Video After The Jump
Amid civil unrest over the deadliest Memorial Day weekend in five years, a dozen Chicago police officers lounged inside an already-broken-into campaign office for U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, eating popcorn, drinking coffee and sleeping, while looters damaged the businesses nearby.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the misconduct “disgusting” and apologized to the congressman for having to deal with such “incredible indignity.”
The shocking scene unfolded during the early morning hours of June 1, the mayor said. It was caught on the security cameras inside Rush’s office at 5401 S. Wentworth Ave. The office is part of a strip mall that also includes a health center, a nail salon, a cell phone store and other retail shops.
The mayor said the tapes show three supervisors, referred to as “white shirts” by the mayor and police superintendent, and 10 officers.
Lightfoot vowed to “take the strongest possible action” against the officers and showed photos at the news conference demanding they turn themselves in.
“You know who you are, you know what you did, don’t make us come find you,” Lightfoot said.
“Not one of these officers will be allowed to hide behind the badge … not in my city, not in your city,” she added.
Lightfoot fought back tears as she talked about being a black woman in America and fighting every day against injustice.
“The actions of these officers — the deplorable lack of responsibility to do their job at a time when the city and their fellow officers needed them most — their conduct will confirm the perception that too many people on the South and the West Sides [have] … that police don't care if black and brown communities were looted and burned,” Lightfoot said.
“If we don’t harness this moment to rethink what ‘serving and protecting’ means, we will never do it,” Lightfoot said. “This moment presents us with an opportunity not to nibble around the edges, but to be bold.”
Source: WBEZ
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