Black Caucus Calls For Firing Of Chicago Police Chief
By aaroncynic in News on Oct 6, 2015 3:07PM
The City Council’s Black Caucus called for top cop Garry McCarthy to be fired Monday, saying that he hasn’t done enough to curb crime and violence in the five years he’s been Superintendent.
“McCarthy’s leadership has failed our communities, and it’s time for a substantial change,” Alderman Roderick Sawyer, chairman of the Black Caucus, saidat a press conference at City Hall. “The crime and violence in our communities have grabbed headlines across the country. And while the root causes of that violence cannot be solved through policing alone, it is clear that the current approach has been ineffective.”
According to the Sun-Times, the caucus is also concerned about the lack of leadership roles for African-Americans within the Chicago Police Department, as well as a drop in new recruits. The news comes after the department announced the retirement of Deputy Superintendent. Alfonza Wysinger, CPD’s highest ranking African-American, but the caucus said the call for McCarthy’s ouster was unrelated.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office says it stands by McCarthy. NBC5 reports in a statement, Emanuel’s office said:
"While the mayor shares the concerns about rising gun violence, our focus must remain on the public safety challenge we face - reducing access to the illegal guns that drive the violence in our communities. Together, we must demand better state and federal laws to support the efforts of our police and residents in the fight against gun violence."
State Representative Ken Dunkin, whose district includes a swath of the South Side, which has seen much of the spike in violence and shootings recently, said the call to fire the Superintendent is “long overdue.” “It’s taken an additional 300 lives, at least another 1,000 shootings for us to find someone who’s competent and familiar enough with this city’s dynamics,” Dunkin told WGN’s Justin Kaufman. “If this was happening in Ravenswood, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Garry McCarthy would’ve been gone back to the East Coast where he belongs. He doesn’t have a plan and apparently doesn’t have the support of the rank and file.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, McCarthy is scheduled to speak at Tuesday's budget hearing, which will focus on CPD. He’s expected to address the increase in violence, police overtime, and moving more than 300 officers from desk duty to the street.