5 public hearings on civilian police review scheduled by mayoral ally
The City Council’s Committee on Public Safety will hold five public hearings across the city, beginning Tuesday and continuing through June 5 on four rival proposals for civilian police review.
Four of the five hearings will be held in the evening to encourage maximum participation. The fifth will be held on a Saturday afternoon. The schedule includes:
Tuesday from 6: 30 to 8: 30 p. m. at Corliss High School, 821 East 103rd. May 19 from 1 to 3 p. m. at Gage Park High School, 5630 S. Rockwell.
May 29 from 6: 30 to 8: 30 p. m. at Westinghouse College Prep, 3223 W. Franklin Blvd.
May 31 from 6: 30 to 8: 30 p. m. at Wilbur Wright College, 4300 N. Narragansett. June 5 from 6: 30 to 8: 30 p. m. at Amundsen High School, 5110 N. Damen.
“As we continue to move forward with public safety reforms, a critical part of this process is hearing from the community on what they want to see in community oversight for public safety,” Public Safety Committee Chairman Ariel Reboyras ( 30th) was quoted as saying in a press release.
“I thank Chicagoans for being invested in making sure we have the right public safety accountability system for our city, and look forward to these conversations.”
Last month, a City Council hearing two years in the making on the most extreme of four rival proposals for civilian police review was abruptly canceled after Reboyras promised to air the proposal at a series of public hearings.
Reboyras reiterated then that the plan to abolish the Police Board, get rid of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and replace both with an elected, 22- member council is “too egregious” and doesn’t have the 26 votes needed for passage.
But he agreed to put it on equal footing with three other more moderate proposals after rookie Ald. Carlos Ramirez- Rosa ( 35th) withdrew his parliamentary maneuver known as a Rule 41 to force a City Council floor fight that could have embarrassed Mayor Rahm Emanuel and put aldermen on the spot.