FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, August 17, 2022
CONTACT: Ankur Singh | Chicago@nlg.org | 309-838-4265
Chicago Police Violated Black Lives Matter Protestors’ Human Rights In Summer 2020 According To New Comprehensive Multi-Year Report
CHICAGO — During the summer of 2020 Chicago law enforcement violated the human rights of Black Lives Matter activists with excessive force, according to a comprehensive multi-year report published on the second anniversary of the protests by UIC School of Law International Human Rights Clinic, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) of Chicago and GoodKids MadCity.
According to the report, titled “Violating Human Rights: Chicago Law Enforcement’s Excessive Force Against Black Lives Matter Activists and Human Rights Defenders”, Chicago law enforcement regularly violated human rights with an indiscriminate level of violence against protestors. CPD officers pepper sprayed and tear gassed crowds, used rubber bullets, and pushed, shoved, and punched protestors until they were incapacitated.
Chicago law enforcement also weaponized city Infrastructure through the use of kettling and mass arrest, raising the bridges, CTA shutdowns, and mandatory curfews. The report also documents that NLG legal observers were routinely targeted and abused by police.
“This project has been a true testament to the many voices that took action in Chicago in the 2020 summer and paid an enormous price to exercise their human right to protest,” said Sarah Dávila, director of UIC’s International Human Rights Clinic. “It is imperative that the U.S. government and in particular the city of Chicago hold those accountable and take immediate action to protect and promote human rights for all in this city.”
Last week the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination heard from several young people from Chicago regarding excessive police violence. “We are asking that you strongly recommend that the United States pass The PeaceBook Ordinance – a resource directory meant to invest in our communities and divest from the police,” said Damayanti Wallace, a member of GoodKids MadCity. “The PeaceBook will fund programs that allow survivors of trauma to heal.”
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UIC School of Law International Human Rights Clinic The UIC Law School International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) is a non-profit, nonpartisan, law school legal clinic dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights in the United States and around the world. The IHRC offers students a background in human rights advocacy through the practical experience of working on international human rights cases and projects.
National Lawyers Guild of Chicago The National Lawyers Guild of Chicago (NLG) is a non-profit federation of lawyers, legal workers, and law students dedicated to actively eliminating racism, maintaining, and protecting our civil rights and liberties, and using the law as an instrument for the protection of the people.
GoodKids MadCity GoodKidsMadCity has the mission to prevent gun violence in underserved communities, by creating safe spaces for healing, changing behaviors and organizing young people to advocate and lobby for progressive legislation that contributes to community revitalization, restorative justice and reducing youth recidivism and incarceration. It does so, while simultaneously giving direct support to teens in neighborhoods that have suffered from gun violence by hosting healing circles, peace walks, honoring victims, block parties and peer mediated conflict resolution.
