The Return of The Chicagoist Reader Meet-Up
Cubs Combat Casino
Notre Dame Fan Takes It Too Far, Allegedly Punches Clausen
County Sales Tax Rollback Vetoed - Here We Go Again
World's Largest Wearable LED Display At The MSI
Autopsy results released yesterday in the death of Gefery Johnson revealed that the 42-year-old Gresham resident died of cocaine intoxication and not from being shocked by a taser while being arrested by police. In August, police responded to a domestic disturbance call at Johnson's family residence, where he "became really combative with police" and resisted arrest. Police subdued Johnson with pepper spray and the taser. He was pronounced dead at St. Bernard Hospital. Johnson's death, followed by the police-related shooting of 18-year-old Aaron Harrison a few days later, led to heated protests against the police department, charges of police brutality, and a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Johnson's family.
The autopsy reports could put that lawsuit in jeopardy. Chicagoist wonders if the ministers that were so quick to come out of the woodwork and support Johnson's family while decrying police brutality will now make their collective presence felt now that drugs have been revealed as the cause of his death.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Clearly this is just an example of those corrupt coroners smearing the names of good, honest citizens. Fuckers aren't even real doctors.
uh, i doubt he was snorting it chuck. more like smoking it.
also, am I wrong in thinking that maybe it wasn't JUST the cocaine that killed him?
I totally agree Matty as if dear old Gefery( RIP)
was doing lines. See I dig Chicagoist, but they do need some sensativity training. Next time google some crack rocks for a picture
It is obvious that Chicago Police snuck into his house, injected him with cocaine and then slipped out the back window.
Then they just drove around and waited for him to go berserk. Then the family called 911. Once called to the scene about the disturbance, the police manhandled him just for fun.
If I can figure it out, why can't the medical examiner?
Hey Word Up. I notice that you never criticize the police? What gives dude? Not that this is the time, but even when an officer is clearly gulity of doing some thing really bad
Does chicagoist also wonder if particular Chicagoist staff and users will make their "collective presence" felt in supporting the cops they so wrongly implied guilt upon?
Huckeyes strongly doubts it.
Spook,
Is there any need for 1 more voice to the deafening chorus of (mostly) wrongheaded criticism?
I just went back and read Chuck's original piece on this case, where he bought "upstanding citizen killed by police brutality" story hook, line, and sinker.
So now Chuck is above those who were "so quick to come out of the woodwork and support Johnson's family while decrying police brutality"?
You can't have it both ways Chuck.
whymustiregister; If history is any indicator, no. I'm sure we will get a reply from chuck or another one of the many supporters of these 'innocent' scumbags with something along the lines of "...well...still...those pigs shouldn't have tasered him...it was unnecessary force... and then they probably planted coke on him... and then made him snort it too..."
Those coppers, can't trust 'em can ya?
There's no point in waiting for a reply for one of 'em.
Since blogs are a conversation, Chicagoist 'news' inevitably leads to conversational pre-judging. Cops use a taser on a guy who dies it's a "Police Killing", even in today's headline.
Just like missing bolingbrook mom: Cop is a four-time-married, once suspiciously widowed, who dated a 17-year old when he was 47, he's a serial killer. (call him creepy, yes. convict him in 'print', not yet.)
I'm surprised Chicagoist posted this at all! So kudos on that.
Come on why let something like the facts about this crazy bust outs drug use get in the way, its the cops fault. Now lets give the family some taxpayer money and say the cop needs to understand people with mental health issues high on crack who attack there families better.
huckeyes and Why Must Weregister,
It's clear that Chuck Sudo
is being fair by writing ......
"Chicagoist wonders if the ministers that were so quick to come out of the woodwork and support Johnson's family while decrying police brutality..."
If he used the word "scumbage", would that make you feel better?
Now what is it gonna take for you to recognize that not all cops are 4 star and speak out when there is wrong doing on behalf of the police? Is it gonna take for you to be raped with a screw driver by Chicago's finest, like the case Chicago just settled siding with the victim a couple of weeks ago? Or are you two actually investigators with OPS, the agency in charge of unsustaining all reports of police abuse?
I'm not assuming all cops are perfect, just that Chicagoist's writers are often silly.
Go read Chuck's initial post on the story. To make today's comment fair he would have had to say:
Chicagoist was wrong when it was quick to come out of the woodwork and support Johnson's family while decrying police brutality... We jumped to conclusions based on almost no evidence because we like the 'bad cop' story line more than we like the hard work of getting to the truth.
But he didn't. Now he wants to be the smartypants who knows better than the "ministers" who jumped to conclusions, but he was one of the first to cry 'bad cop!' 'conspiracy!' based on ZERO EVIDENCE.
Spook; So, by trying to hold people accountable, I am secretly working with the special ops division?? Seriously?
I think it's just typical of this type of writing or observation; responsibility is pawned off on somebody else. It's nice to be the guy with grandiose world views and observations, but when the facts come out you would rather blame somebody else for making you think that way in the first place. i.e.- the 'ministers' that we are waiting for to come out of the woodwork.
No when I said OPS I mean Office of professional Standards, he he
The agency that's suppose to invesitage cases of police brutality but simply looks the other way
p.s Hey Peytonmitty. I'm sure you also rushed to urge folks not to convict O.J. Simpson in the press before the courts found him innocent right?
Aw shucks, don't get me going on OJ Simpson. The brotha was guilty and we all know it, even we of the 'community.' But with the longstandin' innaddequaccciess not withstanding, we all just gotta cut a brotha a break every now and then.
Whenever I see a police, I run. Don't matter if he tell me to stop. Don't matter if he white, black, blue, brown or yella (that's all them gun-totin' badgers is anyway), but I run. Nevermind if I didn't do anything, and that if given the chance to prove otherwise in a courts of law, I just run. And run. And run. When they catch me after runnin' so hard, I just stand and say today the day I won the Lotto. Runnin' from the cops equals payday to me my man.
I'm jus' sayin'.