Protests show flaws in debate
Oak Lawn controversy exposes how both sides can be right, wrong
Graphic images that showed Oak Lawn police officers beating a suspect shocked viewers when videos of the arrest circulated last July.
“Why are they beating him like this, he’s just a little old boy,” a woman narrated as she recorded the scene in broad daylight in a parking lot as traffic moved along busy 95th Street.
Protesters immediately called for justice in the treatment of a 17-year-old from Bridgeview. Oak Lawn police Chief Daniel Vittorio said officers were justified in using force because they feared the suspect, who ran from police, had a weapon.
Officers found a pistol and ammunition in a bag the teen was carrying. The teen has been charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm.
An Illinois State Police investigation led to criminal charges against an Oak Lawn police officer. Patrick O’Donnell pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct.
The series of events began July 27 when O’Donnell pulled over a vehicle with three juveniles because, he said, he smelled burnt cannabis. The male with the gun ran. Police caught him. Video showed officers punching the suspect with their fists.
The juvenile was treated at a hospital for a broken nose, bleeding near his brain and other injuries. His family filed a federal lawsuit claiming police used excessive force.
Protesters, including some representing the Arab American Action Network and Southsiders for Peace, want Oak Lawn to fire O’Donnell. About 25 people demonstrated Wednesday outside Oak Lawn Village Hall. The village’s Fire and Police
Commission abruptly ended a public meeting due to disruptions.
The arrest adds Oak Lawn to a long list of locales engaged in a nationwide debate about police misconduct. America seems unwilling and at times incapable of having meaningful dialogue on the issue.
Many support police officers and say they risk their lives to create a “thin blue line” that upholds law, order and public safety. Some believe law enforcement can do no wrong and is always justified in doing whatever is necessary to carry out their duties.
In this instance, police supporters argue, the suspect had a gun and ran. If he had followed orders and complied with police, officers would not have had to use such force to apprehend and detain him, supporters say.
On the other hand, protesters say videos showed excessive use of force, with multiple officers using fists to beat a suspect on the ground when they didn’t know at the time the suspect was armed. The weapon was discovered when a bag was searched after he was taken into custody.
Both sides could cite multiple infamous examples to support their arguments in the police misconduct debate. Police supporters could point to Wednesday’s line of duty shooting death of Chicago officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso, who was killed while responding to a domestic violence call. An 18-year-old man faces first-degree murder charges.
Nationwide, 238 police officers died in the line of duty in 2022, up from 168 in 2019, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. COVID-19 was responsible for 75 line of duty deaths last year, according to the group, with gunfire claiming 60 lives and vehicle crashes accounting for 32 deaths.
On the other hand, police misconduct occurs in America with tragic frequency. Former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated battery in connection with the 2014 death of Laquan McDonald.
George Floyd, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile and Breonna Taylor are a few people killed by police. Law enforcement killed at least 1,194 people in America last year, according to Mapping Police Violence.
“Black people were 26% of those killed by police in 2022 despite being only 13% of the population,” according to the organization.
Police training is part of the debate. Last year, critics questioned why police stood by while a lone gunman massacred 19 children and two adults inside a school in Uvalde, Texas.
Some believe police officers need to treat every encounter as a potentially deadly threat, and that they should value their own safety above all else. Law enforcement comes with some inherent risks, but data show many other occupations have higher rates of injuries and deaths.
A 2020 University of Delaware study found 21 occupations that were deemed more dangerous than police officers, including loggers, roofers, farmers, delivery drivers, crossing guards and mechanics.
The dilemma is that it is difficult to even attempt a national dialogue on addressing police misconduct. The problem creates enormous costs for taxpayers. A 2019 analysis found Chicago paid $213 million in legal fees related to police misconduct over the previous 15 years.
Those costs were in addition to $528 million Chicago had paid over the years to people who sued the city due to police misconduct, The Washington Post reported. The Post last year tallied more than $3 billion in payments by 25 police departments to resolve misconduct claims.
I consider the situation in Oak Lawn as part of a national crisis. I think both sides are partly right and partly wrong at the same time. Officer O’Donnell deserves his day in court and our justice system will determine whether he broke the law.
The young man’s family is exercising its right to pursue justice through civil action, as well. Demonstrators have the right to seek accountability and transparency regarding taxpayer-funded resources.
America needs to find a way to lower the tension level on the topic of police misconduct. We need to engage in serious talks about reforms. Otherwise, we will continue to measure the cost of inaction in human lives and taxpayer dollars.