Sun-Times Reporter Feels Hospital Police's Force

By Shannon in News on Feb 17, 2007 6:00PM

Here in the land of journalism — take that how you will — there exist trials and tribulations among the benefits. None of us here at Chicagoist are safe from the slings and arrows of our readers (Helen Schiller, anyone?). Luckily, as we are an online medium, the most we usually have to suffer is an occasional tongue-thrashing and virtual mailboxes groaning at the seams with hate.

Some journalists are not so passive in their beatdowns. While covering a protest on Thursday, Sun-Times reporter Steve Patterson was roughed up and arrested by Stroger Hospital's private police force. The protest in question concerned the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless vs. hospital chief Dr. Robert Simon, who'd made some upsetting remarks in the Chicago Reader a few years back. At one point, an officer jabbed a forearm into Patterson's back, causing him to slip on water and fall. Then, claiming they saw Patterson "chanting with the protestors" even though he had distanced himself from the crowd and told them repeatedly that he was a reporter, police proceeded to shove him to the ground again and cuff him.

Patterson was desperately calling county spokesman Steve Mayberry when the arrest happened, trying to convince him — or anyone within earshot — that he wasn't a protestor. Timing was such that Mayberry heard the arrest occur over the phone. Patterson was led to a holding cell within the hospital, but only for a few minutes; Mayberry managed to call off the dogs. Patterson was led out to the cheering protestors and issued an apology by Dr. Simon for the "simple misunderstanding."

This isn't the first time brutality and the 74-member police force have been linked together. In 2002, an officer knocked a pregnant patient into a counter, causing her to miscarry. And last September, police beat up a 77-year-old man as he waited for his wife outside the hospital, which resulted in a stroke. When solicited for comment, Todd Stroger said he's busy balancing the budget and that he'll "look into it." How 'bout looking into freeing up some money by cutting some of these maniacs loose, eh, Toddler?

Image via Valkyrie Arms Ltd.