Upon seeing the horrific video of a Chicago Police Officer savagely beating a defenseless woman, I like every Chicagoan became outraged. I was saddened by the behavior of Anthony Abbate as well as the length of time it took for others in the bar to come to her aid.
While this incident is both shocking and inexcusable, it’s important to remember that Chicago has an overwhelming number of law abiding and hard working police officers, and incidents such as this are in no way emblematic of the entire department. There is no place in the Chicago Police Department for this type of conduct or for persons who would ever engage is such vicious brutality.
I was pleased to see the superintendent of police carry home this message by immediately stripping Anthony Abbate of his police powers, and the states attorney for bringing stiff charges against him. We must continue to remain vigilant about routing out any police misconduct and have a zero tolerance for physical and verbal abuse in our society.
Isaac S. Carothers
29th Ward Alderman, and chair of the city’s Fire and Police committee
