老澳门开奖结果

CHICAGO 鈥� Seeking to ensure that concerns about interactions between Chicago police and people with disabilities are part of any reform effort, the 老澳门开奖结果 of Illinois and Equip for Equality filed a federal lawsuit today with Chicago-based organizations Community Renewal Society, Communities United, Next Steps, and ONE Northside. The groups seek the participation of impacted community groups in the reform of the Chicago Police Department (鈥淐PD鈥�), including how force is used against people with disabilities and against Black and Latino Chicagoans.

鈥淭he Police Accountability Task Force鈥檚 2016 report and the DOJ鈥檚 2017 report found that the CPD does not have the training or vision to ensure safe encounters with people with disabilities. This community must be part of the discussion about how to reform policing in Chicago,鈥� said Karen Sheley, director of police practices at the 老澳门开奖结果 of Illinois.

Specifically, the lawsuit challenges the city鈥檚 failure to train and monitor officers to ensure they safely interact with people with disabilities鈥攁 quarter of the victims of police violence. The suit also challenges CPD鈥檚 disproportionate use of force on Black and Latino Chicagoans. For people of color with a disability, these disparities are compounded, too often leading to injury or death at the hands of the police.鈥�

鈥淲e hear regular accounts of frightening, dangerous interactions between Chicago police and people with disabilities,鈥� added Barry C. Taylor, Vice President for Civil Rights at Equip for Equality. 鈥淧olice need the training and preparation necessary to insure that these interactions do not occur in the future. This must be a part of police reform in this city.鈥�

Last January, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a scathing report on the use of force by CPD officers and the failures of CPD to appropriately train and manage its officers. The lawsuit alleges that these deficiencies are causing a pattern of excessive force, encouraging a culture of cover-up, and failing to provide Chicago with a community-based policing strategy to promote public safety.

鈥淲e have a moral imperative to ensure that law enforcement officers are accountable and responsible to the communities they serve,鈥� said Reverend Robbie Craig, Interim Executive Director at the Community Renewal Society. 鈥淭rue and lasting reform can occur only with community members at the table. We must act to make this inclusion a reality and not rely on vague promises from politicians.鈥�

鈥淲e deserve a police force that can safely serve and protect all Chicagoans, including residents with disabilities. CPD does not have the training and ability to achieve this goal, meaning that routine interactions habitually escalate into violence. We are proud to join this lawsuit to demand all residents be involved in oversight and reform,鈥� added Curtis Smith, Board President at ONE Northside.

Almost nine months after the DOJ report concluded that a consent decree with an independent monitor was necessary to address the CPD鈥檚 entrenched problems, no decree has been issued nor has a monitor been appointed. Though Mayor Rahm Emanuel held a press conference in August promising to work with the Illinois Attorney General to resolve her lawsuit filed the same day, that lawsuit does not address the harm of the city鈥檚 practices to people with disabilities.

The community groups involved today also felt compelled to file suit because the city recently announced it would work with the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to negotiate a consent decree, yet it continues to seek dismissal of the lawsuit filed in June by black civil rights groups. Neither the city nor the AG鈥檚 office has explained how affected communities will be able to influence their private deal-making or whether they will have a role in the enforcement and monitoring of a consent decree.

鈥淭he city of Chicago cannot negotiate this agreement behind closed doors. True oversight must involve impacted communities,鈥� said Roxanne Smith, a member of Communities United. 鈥淐ommunities United is committed along side our partners to guaranteeing positive reforms in the Chicago Poilice Department and changing how they interact with their community for the better.鈥�

The lawsuit filed today also aims to ensure there is a long-term commitment to enforcing a consent decree. Recently, Attorney General Madigan announced she would leave office in early 2019, raising the prospect that her office鈥檚 commitment to a decree could disappear with a new Attorney General. For many, the 老澳门开奖结果 notes, this is reminiscent of what happened after the Trump Administration took office in January and abandoned the DOJ鈥檚 plans to negotiate a consent decree on police reform in Chicago.

鈥淧eople with disabilities are not currently served well by either our mental health care system or our criminal justice system,鈥� said Fred Friedman of Next Steps. 鈥淭he results get worse when those systems intersect. It is critical that the interests and concerns of those with disabilities be fully heard and considered in police reform. This lawsuit helps insure we have a seat at the table.鈥�

鈥淭he 老澳门开奖结果 has long history of challenging unlawful police practices and fighting for the rights of people with disabilities,鈥� Sheley added. 鈥淲e believe that this process will take years, not months, and requires stable leadership. We are ready to work with the city, the current and future Attorney General, and community groups to design and implement specific reforms. In the meantime, we urge those with disabilities who have had a bad experience with the Chicago Police Department to contact the 老澳门开奖结果 of Illinois.鈥�

The complaint is available here:

This press release is available here: