Board of Commissioners of Cook County - File #: 20-2867

• File #: 20-2867
• Version: 2
• Type: Resolution
• Status: Approved
• File created: 6/15/2020
• In control: Criminal Justice Committee
• On agenda: 6/18/2020
• Final action: 7/30/2020
• Title: PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE TO FILE 20-2867 PROPOSED RESOLUTION JUSTICE FOR BLACK LIVES WHEREAS, throughout the history of the United States, policing, criminalization, and incarceration have been used as tools of violence and retribution against marginalized groups seeking safety, especially Black people; and WHEREAS, policing was in part developed as a tool to preserve the institution of slavery in the 1700's, focusing on chasing down runaway slaves and shutting down slave revolts, grew into a weapon to disrupt labor uprisings in the 1800s, and matured in the 1900s to be used as the single most effective tool in repressing the civil rights movement; and WHEREAS, policing has had a troubled history in Cook County, most conspicuously visible in the wrongful conviction of more than 125 Black people over dozens of years as a result of the police work enabled by disgraced Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and his associates, thereby permanently damaging the lives of hundreds of accused peop...
• Sponsors: BRANDON JOHNSON, DENNIS DEER, BILL LOWRY, DONNA MILLER, STANLEY MOORE, DEBORAH SIMS, FRANK J. AGUILAR, LUIS ARROYO JR, ALMA E. ANAYA, SCOTT R. BRITTON, JOHN P. DALEY, BRIDGET DEGNEN, BRIDGET GAINER, KEVIN B. MORRISON, PETER N. SILVESTRI, LARRY SUFFREDIN

Date	Ver.	Action By	Motion	Result
7/30/2020	1	Board of Commissioners	suspend the rules	Pass
7/30/2020	1	Board of Commissioners	approve	Pass
7/27/2020	1	Criminal Justice Committee	accept as substituted	Pass
7/27/2020	2	Criminal Justice Committee	recommend for approval as substituted	Pass
6/18/2020	1	Board of Commissioners	refer	Pass

title
PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE TO FILE 20-2867

PROPOSED RESOLUTION

JUSTICE FOR BLACK LIVES

WHEREAS, throughout the history of the United States, policing, criminalization, and incarceration have been used as tools of violence and retribution against marginalized groups seeking safety, especially Black people; and

WHEREAS, policing was in part developed as a tool to preserve the institution of slavery in the 1700's, focusing on chasing down runaway slaves and shutting down slave revolts, grew into a weapon to disrupt labor uprisings in the 1800s, and matured in the 1900s to be used as the single most effective tool in repressing the civil rights movement; and

WHEREAS, policing has had a troubled history in Cook County, most conspicuously visible in the wrongful conviction of more than 125 Black people over dozens of years as a result of the police work enabled by disgraced Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and his associates, thereby permanently damaging the lives of hundreds of accused people, their family members, and Black communities at large; and

WHEREAS, the historic resistance to acknowledge problems in policing remains prevalent, illustrated by the allegedsocial media posts made by active Cook County Sheriff's Officers in response to the peaceful protesting by attorneys in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender on June 12th; and

WHEREAS, the brutality of law enforcement has become so commonplace in Black life that it is an ever-present cultural rite of passage in Black families to teach their children how to not be killed by law enforcement before they become adults; and

WHEREAS, despite centuries-long increased spending on traditional law enforcement, violence remains a problem in many communities, and there is little positive correlation between residents' feeling of safety and the degree of law enforcement presence in those communities; and

WHEREAS, currently most crimes are not resolved within the criminal justice system. The majority of...