Chicago, IL – Over 1000 marchers and 400 cars drove several miles through the Washington Park neighborhood of Chicago, June 12, to demand community control of the police. Hundreds of people came out of hair and nail salons, stepped out of homes, or came off of the sidewalk to chant and march as well. Cries of “Black lives matter” were alternated with “CPAC now!” CPAC is the Civilian Police Accountability Council, legislation in Chicago City Council which would establish control of the Chicago Police by the Black, Chicano/Mexicano and Puerto Rican neighborhoods in the city.

Organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the march began at the site of the murder of Ronald “Ronnie Man” Johnson. The 25-year-old father was shot in the back by a Chicago cop in 2014. His mother, Dorothy Holmes, spoke about her struggle for justice. “The police killed our RonnieMan and put us through hell. We gave them hell back and we know with you all here we will get justice for him and all victims and survivors of police brutality.”

From there the crowd proceeded to the police station at 51st and Wentworth. Mark Clements, who spent 26 years in prison after he was tortured by Chicago cops into confessing to a crime he didn’t commit, told the story of this torture hell hole. “Officers James O’Brien and Kenneth Boudreau, two of the gang of torturers led by Lieutenant Jon Burge, tortured Nate Fields and 17-year-old Carl Williams in the 1990s at this building. Then thousands of police street files were hidden from the eye of the public and concealed.”

Blocked by city salt trucks from reaching the station, protesters climbed up on a Metra train overpass and hung a banner with the names of many of the hundreds of victims of CPD over the years.

Kobi Guillory of the Alliance said earlier, “CPAC is about long-term power. We have the ruling class on the back foot right now but they still own everything and they’re thinking of ways to take back whatever we win during this rebellion. That’s why we need to [win CPAC] – to defund the police, and end police patrols as an occupying army in our neighborhoods.”

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #CAARPR #civilianPoliceAccountabilityCouncilCPAC #CommunityControlOfThePolice