Tamiki Andrews
We need to have more police who are better trained and more from the African-American community. I don’t ever remember hearing that a black policeman went into an all-white community and shot a white youth or a white person for that matter. Whatever happened to “officer friendly?” He does not work in our communities.
Minister Obadele
We need a independent, elected police board, and I would go as far as saying we probably need to elect the police chief. That’s where you hold the police chief accountable for the police officers. And an independent, elected police board-we need both. I think we ought to pass such legislation. And you need the U.S. Justice Department to come in and investigate the Chicago Police Department.
John Paul Jones
I think we really need to move to the system where we assure the ultimate level of accountability and that is for us to elect a police commander and superintendent here in Chicago. We have the Home Rule advantage, much like Cook County has their elected leader, like the state has their elected leader. We should use the Home Rule advantage to our best benefit. I’d like to see us consider ways to get a referendum on the ballot in February calling for a elected police superintendent.
Rev. James Foley
I think we as a community really need to come together, stop the division, stop the police harassment and really have the mayor look at himself because it starts at the top. Somehow, some way, things have got to get straightened out, and we’ve got to take a good look at ourselves and see what we really look like. The changes have to go from there.
George O’Hare
I would ask the question to those who are doing the shooting: Are you a Christian? Are you a Catholic? What are you? Did you get taught that racism is a moral sin? For those doing the shooting, were you operating under the Christian belief or your Catholic belief that “Thou shall not kill?” And then also is there a possibility that you could be racist, could you be anti-Semite, could you be male chauvinist, could you be homophobic-whatever it may be. Are you solving the problem? To solve the problem, get the churches combined, churches that are Christian. I say Christian because I would have to say the Chicago Police Department at least 75-80 percent are Catholic or Christian. Where were you brought up? Were you brought up to love God and love your enemies and be a wonderful person? If you weren’t, then why not? Why shouldn’t we change the world by getting the religious leaders to realize that anti-Semitism, racism and being a male chauvinist or homophobic is a sin?
Dorothy Andrews
More police protection from police who understand the community and police who come from our community. When you come from a community, you tend to have a better understanding and relationship with the people.
