Commentary

Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (CAARPR) Issues Open Letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel


CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–June 1, 2016
Mayor Rahm Emanuel,
Because you have declared that you will be introducing legislation to the City Council on June 22, 2016 we, who have been fighting for community control of the police here in Chicago, would like to inform you that we totally reject your attempts to hoodwink us into thinking your proclaimed concerns for police accountability are genuine. We will be at City Hall on June 22nd, making sure that our voices will be heard, demanding that our proposed ordinance creating an all elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) be enacted.
Here are two statements you made that we would like to address:
  1. On May 13, 2016 you stated that: “While much work still remains, we will continue to make significant strides on the road to reform. To fully fix Chicago’s police accountability system, we must be thoughtful and bold and have the courage to call out and address the root causes that have eroded trust between police and Chicago’s communities and some of Chicago’s residents.”
Before we have that discussion, Mayor Emanuel, you need to deal with your own malfeasance while in office, for example, your complicity in the murder of Laquan McDonald and your refusal to intervene in the name of justice in the cases of Flint Farmer, Ronald Ronnieman Johnson, and numerous other cases where murders by Chicago police officers were video recorded. You could have used your executive authority long ago to move the Police Board to fire Dante Servin, the murderer of Rekia Boyd. You could presently use your executive authority to fire and press for charges against all those CPD officers who lied on their reports in the Laquan McDonald case. You could use the evidence from the over 100 videos about to be released to seek immediate prosecution of police crimes. Then you could do the most honorable of all things and resign as Mayor of Chicago. That’s the kind of courage you need to have in this precise moment of history.

2.   Also on May 13, 2016 you said: “We will be judged by whether our actions truly measure up to the demands of the moment. I am confident             that by creating this new structure and committing to this comprehensive plan, Chicago will be better off because we are facing up to these                     difficult challenges and we are doing so together.”

You, Mr. Mayor, have already been judged by your actions, and the people want you to cease using your executive authority to cover up and excuse police crimes and to hand in your resignation. This is the only honorable thing you can do after 16 shots and a cover up. You should be a co-defendant of Jason Vandyke, the killer of Laquan McDonald. You are not a social reformer advancing the cause of justice for the people. You are a crime partner to all the police criminals at large in this city and we, the people, sooner or later, will bring you and your partners in crime to justice.
No Justice, No Peace!

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