ScottsBigMouth

To Save His Legacy, Daley Must Walk The Walk In Chicago's War Zones

With the latest round of killings sending shock waves through Chicago's gang-infested neighborhoods, local activists are clear on one thing.  Mayor Daley is in danger of losing the latest battle to save our city in the larger "war" with they city's street gangs.  Under duress, he appears to be closing ranks in the post-Olympics-loss blame game, while simultaneously being exposed as having allowed the Olympics to consume his administration's attention as Fenger High, Uptown, and countless other hot spots flared into mini-versions of "Lord of the Flies."

Where is the leadership that Daley so proudly proclaimed last year in attacking the gang problem across the city?  Sure, Taste of Chicago was relatively tame this year, but we have all-out war in the neighborhoods.  When he was wining and dining the Copenhagen glitterati, posing with Oprah and Obama, and cajoling  every reporter in town that the Olympics were coming; his embattled police command couldn't even keep their cameras pointed down range to insure officers were where they needed to be when the mobs turned into wolf packs out for a kill.

When you look at the videos of the wilding gangs chasing victims in Uptown, the lynch-beating murder of sixteen-year-old Derrion Albert, or the tearful soul-ripping pleas from victims' mothers and grandmothers for help from our city fathers; what don't you see?  You sure as hell don't see the Mayor, political candidates, Aldermen and Alderwomen, county board members, or business luminaries descending upon our blood-stained poor neighborhoods giving real triage to the root of the problem.

Nope, they're still nestled safely in their chauffeured cars, protected by staff behind marble-lined, cordoned-off, wood-paneled environs; glass-and-steel towers, and echelons of security personnel to keep them "safe" to do the "people's business." All the while, the city's children are slaughtered in the streets.

Its time for these political opportunist power-brokers and money-hounds to leave the damn Loop to really walk the walk with the ministers and community activists who are trying to pick up the pieces of our duct-taped-together neighborhoods before another entire generation of young kids are either dead or incarcerated.  It is time for our city and county leaders to actually prioritize REAL attention and money to what matters, instead of chasing a dream off to Copenhagen, or DC, or whatever glitzy benefit happens to be on at the Four Seasons or Peninsula that night.  Its time for them to ride-along with our cops, social workers, teachers, and EMTs; to see what's really happening out there in the REAL Chicago instead of the "idealized" version that's been rolling in the 2016 promo videos.

Mr. Mayor, it starts with you.  You need to leave City Hall for a few weeks, and spend every day in the neighborhoods, listening, learning, and then acting to save the city you say you love so dearly.  Your legacy, and your loyalty to us...the people who got you there, is at stake--not to mention hundreds of thousands of young lives who should be preparing to take over and lead in our city's uncertain future.

Schiller Has Some Explaining To Do

Disclaimer:  I wasn't present at the CAPS Meeting Last Night.  I am working from multiple accounts online on what happened, as well as multiple-source reporting.  I am currently traveling in Bella Vista, AR, and Corpus Christi, TX; but I am STILL very disturbed about what happened JUST BLOCKS away from my home.  I'm coming back on Monday night the 24th.

That said...

Helen, you have screwed up, again.

The excuses for the gangland behavior in Uptown are absolutely unacceptable.  Let's cut the crap.  You have some explaining to do.

I have watched the video of our local thugs out wilding over the weekend in the streets at Sheridan and Leland.  We all know where they hang out between Wilson and Argyle along Sheridan.  We all know that the police are doing a little bit of patrolling, but seem to have almost no support from you.

We are noticing how you show up for meetings that involved moneyed people like developers, Chicago 2016's folks, and of course, the Mayor.  We always seem to see you where there is money, or a camera present...but we rarely if ever see you on the street in our actual neighborhood.  You seem to move through our neighborhood like a ghost, unseen.

I'm not sure if anyone has told you this, Helen, but people are pissed at you.  Pissed enough to not vote for you, give you any more money, and to run other candidates against you.

WE EXPECT ACTION.  SERIOUS ACTION.

We are not going to give up our neighborhood to a bunch of pushers, thugs, drunks, and crazy people.  We live here, and we intend to take back our neighborhood, with or without you.

You had a distinct and unique opportunity to do the right thing when you showed up to talk about how great the 2016 Olympics will be for Chicago.  The right thing to do, in this case, would have been to make a forceful statement against ANY and ALL violence in the Uptown/Edgewater corridor, and then call on CPS Supt. Jody Weiss to get his butt up to our ignored neighborhood and make it so.

But, instead you made excuses.  Unlike some neighborhoods in Chicago whom are too scared to take back our own streets, we're going to stop the problem before it declines into all out war.  The on-the-street officers who protect us now, as much as they can with limited resources, deserve the support from all of us.

What we seem to be getting from you, though, is a shrug and a very weak statement that "shit happens."

If you think this is going to cut it, you're wrong.

Now I wasn't there, so I only can go by what I've been seeing from here...albeit limited by distance, but the distance lessened by the all-seeing-eye of the Internet.

Helen, we're waiting for you.  You weren't at the CAPS meeting yourself, but instead sent some "aides."  That was not the right call.  You should have been there.

As for me, I'm on my way home soon.  When I get back, I'm coming to you with a mike and a recorder to find out where you're coming from...you get a chance to explain why 5 people getting shot in 48 hours just down the street in my neighborhood doesn't demand your direct and personal attendance at the meeting.

I hope to hear from you Helen.  My email is scott@foval.com and my phone number, in case you need it, is 773-570-0011.  I expect that we're going to have a civil, on-the-record discussion, that I can bring back to ScottsBigMouth's audience to tell them what you're going to do to support us in our effort to hold the line on the thugs, take control of our turf.

It's time to explain, Alderwoman Schiller, and your constiutents expect you to respond directly.

Regards,

Scott

Record Restitution Awarded In Chicago Wrongful Conviction Case

BREAKING NEWS ― FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Monday, June 22, 2009

For Information:  Jon Loevy, Loevy & Loevy Attorneys at Law, 312.243.5900
Andy Thayer, assistant to Jon Loevy, 773.209.1187 (cell)

Federal Jury Awards Victim
$21+ Million For
Chicago Cop Frame-up

Largest-Ever Verdict Award For Wrongful Conviction in Chicago History

PRESS CONFERENCE WITH WRONGFULLY CONVICTED MAN & HIS ATTORNEYS TODAY
AT 2:30 PM, OFFICE OF LOEVY & LOEVY ATTORNEYS AT LAW, 312 N. MAY STREET, CHICAGO

Monday, June 22 – A Federal jury late Friday and today awarded the largest-ever compensation for a wrongful conviction in Chicago history – $21+ million – $21 million in compensatory damages awarded Friday night and $15,000 in punitive damages awarded this afternoon.

The jury found that Chicago Detective Reynaldo Guevara framed former Humboldt Park resident Juan Johnson for the 1989 murder of Ricardo Fernandez, causing Johnson to be arrested at age 19 and sentenced to 30 years in prison.  Contrived identifications of Johnson played a key role in his conviction, and the exposur e of this invented "evidence" many y ears later finally led to his release.

As the present suit against the Chicago Police noted, "Defendant Guevara has a history of fabricated false identifications and then suppressing evidence of such misconduct.  Plaintiff has now learned of at least 12 Chicago Police Department Office of Professional Standards complaints against Defendant, with several suspensions against Defendant Guevara.  There have also been repeated specific complaints in other cases and to the media of Detective Guevara fabricating identifications and concealing the wrongfully tainted identification procedures."

Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions is currently investigating more than 40 other alleged frame-ups by Detective Guevara and his colleagues.  Despite voluminous evidence of his frame-ups and perjury, the Cook County States Attorneys Office has thus far declined to criminally prosecute Detective Guevara.

Johnson ended up serving 11½ years, much of it in maximum security prison, before the Appellate court reversed the denial of his post-conviction petition, and a jury acquitted him in a 2004 retrial.  Due to the police misconduct, Johnson spent his entire young adulthood behind bars, lost his wife, and missed the childhood of his daughter.

Johnson was represented in the civil suit by Jon Loevy, Elizabeth Mazur and Daniel Twetten of Loevy & Loevy Attorneys at Law; Thomas Gardiner of Gardiner, Koch, Weisberg & Wrona; and At torney Daniel J. Stohr.  Mr. Stohr has represented Mr. Johnson through both the criminal and civil proceedings for over 19 years.  Other organizations that played critical roles in helping bring justice for Mr. Johnson include the Center on Wrongful Convictions of the Northwestern University School of Law and a community group of friends and relatives of the wrongfully convicted, Comité Exigimos Justicia (We Demand Justice Committee).

#     #     #

Federal Lawsuits To Name Anti-Gay Cop Operating In Lakeview, Boystown

Local GLBTQ activists and victims' attorneys say an anti-gay cop used his badge to rack up extra overtime and is to be named in 7 Federal Lawsuits.  Officer Richard Fiorito, who is assigned to the Addison and Halsted landmark "Town Hall" station, is alleged to have racked up the OT to be paid for court time at the expense of people's rights.

In a release detailing the allegations, members of Chicago's GLBTQ community and lawyers representing victims of Fiorito's hyperactive ticket book say there will be 11 more lawsuits filed over the next several weeks, beginning with 4 to be filed today.  An 11AM press conference is scheduled today in the lobby of Chicago's Dirksen Federal Court Building.

Victims allege in the release that Fiorito was so zealous in writing bogus tickets for DUI, etc., that other CPD lock-up officers disparaged him behind his back, and made efforts to correct the situation through official notations in their reports that contradicted Fiorito's arrest reports.  The release, re-published below, says the CPD has not taken adequate action to correct Fiorito's conduct.

>>>>> PRESS RELEASE <<<<<

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Thursday, April 2, 2009
 
For Information:   
Attorney Jon Erickson, Erickson & Oppenheimer Attorneys at Law, 773.875.4646
Andy Thayer, co-founder, Gay Liberation Network (www.GayLiberation.net), 773.209.1187, LGBTliberation@aol.com

Anti-Gay Cop Operating
In the Heart of Chicago's Gay Community
Called to Account in 7 Federal Suits

Officer Allegedly Trumped Up Charges Against Gays & Lesbians
to Win Overtime Pay for Court Appearances

Press Conference:  11 AM, Thursday, April 2
Lobby of the Federal Court Building, 219 S. Dearborn
With victims, community leaders and their attorneys

Officer Richard Fiorito allegedly rang up false charges so frequently against lesbian and gay drivers in the heart of the gay North Halsted entertainment district that out of his earshot, his fellow officers disparaged the charges to the people he pulled over.
 
According to several of Fiorito’s victims, the transport officer from the 23rd to the 19th Districts routinely informs defendants that "Fiorito is an overtime whore and the arrestee should get a lawyer."  No official action has=2 0been taken to curb Fiorito, 60, who is assigned to the 23rd District "Town Hall" police statio n at Addison and Halsted.  Fiorito is among the state's highest writers of DUI tickets and arrested over 300 people for DUI last year.
 
On Thursday, four more federal lawsuits will be filed against Fiorito, in addition to three already filed, alleging that he targets lesbian and gay for false charges, frequently using anti-gay epithets during arrests, and occasionally uses excessive force.  Attorney Jon Erickson says that as many as 11 more similar suits will be filed against Fiorito over the next six weeks.
 
In two separate cases of lesbians arrested by Fiorito, the lock-up officers at the Belmont and Western 19th District station made entries on the arrest report that directly contradict Officer Fiorito’s account..  In one report, the lock-up officer wrote that the subject was "not under the influence of alcohol/drugs," and that "Chicago Police Officer Neita was unable to detect the smell of alcohol coming from subject." In another report, the lock-up officer wrote, “arrestee entered women's lockup she seems to be fine at this time is speaking clearly."
 
In two other cases, Fiorito insisted on conducting field sobriety test which test the subject’s ability to listen to and follow instructions even though the arrestees told Fiorito they are deaf.  Lawyers claim Fiorito made bogus arrests to rack up overtime pay by appearing in court when he wasn't on duty ..
 
Some of the victims of Fiorito's alleged misconduct, their attorneys, and community activists with the Gay Liberation Network will hold a press conference at 11 AM, Thursday, April 2 in the lobby of the Dirksen Federal Court Building, 219 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago.
 
#     #     #

CPD Shooting: Cover Up on the South Side?

There are disturbing reports of an alleged cover-up of a police-initiated shooting yesterday on the South Side.  At about 2pm yesterday afternoon officers rolled up on a "suspect" that happened to be carrying his baby down the street, along with two other people walking with him.  The two others apparently took off running, but the man who was left got shot in the back by the police.

News reports this morning had the shooting victim's sister telling a story that sounds eerily familiar to people on the South Side.  She claims that her brother told her as he was being loaded into the ambulance, that a white police officer laid a gun next to him, in effect planting evidence next to him to justify the shooting.  She noted that he had never been in trouble with the law before, and that as far as she knew he didn't own a gun.  The shooting victim, a worker at UPS, is in critical condition.  CPD has so far been pretty mum on the details of the shooting, and the Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the incident.

Is this another case of CPD cops playing fast-and-loose when they screw up?  Will Superintendent Jody Weiss actually prove that he's a reformer by publicly admonishing this kind of crap from the rank-and-file?  Will the IPRA actually do what its supposed to do in cases like this?  Stay Tuned.