Chicago mayor blasts 'disgraceful' officers relaxing in congressman's office during unrest

[Auburn85 432]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/us/chicago-officers-congressman-mayor-lightfoot/index.html

 

 

Quote

 

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she was shocked by video showing 13 police officers lounging in a congressman's office during protests and looting.

"It's one of the most disgraceful, disrespectful things that I've ever seen, and we are absolutely not going to tolerate it," Lightfoot told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday night.

 

"We can be supportive of people who are doing their jobs the right way and still hold the bad ones accountable," she said. "That's what has to happen."

 

This still image from security video, released by the mayor's office, shows the police officers lounging in the congressman's office. CNN has reached out to the police union for a response.

 

The officers were seen on video relaxing, sleeping, snacking and talking on the phone in the office of US Rep. Bobby Rush, Lightfoot and Rush said earlier.

 

 

The incident came to light after Rush reviewed security camera footage from his office, the mayor explained at a news conference. The campaign office was broken into on Sunday, May 31, when the surrounding strip mall was looted, Lightfoot told CNN. She said the police officers entered the campaign office early Monday, June 1.

 

At the time, protests were taking place in Chicago in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd died while in Minneapolis police custody a week earlier.

 

One still image released by the mayor's office shows an officer appearing to sleep on an office couch.

 

On Friday, Rush told CNN the officers' behavior was "totally reprehensible" and broke his heart.

 

"They should apologize to the citizens of this city" and their fellow officers for their "cowardice," he said.

 

The Chicago Police Department tweeted Thursday it has launched an internal investigation into the incident, and Lightfoot said they are working to identify the officers involved. CNN has contacted the police union but has not received a comment yet.

 

"Today, literally, the officers were, through their various contacts, were trying to say the congressman actually invited us in and he's lying now," Lightfoot told Cooper.

 

"Bobby Rush is a former Black Panther. He didn't invite the police into his office. And the fact that they would even say that -- and even assuming that was true -- five hours? When literally murder and mayhem is happening everywhere? Police officers are getting the crap beaten out of them?"

 

 

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

Quote

The police officer's union president vehemently objects to any suggestion these officers were lounging while looting was underway. He says the looting had been long over.

"Everybody was gone, the looting occurred, all afternoon in that mall, there was nothing left. They broke those windows earlier...somebody sent the police there to protect it from being further looted and destroyed. And I'm being told that actually calls came from Bobby Rush's people to go protect the office and make themselves at home quote unquote," said Catanzara. "It's obviously an agenda by the mayor, to try and stoke the fires of anti-police sentiment yet again. Pour a giant tanker load of gasoline on the fire, so she can try and get legislation done in Springfield to license officers, which is a backdoor attempt to be able to fire, our members."

 

https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-police-video-sleeping-officers-bobby-rush/6243436/

Apparently there is an on going contract dispute and significant amount of back pay which Lightfoot could avoid by using new licensing procedures to fire officers owed. Chicago politics in work.

FOP leader no holds barred on Bobby Rush in this interview.

https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/696050

Rush is still pissed about not being able to get racial profiling charges against a female Hispanic officer that pulled him over and didn't even ticket him for having expired insurance.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-bobby-rush-racial-profiling-chicago-police-met-20170209-story.html

This guy even sided with the Gangster Disciples when it was suggest tactics used against guys like Capone and Gotti were suggested. His response:

Quote

Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush, whose district covers much of the South Side, denounced their plan as an "elitist, white-boy solution", because it does not include "education" and "job creation.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/senators-durbins-and-kirks-elitist-white-boy-plan-to-fight-gangs-is-right/276656/

GD's are what have been destroying and education and job creation on the south side.

Don't buy what Rush is selling lol. He has also been hit with ethic issues involving funding.