CHICAGO - Alderpeople Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, Andre Vasquez, Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Maria Hadden, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Jeanette Taylor, Matt Martin, and Mike Rodriguez released the following statement calling for a City Council Hearing into Monday’s bombshell reveal that the Lightfoot administration attempted to cover up a video of Chicago police officers wrongfully raiding the home of social worker Anjanette Young:
“The body camera footage of the Chicago Police Department raid on the home of Ms. Anjanette Young is deeply painful to watch. Ms. Young is unclothed, handcuffed, and crying as police officers ransack her apartment with their guns raised. Her life was in danger.
“This footage sheds light on troubling police misconduct, from their failure to perform due diligence on the address for the warrant to the lack of basic dignity afforded to Ms. Young. So why was it kept under wraps for so long?
“Yesterday, we learned why: Mayor Lightfoot’s administration has been attempting to cover it up. Not only did the Lightfoot administration seek a court order to prevent WBBM-CBS Channel 2 from airing the video, but they have now pursued sanctions against Ms. Young for releasing the video to the public.
“As members of City Council, we must once again hold the Chicago Police Department and City Hall to account not just for police violence, but for the politically-motivated cover-ups and retaliatory intimidation that allow this abuse to go unchecked. We call immediately for a Joint Meeting of the Public Safety Committee and Health and Human Services Committee in order to convene public hearings on both the wrongful raid and the cover-up that ensued. Mayor Lightfoot, her police commanders, and her legal team must answer for the horrifying treatment of Ms. Young.
“We must follow the lead of Ms. Young, who was relentless in her courage to make sure this injustice was brought to light, despite personal trauma and legal threats from the Mayor and her team.
“We will not let Ms. Young stand alone without answers, empathy, and an apology from the Mayor and the City.”
###
