#TheBluestLie Collaborative Challenges Announced “Blue Lives” Chicago Ordinance
When: Thursday, June 16, 2016
What: #TheBluestLie Collaborative Challenges Announced “Blue Lives Matter” Chicago Ordinance
As young Black Lives from various communities and constituencies across the Windy City, we are confused and appalled by Chicago City Council Finance Committee Chairman Edward Burke’s move to push a “Blue Lives Matter” ordinance, expanding the existing Hate Crimes statute to include past and current law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical personnel as a protected class under the City of Chicago’s Municipal Code. We move together, demanding the Finance Committee to reject this deeply specious ordinance; we call on all justice loving Chicagoans to turn up with us.
The legislative arm of Chicago’s political machine is mired in a deep tradition of ignoring the surveillance, repression and terror that Black and Brown communities endure from municipal and extrajudicial actors alike. Yet, our justified dissent and self-defense as citizens is routinely criminalized. The “First Responder hate bias” framework is a bizarre and ahistoric attempt to destabilize our First Amendment rights as citizens seeking to hold law enforcement and public service departments accountable to the constituencies they are paid to serve.
It is particularly bewildering that this ordinance is being co-sponsored by Aldermen Willie Cochran and Nicolas Sposato, both of whom supported the groundbreaking Reparations Ordinance passed in City Council little over a year ago. Establishing material redress to over 100 torture survivors of former Chicago Police Department (CPD) Commander Jon Burge, this legislation marked an unprecedented moment of institutional atonement for protecting a false confessions predator and convicted perjurer (after over 25 years of grassroots organizing).
Data from CPD’s own Research and Development Division reveals that “hate crimes” advocacy is a mirage. In 2011, Police District 16--housed in Ald. Sposato’s 38th ward--reported the highest number of hate crime complaints, yet none of those investigations resulted in an actionable judgment from CPD’s Civil Rights Unit. Racially motivated incidents against African Americans were the highest proportion of investigations that year. Despite these facts, African American men were the highest proportion of identified “hate crime offenders”.
Badge of Life, a national law enforcement suicide prevention non-profit organization, reports that police officers are 300% more likely to commit suicide than they are to be killed by gunfire in the line of duty. A 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics census notes that police officers are not even in the top ten of the most deadly occupations. In 2015, 1,186 people were killed by police violence in comparison to the 42 on-duty officers that were killed by fiirearm. In fact, police deaths by gunfire have decreased by 14% in the past year. We know that violence against police is at an all-time low while reported deaths from police violence is at a record high. This proposed hate crimes expansion ordinance is not rooted in any of these facts.
Citizens possess the constitutional right to free expression, including criticizing public servants and public officials. Since police and first responder employees fall under the latter category, it is apparent that this ordinance is targeting a social movement that is laying bare their pre-existing protected status.
We are urging all Chicagoans to tweet, email, call and visit the Alderwomen and men of the Finance Committee. Remind them that we are watching the watchers.
#TheBluestLie Collaborative is lit and led by young Black Chicagoans committed to each others’ autonomy, liberation and abundant futures. Follow us at http://thebluestliechi.tumblr.com
