Civil rights attorneys warn they’ll turn to consent-decree judge to protect protesters – By Jon Seidel (Chicago Sun Times) / July 23 2020
A legal coalition’s series of ‘proposed remedies’ includes prohibiting officers from using force against demonstrators.
Firing a legal shot across the bow, a coalition of well-known civil rights attorneys Thursday warned the federal judge overseeing the Chicago Police Department consent decree they may seek his help if the city doesn’t agree to protect the rights of protesters.
Attorney Sheila Bedi and others shared with U.S. District Judge Robert Dow a 26-page catalog of alleged civil rights violations by police since May 29, along with a letter to city attorneys that notes, “the consent decree was supposed to usher in a new era of unbiased policing.”
Instead, the letter states, the Chicago Police Department’s response to recent protests reflects its “ongoing commitment to racial profiling and bigoted, unprofessional policing.” The attorneys told the city to reach out by 3 p.m. Friday to avoid involving the judge.
Absent an agreement, Bedi told the Sun-Times they would ask Dow to implement a series of “proposed remedies” laid out in the letter, including one that prohibits officers from using force against protesters.
Continue to article: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/7/23/21336284/civil-rights-attorneys-warn-turn-consent-decree-judge-protect-chicago-protesters
