Chicago’s Black Press Urges Mayor to Fire Officers With Oath Keepers Ties
Publishers and owners of Chicago’s Black media organizations have banded together, urging Mayor Brandon Johnson to keep his campaign promise and fire Chicago police officers with affiliations to extremist groups, namely the right-wing Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.
Chicago’s Black Press, comprised of area print, broadcast, and digital outlets believes the recent mass text problem is a warning of future racist behavior directed to Blacks, especially in Chicago, where the police department has a notorious history of rogue police officers who have been accused of misconduct, racial profiling and heavy-handed policing in Black neighborhoods.
With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office in January, there is concern that Blacks and minorities will be more specific targets of hate groups. Hours after Trump was elected president on November 5, Blacks in colleges and offices across the country received racist text messages telling them they had been “selected” to pick cotton “at the nearest plantation.”
The FBI said in a statement that it is aware of the texts, has been in contact with the U.S. Department of Justice and encourages people who receive them to report the messages to local law enforcement authorities.
It is unclear who is behind the mass text messages, what motivated them or how they obtained phone numbers for large swaths of Black residents.
This week, owners and publishers of The Chicago Crusader, The Chicago Defender, N’DIGO Magazine, Chicago News Weekly and TBT News, sent Johnson a letter, urging him to fire eight officers who remain on the force after having been found to be on the membership rolls of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing extremist group that participated in the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
Some of the Chicago officers who appeared on the group’s membership list have faced accusations by members of the public of racist policing.
The eight officers are Michael Nowacki, Anthony Keany, Alexander Kim, Alberto Retamozo, Bienvenido Acevedo, Dennis Mack, Matthew Bracken and John Nicezyporuk. None were disciplined after an investigation by CPD’s Bureau of Internal Affairs (BIA) was closed in the spring of this year with little to no transparency.
During his mayoral campaign, Johnson, who won largely on the Black vote in a heated runoff race against Paul Vallas, promised to fire any police officers with ties to hate groups. So far, the mayor has not kept his promise.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, The Anti-Defamation League, Aldermen Matthew Martin (47th), Chris Taliaferro (29th) and Reverend Ira Acree have also called on Johnson to fire the officers.
Last weekend, several community groups and activists on the North Side stepped up their calls for Johnson to terminate the officers. Many said they didn’t trust the police department’s investigation of the officers.
“The OIG’s office has compared this scandal to a time in the 1960s when a CPD officer was fired for being a KKK member,” said Grace Patino of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, one of the organizers of last weekend’s event.
“Make no mistake, nothing about this situation is normal or should be made to feel normal.”
In its letter to Johnson, the Black Press says it is “deeply disturbed by Chicago police officers who remain on the streets despite their ties to the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.
“With the divisive state of our country and the 2017 U.S. Justice Department investigation that found a pattern of civil rights violations Chicago officers committed against Blacks and minority residents in Chicago, this city cannot afford to have officers who have ties to hate groups.
“And with the recent election of President-elect Donald Trump and recent racist text messages sent to Blacks across the country, the situation in Chicago is even more urgent.”
Conclusion:
The Black Press urges Mayor Johnson to keep his promise and fire the eight police officers with ties to extremist groups. The recent mass text problem and the racist behavior directed towards Blacks is a warning of future incidents. The police department’s history of rogue officers and lack of transparency in the investigation of these officers further emphasizes the need for swift action.
FAQs:
Q: Who is the Oath Keepers?
A: The Oath Keepers is a right-wing extremist group that participated in the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
Q: Who are the Proud Boys?
A: The Proud Boys is an extremist group with openly racist views.
Q: Why is the Black Press urging Mayor Johnson to fire the eight police officers?
A: The Black Press believes that the officers’ ties to extremist groups and the police department’s lack of transparency in the investigation make them a threat to the safety and well-being of the Black community.
Q: What is the Southern Poverty Law Center’s stance on the issue?
A: The Southern Poverty Law Center has also called on Johnson to fire the officers.
