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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Following the release of the Laquan McDonald
3shooting video in November of 2015, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel
4appointed the Police Accountability Task Force to complete a
5report on the Chicago Police Department; and
 
6    WHEREAS, It has been determined by the Police
7Accountability Task Force that the Chicago Police Department
8has been plagued by officers who contribute to the systematic
9racism that foster oppressive policing tactics and have
10thoroughly failed to maintain the trust of both
11African-American and Hispanic communities; and
 
12    WHEREAS, High profile cases such as the Laquan McDonald
13shooting have brought light to a culture of cover-ups, evidence
14manipulation, falsified reports, and a complete lack of
15accountability within the Chicago Police Department; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Decades worth of community complaints involving
17stops without justification, verbal and physical abuse,
18unnecessary arrests, and detainment without legal counsel have
19rarely been recognized as legitimate by the Chicago Police
20Department; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Both Hispanic and African-American communities

 

 

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1have disproportionately become the victims of the
2institutional racism carried out by members of the Chicago
3Police Department; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In a city where African-Americans make up roughly
5one-third of Chicago's population, they were subjects in 72% of
6investigative street stops that did not lead to an arrest in
72014; and
 
8    WHEREAS, African-Americans were also subjects in 46% of
9traffic stops in 2013 and justifiably feel targeted by those
10sworn to protect and serve their respective communities; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Settlement costs associated with unnecessary
12detainment, injury caused by use of excessive force, or even
13wrongful death are incurred by Chicago's taxpayers; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Though trust cannot be built overnight, working
15toward strong police and community relations is essential in
16helping to combat violent crime in the City of Chicago; and
 
17    WHEREAS, While many Chicago Police Department officers do a
18commendable job with the intention of lawfully ensuring public
19safety and building relationships with citizens in the
20communities they work, the prevalence of predatory policing
21steeped in bigotry in poor communities of color diminishes

 

 

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1their work; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
3ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we denounce the
4systematic racism of the Chicago Police Department outlined in
5the recent Police Accountability Task Force report and the
6negative effects this racism has in community-police
7relations; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That, because it is the sworn duty of the Chicago
9Police Department to police fairly and not allow prejudices or
10animosities to influence on-duty decisions, we encourage the
11Department to be transparent and held accountable for their
12actions.