Chicago Police Department Is Collecting Donations For The Dallas PD

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jul 12, 2016 9:34PM

By Aaron Cynic/Chicagoist

The Chicago Police Department on Tuesday announced the establishment of a support fund for the affected families of the officers killed and wounded in the tragic Dallas sniper attacks. The CPD partnered with various support organizations—the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, the Police Chaplains Ministry, Chicago Patrolmen's FCU, 100 Club of Chicago, the Brotherhood for the Fallen and the CPD Sergeants, Lieutenants and Captains Associations—to launch the fund.

Its the inarguably laudable and moral gesture to make. Unfortunately, the department publicized the news using some problematic language.

The release states that the slain officers were working at an "anti-police protest" at the time of the attack, rather than "anti-excessive force" or "anti-police brutality." (President Obama defended the Black Lives Matter movement on Tuesday at a memorial for the victims.)

Phil Cline, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation executive director, also chose suboptimal phrasing, adding in the release "our nation’s law enforcement is under attack simply because of the uniform they wear."

The fund, despite regrettably phrased notification, is accepting donations here.

The release arrives amid six days of consecutive protest in Chicago in the wake of the fatal shooting deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, LA.

The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation was not available for immediate comment.