Chicago’s African American Aldermen call on Mayor to Fire Police Supt. Garry McCarthy
The Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus demanded the firing of Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, saying he hasn’t done enough to battle crime or promote black officers.
“We have been troubled by the superintendent’s lack of responsiveness to our concerns and requests as we face this (crime) crisis,” said Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th Ward), president of the caucus.
Sawyer was joined by most of the city’s 18 black aldermen, along with a couple of other aldermen, at the news conference Monday at City Hall. The black aldermen who weren’t at the gathering were Howard Brookins Jr. ( 21stWard), Derrick Curtis (18th Ward), Walter Burnett (27th Ward) and Will Burns (4th Ward).
“It is just a failure to perform,” said David Moore, (17th Ward) after the news conference.
Moore and Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th Ward) said McCarthy refused to meet with the aldermen and he has been slow to promote African Americans to top posts, including lieutenants and captains.
The news conference came a day before budget hearings for the police department and on the heels of a bloody summer.
According to an analysis by the Chicago Tribune, last month was the city’s deadliest September since 2002. Chicago recorded 60 homicides last month, many in black neighborhoods in the city’s South and West sides.
The aldermen’s attack of McCarthy also comes after they took heat in a Tribune Oct. 1 editorial suggesting that they should “own Chicago’s violence” and not pass the buck.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel backed McCarthy in a statement.
“The mayor supports the work and commitment of Supt. McCarthy and the 12,500 sworn men and women of the Chicago Police Department. While the mayor shares the concerns about rising violence, our focus must remain on the public safety challenge we face – reducing access to the illegal guns that drive 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,” Emanuel said.
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