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cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/25025

Chicago, IL – Dozens of community members gathered on Thursday, January 29 at Malcolm X Community College to demand city officials hold Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers accountable for their violence against Black and brown communities and collaboration with Immigrants and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) set this year’s goals for itself, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), and the CPD superintendent.

The meeting began with public comments. Community members demanded that the CCPSA publish all communications regarding CPD and ICE collaboration; an end CPD crowd control during immigration enforcement activities; an end to pretextual traffic stops; an end to CPD’s use of tactical teams; that the CCPSA choose a candidate for COPA head that has a strong record of being pro-accountability; and the removal of all current and former Oathkeepers and other members of white supremacist groups from the police force.

Omar Flores, co-chair of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee (IRWC) of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and a survivor of ICE’s violence, described the varied forms of harassment he has experienced.

“These things should not be allowed! We see plenty of instances when CPD is supposedly coming out, when the people are showing their righteous anger at what is happening, we see CPD do nothing when it comes to ICE violating our rights,” Flores said.

“It’s your guys’ job to be creative in this moment, because people’s lives are literally counting on it, as we’re seeing in Minneapolis,” Flores urged the CCPSA.

Brian Young, Jr., a resident of the historically Black and brown 25th Police District, expressed their disappointment at the CCPSA's history of inaction.

“We've been coming here since 2024, when Dexter Reed was killed by police officers over pretextual traffic stops, when this young man was killed and gunned down like a fucking animal in the streets,” Young Jr. said. “I organized and I came here with the community to demand an end to pretextual traffic stops – that was pushed onto the fucking backburner.”

CAARPR leader Kayla Nguyen described the CCPSA’s hesitance to investigate violations of the Welcoming City Ordinance despite 1500 people demanding an end to CPD and ICE collaboration at the CCPSA special listening session on January 8.

“We want collaborators addressed publicly, and we want them to face meaningful consequences now, because it is a shame that this city continues to wait to take action on wrongs the people know to be true,” Nguyen affirmed. “Why must the people of Chicago fight both our local law enforcement and ICE at the same time? The protection of CPD, not for our people, but for ICE, emboldens these federal killers and results in injuries to our Black and brown communities.”

The CCPSA then voted on their strategic priorities for 2026. These included a new traffic stop policy, preventative alternatives to public safety, and more accountability for collaborators with federal immigration enforcement.

Sandra Wortham was the only commissioner to vote “Nay” to the final priority regarding CPD-ICE collaboration, to raucous booing from the audience. Wortham demanded that the audience remember their decorum, to which audience members shouted, “Maybe you should remember who you protect and serve!”

The CCPSA additionally elected interim COPA chief LaKenya White to the permanent COPA chief position, who accepted all of the presented goals and strategic priorities, as did CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling.

Community members left the meeting hopeful regarding the strategic priorities, but resolved to continue to attend the next CCPSA meeting on Thursday, February 26 to hold the CCPSA accountable to these promised goals.

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #ICE #KillerICE #CPD #CAARPR

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