and her family were just hoping to shop at Target.
Police were responding to reports of looting at the mall, but the family says they didn’t know how officers on the scene could have suspected they were involved.
Wright works at that funeral home.
* Keep in mind that Wright was ultimately charged with “disorderly conduct,” which is a city ordinance violation. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office says the Chicago police did not refer the case to the state’s attorney for felony review. And the state’s attorney won’t have any role in the prosecution…
[Family attorney Nenye Uche] also called for the disorderly conduct charge against Wright to be immediately dropped.
The family still doesn’t understand why police targeted their car in the first place and is demanding answers.
Wright was in the front passenger seat of her cousin’s car Sunday when police, for no apparent reason, began to smash the windows of the vehicle with batons and order everyone out.
An officer grabbed Wright’s hair, which had been wound into a bun, and yanked her from the car, Wright said.
While Wright was on the ground, the officer knelt on her back and neck. Wright, who got a piece of glass in her eye during from the shattered window, was held overnight at a nearby police station, she said.
* CBS 2…
But what bothers them more than anything is when Wright was yanked from the car. The family said one officer held her down by putting his knee on her back and neck.
“They approached my car so forcefully where they just started bamming and hitting at my car, then they bust out three windows of mine, and then they actually tore off my door handle – the passenger side door handle – and they literally drug my little cousin Mia out to the ground,” Tate said.
“I felt like an animal,” Wright said. “They pulled me by my hair, dragged me out the vehicle, had my face down on the concrete. The officer had his knee in my neck. I just felt like an animal. I felt like I wasn’t nothing, like I was not even a human being at that moment.”
Wright was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct.
* Block Club Chicago…
As Wright was being pinned to the ground, she said what happened to Floyd flashed in her mind.
“It hit me at that moment. That’s all I thought about. I heard people screaming, ‘Why do you have your knee in her neck?’ That’s why people are protesting,” Wright said. “It was horrible. It was a moment I was scared for my life.” […]
At the station, Wright said she was verbally abused by a sergeant.
“The sergeant opened the door and he looked me in the face and called me a f—— savage,” she said.
While in lockup, she said she wasn’t given access to an attorney and couldn’t call her mother for more than six hours.
Wright was released 16 hours later with a charge of disorderly conduct. Officers said she was gathered with three or more people with intent to disturb the peace — but Wright said she and her four family members were sitting quietly in their car.
* New York Times…
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability has launched an investigation into the encounter Sunday at Brickyard Mall on the city’s West Side in which police said in a statement that Mia Wright was charged with disorderly conduct. It has also started investigating another incident captured on video showing an officer chasing and punching a protester after a demonstration about the death of George Floyd last week. […]
At a Thursday news conference, Mayor Lightfoot and Police Superintendent David Brown said the police department was working with COPA — which is investigating both incidents captured on the two videos — to identify the officers involved. Lightfoot said as soon as they are identified, their names will be given to Brown, and she promised that any officers who acted improperly would be held accountable.
Still, Lightfoot cautioned that as disturbing as the video at the shopping center might be, the public should not jump to any conclusions. “You can’t just accept everything at face value that you see, and that includes video,” she said.
* From the state’s attorney…
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is committed to public safety and pursuing the fair administration of justice for everyone in our communities. We are aware of the incident that occurred at Brickyard Mall and are currently conducting a thorough, independent review of the matter, including the conduct of the police officers involved. We take law enforcement accountability seriously and have reached out to the family involved through their attorney.
* Last word…
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker was asked about the incident today…
What I saw was horrific. It was horrific. I mean what happened, thank God it didn’t end like George Floyd. But the police that did it are being investigated
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* Jon Seidel, Tim Novak, and Mark Brown…
Former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo has been drawn into the ongoing federal public corruption investigation that has gone quiet but not dormant, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Days after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his stay-at-home order, federal prosecutors subpoenaed the Illinois Secretary of State’s lobbyist division for all records related to Acevedo, as well as Michael and Alexander Acevedo and the Acevedo’s lobbying company, Apex Strategy LLC, records show.
The Chicago Sun-Times obtained a copy of the subpoena through a Freedom of Information Act request. The Acevedos have not been accused of wrongdoing. Edward Acevedo told the Sun-Times he had “no clue” what prompted the subpoena. Michael and Alexander could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
“I have no idea what that’s about,” Edward Acevedo said.
Secretary of State records list Michael Acevedo as Apex’s manager, and Edward and Alexander Acevedo as previously registered lobbyists. Alexander Acevedo ran in 2016 to replace his father in the legislature, but lost. He then ran in 2019 to replace Danny Solis as alderman of Chicago’s 25th Ward in yet another losing bid after Solis was revealed by the Sun-Times to be cooperating with federal investigators in their ongoing investigation of Chicago political corruption.
Read the rest. The grand jury number matches the one on the Ed Burke case.
The feds can’t normally just download the information from the SoS Index Division’s website and present it a grand jury. They usually need the official file. Hence, the subpoena. But what they’re after is really anybody’s guess.
*** UPDATE *** Eddie talked to the Tribune…
Former Democratic state Rep. Eddie Acevedo said Thursday he was interviewed last fall by the FBI regarding lobbying activities and separate consultant fees paid to him by two ComEd lobbyists with ties to Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. […]
Acevedo, a former police officer, told the Tribune Thursday he worked as a consultant paid by John Bradley, a former House Democrat from Marion who was a contract lobbyist for ComEd until last November. Acevedo said he previously worked as a consultant in a similar role for lobbyist Shaw Decremer, a former Democratic House staffer and campaign operative ousted from the speaker’s political organization following complaints that he was abusive. […]
Acevedo said he could not remember the fee or the length of time he received the payments from Decremer, but that a consulting arrangement moved to Bradley once Decremer was booted from Madigan’s operation in 2018. […]
Acevedo said he did not lobby for ComEd, but he said he was a consultant for Bradley about ComEd issues.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Larry Walsh
Thursday, Jun 4, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Joliet Herald…
Will County Executive Larry Walsh died Wednesday. He was 72.
Walsh, first sworn in as Will County executive in December 2004, was battling prostate cancer and was in home hospice, said his friend Jim Murphy.
Murphy said he and Walsh first connected through the ad agency Murphy started with his wife, Vicki Murphy, 25 years ago.
“Even when you know death is imminent, it’s still a shock,” Murphy said. “There will never be another one like him.”
Murphy said he and his wife recently visited Walsh at his Elwood home. They only planned to drop in for a short time but ended up staying an hour and a half. […]
While funeral arrangements have yet to be announced, Murphy said they won’t do Walsh the justice he deserves.
“Unfortunately, there won’t be a funeral to hold all the people who are ready and able to tell their Larry Walsh stories due to the COVID-19 virus,” he said.
* The Patch…
“Will County has suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of County Executive Larry Walsh. Larry truly loved the people of Will County and worked tirelessly for their benefit,” Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow said Thursday. “His four terms as County Executive were the final chapter in a lifetime of dedicated service to Will County and the State of Illinois. He touched countless people’s lives and will be greatly missed. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to Irene, Larry’s wife of many decades, and to his entire family. Rest in Peace, Larry Walsh.”
“Larry’s passing is a tremendous loss to his family, certainly, but also to the community,” said Denise Winfrey, speaker of the Will County Board. “He dedicated his life to service. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with him and learn from him. He touched numerous lives, forged alliances and reached out to work with people from all walks of life. The work he has done speaks for him. Rest in peace Larry, job well done.” […]
“Larry leaves behind an incredible legacy of working to improve people’s lives,” stated Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “He was a passionate and dedicated public servant whose numerous contributions made our communities and state a better place. My heart goes out to the Walsh family.”
Bertino-Tarrant won the Democratic primary in March and she is running to become the next Will County Executive in the November general election, facing Republican challenger, Nick Ficarello.
“Larry Walsh believed in retail politics,” remarked Will County Republican Party Chairman George Pearson. “He greeted me each time we met with a firm handshake, a smile, and pat to the shoulder. You would not have known we were on opposite sides of the political aisle, and that is what made him popular with Will County residents.”
* Times Weekly…
Respected for his bipartisan approach at every level of government he served, Walsh prided himself in working collaboratively to find solutions to the challenges that were faced. His longest tenure has been as County Executive where Will County built a strong financial foundation which improved the County’s bond rating. That success led to the largest capital improvements campaign in the county’s history and sustained investments in roads and bridge infrastructure. This campaign included a new Public Safety Complex and consolidated 911 dispatch center, a new County Health department facility, and a new Courthouse.
* Tribune…
A longtime farmer, Walsh began his political career in 1970 when, at age 21, he was elected a member of the Elwood school board. In 1973, he was elected as Jackson Township supervisor, a position he held until December 2004. Walsh served on the Will County Board in 1974 and again in 1992 and served as Illinois state senator representing the 43rd District from April 1997 until January 2005, when he took office as Will County executive.
“I’ve been a very blessed man and a very lucky man,” Walsh said when he announced his retirement plans to the Will County Board in August 2019. […]
Walsh often shared stories of being Barack Obama’s seatmate in the Illinois Senate and about poker games with Obama. Later, he would share stories of visiting Obama in Washington.
During his tenure in the Senate, Walsh led efforts on a variety of issues including funding local agencies to improve the quality of life for residents with special needs.
Larry was one of the best retail politicians I have ever met.
He was a sweet human being and a regular guy who had a special light inside of him which put people at east. Larry took people as they came, which helped him work with just about everybody. You couldn’t help but love the guy. It seemed like he had a perimeter of joy around him everywhere he went.
…Adding… Senate President Don Harmon…
Whenever I think of Will County, I will forever think of Larry Walsh. Larry was a tireless advocate for his constituents and communities. Those who knew and worked with him are better for it. He never failed to make me smile or laugh or feel better about the world. We will miss him dearly. My thoughts and condolences are with his family.
*** UPDATE *** Been a while since I’ve received anything from this guy…
Today, President Barack Obama issued the following statement on the death of his former Illinois State Senate colleague, current Will County Executive Larry Walsh:
“Larry and I entered the state senate together and became fast friends. I’ll always be grateful for his camaraderie and support, but even more grateful that he was such a good public servant for the people of Illinois.”
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Is anybody out there?
Wednesday, Jun 3, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Comcast supplies my internet. This national outage map is from DownDetector…
* AT&T is my phone provider. I use it as a backup wifi hotspot during Comcast outages. Also from DownDetector…
Luckily for me, I can piggy-back on a Verizon account. But my site went down for a bit and, man, if this isn’t the most typical 2020 thing to happen I don’t know what is.
…Adding… Comcast and AT&T are both working again for me. Whew. That was so weird.
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* From the Join the Lawsuit against Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Facebook page…
Click the pic to read the comments. Whew.
Needless to say, it’s a completely goofy claim not supported by any facts, but whatever.
Waiting for a breathless post on Second City Cop in 3… 2…
…Adding… From Mayor Lightfoot’s conference call with reporters today…
As we’ve already discussed, that wild rumor about thousands coming from Indiana to protest was all over social media and Ald. Lopez took it seriously. To be clear, there probably were several Hoosiers in town. Chicago would be the closest big protest for anyone living in northwest Indiana. Plus, lots of Chicago-area folks have moved to Indiana and they still have friends and families here. So, that’s to be expected. But an organized caravan of thousands of people from Indianapolis, or whatever, was just nonsense.
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Attempts to heal
Wednesday, Jun 3, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Block Club Chicago…
On Sunday afternoon, Little Village neighbors came together to protect 26th Street businesses after people looted shops. Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd) said as the night went on, a few Latino men became “antagonistic” and were indiscriminately targeting Black people driving through the neighborhood.
In a video posted to Facebook, four Black women and a child driving through Little Village near Kedzie Avenue and Cermak Road Sunday had their car hit three times with bat as men stood in the street. A car was burning in the background.
In another video posted to Twitter, Latino men stood at the corner of Kedzie and Cermak, some with baseball bats, throwing items at cars as the drove by. Those items included bricks, Rodriguez said. A car was burning and other drivers attempted to dodge items launched in their direction. […]
On Monday evening, Rodriguez said he witnessed a young Black couple driving on Kedzie go through a “gauntlet” with people throwing things at their car. The Black couple were in Little Village to patronize a local business, he said.
“It was terrible. They looked so frightened,” he said.
According to leaders in the area, some of the Latino men guarding Little Village are members of the Latin Kings street gang.
* Sun-Times…
Michael A. Moreno Jr., owner of Moreno’s Liquors in Little Village, said the racial tension he’s witnessed the past two days is “scary.” He was among those who tried to guard his business, and he tried talk to some gang members who were doing the same thing. But he believes the gang members ended up acting as provokers.
“The gangs took matters into their own hands,” Moreno said inside his liquor store Tuesday. “I feel like a lot of people had well intentions at first. Unfortunately, when you start allowing the gangs to start protecting the neighborhood, you are not going to have the outcome that you would like.”
Ald. Ray Lopez, whose 15th Ward is home to a mix of both Latino and African American residents in communities such as Back of the Yards, said a juvenile gang member shot an African American man near 45th Street and Hermitage Avenue on Tuesday morning after asking the man, “What are you doing in this neighborhood?” The 49-year-old, who was with his daughter and son-in-law, was shot in the wrist and taken to Stroger Hospital. He was in good condition Tuesday.
* On to Cicero…
Shapearl Wells, an African American resident of Cicero, said she and her family were targeted Monday afternoon on Cermak.
It happened first to her cousin, who was driving out from Chicago to visit her. She was at a red light on Cermak Road and Central Avenue when a group of men approached the cousin’s car.
“They told her, ‘You not from around here you n - - - - - bitch,’” Wells said.
She told Wells what happened when she arrived. Wells, who’s lived in Cicero since 2003, was stunned. She went out for a drive to see for herself.
At some point, “about 20 to 25 Latin Kings” approached Wells’ car. “I rolled down my window and they told me I would only be OK if I go in the house and stayed inside.”
She said she called the police to tell them what happened, but nothing was done.
* Tribune…
After several social media posts were widely shared showing alleged gang members in Little Village and Cicero attacking black people in those neighborhoods, people began labeling the situation a race war. More posts advised black Chicagoans to avoid “Mexican neighborhoods” because Latinos were profiling and targeting them as looters. […]
In Pilsen, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez said in a video that he was aware of attacks reported on social media and urged the community to look after its black neighbors.
On Tuesday, Chicago community leaders and elected officials denounced the reports of violence against black Chicagoans by Latinos, saying that it is a “distraction” to the systematic racial issue they intended to fight in Floyd’s name. […]
More than 200 people, some from the suburbs, dispersed in groups throughout Southwest Side neighborhoods, including Gage Park, Back of the Yards, Brighton Park, Pilsen and Little Village on Monday evening with brooms and bags to pick up debris from the looting.
* Last night…
* Today…
Days after racial tension mounted between Little Village residents and African Americans protesting the death of George Floyd, protesters marched down 26th street and encouraged unity. […]
As the crowd grew, organizers told those gathered that Latinos won’t get respect until black people do. “Our lives as brown people is connected to the lives of black people,” one organizer said.
Stephanie Cerda-Ocampo said she joined the march because she thinks Latinos ignore anti-black problems in the community. “We need to stick together and fight against the real issue like white supremacy,” she said.
* More…
…Adding… CPD Superintendent this afternoon…
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Testing sites reopening
Wednesday, Jun 3, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Marni Pyke with the Daily Herald…
Ten out of 11 state-run COVID-19 testing sites that closed Sunday when Illinois National Guard troops who assist at the facilities were deployed to keep the peace will reopen Wednesday.
Those include popular locations in Aurora and Rolling Meadows. An 11th testing site in Waukegan is being moved to 102 W. Water St. and will be in business Thursday.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency took the state testing sites offline Monday and Tuesday amid increasing violence in Chicago and the suburbs, as looters took advantage of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis May 25. […]
The sites also included locations in Champaign, Chicago, East St. Louis, Harwood Heights, Peoria, Rockford and South Holland.
Some National Guard troops that had been helping at the testing facilities with crowd management were reassigned to help local police departments reduce violence and protect property.
…Adding… More info here.
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* Your thoughts?…
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the governor’s press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh…
The Governor will support the Leaders if they request a special session. Gov. Pritzker firmly believes real structural change comes from protest paired with policy. The Governor’s office is in close contact with members of the black caucus to discuss their priorities for police reform with genuine investigations, transparency, and accountability. This administration knows we need sustained economic investment in Black and Brown communities and will work with the legislature to build on the progress we’ve made together. The Governor will do everything in his power to ensure equity is the foundation for the work in state agencies under his control. Over the weeks to come, the Governor believes it’s his role to listen, convene activists and policy experts, and support lawmakers who represent communities that have been silenced for far too long to propose policies that move our state forward.
Still waiting on responses from the two legislative leaders.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Senate President Don Harmon’s spokesperson John Patterson…
President Harmon has been contacting caucus members and is eager to engage in building an agenda for action.
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