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Hey y’all, I’ll be live-tweeting today's Committee on Public Safety meeting for #ChiDocumenters @ChiDocumenters! This is a virtual subject matter hearing on civilian oversight of @Chicago_Police (aka #CPAC) and no votes will be taken at this meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 AM. Join the livestream via the City of Chicago's Vimeo page, under the broadcast labeled, "COC Council Chambers" here: https://vimeo.com/user100351763
And agenda for the meeting can be found here: https://www.documenters.org/documents/agenda-48937/
This #CPAC hearing comes after a summer of protests against police violence nationwide. CPAC, which calls for an elected council to oversee CPD and replace the mayor-appointed Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), has seen increased support the past months.
For years, activists have been pushing for community control of @Chicago_Police, which is currently under a federal consent decree. #CPAC is also a demand of the @defundcpdchi campaign and organizations like @CAARPR have been canvassing for support of the ordinance this summer.
Ald. Ramirez-Rosa (35) @CDRosa first introduced a version of #CPAC in 2016 and it was rejected by City Council in 2018. The new version of #CPAC, Ordinance 2019-8058, was introduced in Oct. 2019 and has 19 aldermanic co-sponsors. Link to Ordinance below: https://chicago.councilmatic.org/legislation/o2019-8058/
Check out this article by @a_achaidez of @BlockClubCHI for more background on #CPAC. https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/06/18/whats-cpac-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-a-local-push-for-civilian-oversight-of-police/
Alderpeople are starting to join the meeting and are giving a few more minutes for folk to log on. Meeting will begin at 10:05 AM. Vice Chair of the committee, Ald. Osterman (48), says the meeting today is for discussion purposes.
Virtual meeting is called to order at 10: 05 AM. Roll call has begun. 15 committee members of 19 total members are present. Quorum is reached. Next up: public comments on #CPAC.
First public comment is from Emily Hall, a Logan Square resident, speaking in support of #CPAC. "We have a huge problem in our city, and that problem is CPD." She lists names of Chicagoans who have lost their lives by CPD.
She shares her experience at protests, where "protestors were brutalized by CPD." She asks where is the accountability? She says #CPAC is the only way to hold
CPD police accountable.
CPD police accountable.
Next public comment is from Nick Ward also speaking in support of #CPAC. He speaks about the amount paid out in settlements for CPD. He says "policing in Chicago harms so many of us." He says #CPAC will build a safer, more accountable world.
Next up is Troi Valles. She starts by thanking the alderpeople who have signed on in support of #CPAC. She asks the other alderpoeple present, “do you even care about your community?” She speaks about how a large amount of the budget goes to policing.
She shares that defunding the police and community control of police through #CPAC is part of the solution.
