Chicago PD investigating officers' response to mob attack after witness says police wouldn't help

[Nevilledog]

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-violent-gathering-police-investigation-20230420-li5tlrt7wbduxfczh2jr3w66c4-story.html

No paywall
https://archive.is/CfNP8

The Chicago Police Department launched an investigation into how officers responded to violence that broke out late Saturday during a large gathering of young people in the city’s downtown tourism district.

The investigation comes after a viral video showed a mob attacking a couple as they exited a Loop store and it follows allegations of police inaction.

As the attack unfolded, police failed to respond to calls for help and even drove past, said Lenora Dennis, who witnessed the beating and helped the couple get to safety.
“It makes me feel scared. It terrifies me that people are either asleep at the wheel or that they’re willfully blind,” Dennis told the Tribune on Wednesday.

The attack Dennis witnessed was one of the violent outbursts that emerged as hundreds of teens and young adults met up downtown. People blocked traffic, jumped onto a CTA bus and attacked passersby during the mayhem, and two teen boys were shot as they stood in the crowd.

*snip*

Companion thread by the author
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1649110406835716097.html



Jake Sheridan

@JakeSheridan_

You saw the viral video of a young couple getting beaten up in downtown Chicago. Here's what you didn't see (thread).

Lenora Dennis witnessed the attack unfold. Police wouldn't help, she told me, so she had to take matters into her own hands... (1/11)

Chicago police investigating officers’ response to mob attack in Loop after witness says police declined to help

“It makes me feel scared. It terrifies me that people are either asleep at the wheel or that they’re willfully blind," a witness told the Tribune.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-violent-gathering-police-investigation-20230420-li5tlrt7wbduxfczh2jr3w66c4-story.html

Dennis had been walking out of Macy's when the couple was attacked. It erupted seemingly out of nowhere, she said.

She heard the woman, 20, scream. She saw the man, 22, get stomped on, kicked and punched.

“It just turned into a total chaotic melee." So, of course... (2/11)

She and others nearby called police for help. That help didn't come, she said.

The visitor couples' phones were stolen. Their shoes were taken too. The attack lasted over 10 minutes, Dennis told me — far longer than the 20 second video clip that's gotten 15 million views. (3/11)

Police were certainly busy that night.

An alderman told me the crowd attacked 2 CTA buses & some drivers. Some tried to break into the Art Institute of Chicago. Two people were shot.

Police were short-staffed & leaderless, Ald. Hopkins said. (4/11)

Mayor takes Chicago police leaders to task amid questions on response to latest violent gathering of youths downtown
Mayor Lori Lighfoot used a weekly meeting with police leaders to demand answers for why officers seemingly struggled to control crowds of young people who gathered downtown.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-teen-mayhem-cpd-failures-0418-20230418-dpjymx4cwbb7nilnxmpxpt3t5a-story.html

Hopkins called the police response "inadequate" and said the department was in "disarray."

Dennis had her own feelings: “It makes me feel scared. It terrifies me that people are either asleep at the wheel or that they’re willfully blind."

But her story isn't done yet... (5/11)

As a fifth (yes, five) police car passed the fight that was spilling into the street, she got in front of the cruiser & gestured for help, she said.

“And the police officer locked eyes with me, cut a pass right around me, and kept going,” Dennis, of Englewood, told me. (6/11)

That's when Dennis decided she had to confront the crowd of ~80 teens herself, she said. They ran off. Some came back & hit the 22 y/o again.

They needed to get out of there, ASAP. She got the couple into Macy's for cover. Then, they ran barefoot to her car. Where next?.. (7/11)

The 22 y/o seemed concussed. Dennis decided to go to the police station before the hospital.

When they got there, a desk cop told Dennis that the attack was happening because (progressive) Brandon Johnson was elected mayor. He hasn't started yet, doesn't till May 15. (8/11)

That made Dennis feel like desk officer didn't love Chicago or respect the election results much, she said. A detective patiently took down a police report. They got an ambulance. Dennis brought them shoes in the hospital.

The whole response, she said, was a "disaster." (9/11)

So what does this lifelong Chicagoan want to see now?

For everyone to put “egos,” “preconceived notions,” “campaign slogans” and “puffed-up rhetoric” to the side. It's time for solutions, she said.

“We need to do real investigative thinking into what these kids need.” (10/11)

Police are investigating the allegations of inaction made by Dennis & others, the Chicago Police Department said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, other large meetups are being planned in Chicago & a suburb again for Saturday, Hopkins & police said. (11/11)

Plans for a large gathering at mall Saturday, Berwyn & North Riverside police warn, citing ‘credible intelligence’

The gathering "has the potential for public disturbances and acts of violence," Berwyn's police chief said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/oak-park/ct-north-riverside-mall-police-gathering-20230419-23ks6pwyqfboth2qhlmrcw4yte-story.html
• • •




It's worthless to have Chicago PD investigating because they're doing this on purpose. Remember they were furious that Brandon won. They threatened to quit, but I guess they just decided to keep getting paid while not doing their jobs. Fire the lot and start over!

[TheProle]

1. That mob-scene was out of control

[Nevilledog]

2. And they cops decided not to do their jobs. Both can be true.

[TheProle]

4. Easy now...

I was making an accompanying observation about the attack, not attempting to undermine your point.

Both are true.

[Nevilledog]

5. I didn't take your post as antagonistic, I was just adding to it.

[TheProle]

6. Noted and thanks.

[PatSeg]

3. That is horrifying

I lived in Chicago and worked in the Loop. I can't imagine anything like this happening in downtown Chicago.

Here is a video from WGN:

[intheflow]

8. This says it's age restricted video and clicking on the link

brings me to YouTube but not the video. Posting the title of the video would be helpful so we can search for it on the YouTube site.

[EX500rider]

10. Link takes me to vid but title is:Downtown beating witness: 'They were going to kill that young man'

[PatSeg]

11. That is strange

It brought me to the video with the "age restriction", but I was able to watch it.

"Downtown beating witness: 'They were going to kill that young man'"

Were you able to see/find it?

[intheflow]

12. So weird!

I thought maybe it was my employer’s filtering that blocked me from seeing it at work, but I’m home and see the same message. Was able to find and open it on the YouTube app but even then it made me confirm 3 times that I wanted to see the content “some viewers found objectionable.” WTF? There was nothing so objectionable that it had to be blocked. It’s literally a nightly newscast! 😡

[PatSeg]

13. I agree

It was very weird.

[TheRealNorth]

7. You are correct

The cops are not the only issue here (I hope they identify all the thugs that beat up and stole from these people and give them maximum sentences, and go after the accomplices as well). But yeah, the police were pretty useless, like the Uvalde cops.

[Sympthsical]

9. I was told there was no riot

Right here, in fact.

Huh.

But I guess now that there's an angle, we can acknowledge there was a riot.

Well, that's relieving.