The Police Accountability Task Force Report (PATF) is not a report on racism in the Chicago Police Department. The PATF Report is a report on terrorism by Chicago police and the shelter they are being given by the mayor and the FOP. It is a report on the violation of human rights and the violation of federal law by a city department. Terrorism is not simply a word to describe the actions of those whom law enforcement deem to be terrorists. A terrorist is as a terrorist does and, in this city, it includes officers themselves.

The Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms: The unlawful use of violence or threat of violence, often motivated by religious, political or other ideological beliefs to instill fear and coerce governments or societies in pursuit of goals that are usually political.

Racism is an underlying ideological belief in white supremacy but someone can be racist yet not be violent. But, once that ideological motivation turns into unlawful violence and intimidation against blacks, it is terrorism.

Using thought-stopping terms like, “code of silence, more training, and accountability,” and hiring a black superintendent and deputy mayor keeps the ceiling of discussion on the psychological state of racism and "overcoming" it instead of addressing the serious and criminal acts of terrorism.

In order for police officers to observe the so-called, “code of silence,” in witnessed misconduct, they are not silent. They band together to cover-up their partner’s crimes by falsifying police reports, as in the case of Jason Van Dyke. Being silent is passive while falsifying police reports is an agressive criminal act and a Class 4 Felony in the state of Illinois.

“We are a nation of laws and no one is above the law.”

14th Amendment (excerpt) - …nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Liberty - 1: the quality or state of being free: a: the power to do as one pleases b: freedom from physical restraint c: freedom from arbitrary or despotic control d: the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges e: the power of choice–Merriam Webster

Whether someone is a racist or not is completely irrelevant to the fact that the PATF Report describes a community of people in Chicago living under constant intimidation and control of city-sponsored terrorists. Through interviews, the report documents the toll this fear and intimidation is having, and has had, on generations of black people. This subjugation keeps them “in their place” where they remain as outcasts of society instead of active participants. Some even fear going into white neighborhoods to try a new restaurant because their primary interaction with whites was a terrorist police officer. But, we are supposed to understand that a white guy who grows up in a white neighborhood may not have ever had a personal interaction with a black person until he becomes a cop with a gun.

From 2008-2015, there were 404 police shootings of civilians, 299 were black civilians, 402 out of the 404 shootings were ruled justified.

From 2012-2015, there were 1,886 taser discharges upon civilians and 1,435 were black.

In 2013, there were 100,676 traffic stops and 46,310 were black people yet of the 27,182 stops of white drivers, contraband was found twice as often.

“The Corporation Counsel, the City’s top lawyer, is charged with conducting “all the law business of the city.” That includes representing the Mayor, the City Council, IPRA and the Office of Inspector General, as well as individual police officers in some cases. This can create all kinds of complicated situations, because fundamentally a lawyer has a duty of loyalty to his “client,” but if the same legal department represents multiple clients whose interests diverge, conflicts may significantly compromise the multiple, simultaneous representations.”

Police Accountability Task Force Report

This Corporation Counsel is the same guy who led the court fight against the release of the LaQuan McDonald murder video. It is in this jumbled mess of a system where Corporation Counsel protects everyone except the taxpayers of this city and terrorists like Jason Van Dyke find safe refuge. Van Dyke continued receiving pay for months while Corporation Counsel did most of the legal work.

Corporation Counsel inevitably reviewed and advised Rahm on the FOP contract before he signed it and in the FOP contract are numerous opportunities for police officers to change their stories after a violent incident.

An officer has 24 hours before being required to make a statement, he must know the names of the complaining party, he is provided video (if there is one) of the incident, he can view video and then revise his statement after watching.

Corporation Counsel would, of course, want these types of provisions because if a police officer is sued, the city is usually named as a co-defendant.

In the FOP contract, there is a prohibition against police strikes and work stoppages yet during the current fallout, there was evidence of a work stoppage when 90% of stops ceased.

Section 5.1 — No Strike Commitment - Neither the Lodge nor any Officer will call, institute, authorize, participate in, sanction, encourage, or ratify any strike, work stoppage, or other concerted refusal to perform duties by any Officer or Officer group, or the concerted interference with, in whole or in part, the full, faithful and proper performance of the duties of employment with the Employer.

FOP Contract

On April 25th, FOP President Dean Angelo appeared on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight.  He was asked about this 90% stoppage and his answer referenced Senate Bill 1304 that was signed into law where police must file paperwork for all stops and frisks, “Proactive policing has been hit in the shin because you have to file, it was a two-pager, it’s down to a page and a half in Chicago, but Chicago came back and although state law 1304 does not require this extensive document, Chicago handed it off and allowed the ACLU to author it and it became cumbersome.” He went on to explain how this data collection could also give the perception of police officers being racist.

So, here we have the president of the FOP admitting that officers had instituted a work stoppage in violation of the FOP contract with the city. Were any sanctions imposed on the FOP for this breach? Dean Angelo is also the person who hired Jason Van Dyke as an employee of the FOP sending a clear message to all black people in this city: We stand by our terrorists.

When Rahm Emanuel was running against Chuy Garcia and time started closing in on the February 24, 2015 election, something very interesting happened. Or didn’t happen.

The Chicago Police Board (CPB) receives police disciplinary cases from the superintendent. In these cases, officers are recommended for reprimand or discharge.

In 2015, the CPB reported:

• January 1 – March 31: no cases for discharge or suspension

• April 1 – June 30: nine cases for discharge

• July 1 – September 30: fourteen cases for discharge and one for suspension

• October 1 – December 31: seventeen cases for discharge and one for suspension

Chicago Police Board Quarterly Report

Reading this correctly, police disciplinary cases suddenly stop before the February 24th election, then they mysteriously resume after Rahm wins the runoff on April 7th. The entire first quarter of 2015 saw no new cases. How is this possible and what is the explanation behind this? Not only do police officers operate as if they are above the law, Rahm and the FOP are their enablers.

Somewhere the disclaimer, “not all police are bad,” was supposed to be inserted but the percentage of good cops vs bad cops should have been the concern of the mayor, the CPD, Corporation Counsel and the FOP. Black people being victims of terrorism should have also been the concern. But, it was not. Winning the election was the concern and Rahm, the FOP and Jason Van Dyke are forever joined at the hip because of it. Metropolis

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