Why aren't more rainbow-flag carrying, LGBTQ civil-rights leadership and their membership represented in the marches of Chicagoans protesting police misconduct? Equally interesting, where is the organized presence of Black gay men at these marches against Chicago Police Department ( CPD ) misconduct?
When will LGBTQ-equality organizations actually "continue to educate the public about the need to secure the rights of all Illinois citizens, couples, and families," as one group says on its website? When will they publicly educate and secure the rights of LGBTQ Chicagoans who've been victims of police brutality and misconduct? Will we see LGBTQ organizational leadership at press conferences on television or on social media seeking the resignation of Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez?
Unfortunately, the conspicuous absence of most LGBTQ equal-rights organizations from the march on behalf of Laquan McDonald and other police-abuse victims on "Black Friday" on Michigan Avenue spoke volumes to many LGBTQ people who actually continue to march!
Why hasn't there been at least one LGBTQ organizational town hall in Boystown or Andersonville to meet discuss, strategies or lend support to the various LGBTQ youth groups that are standing up, creating direct action and being directly involved in protest activities associated with standing up against police misconduct?
Will said LGBTQ-equality organizations continue to enjoy that support if they are viewed by many as indifferent to everything except the issue of marriage equality?
Unfortunately, the Chicago Independent Police Review Authority has found that, since 2007, only a handful of the 400 fatal and non-fatal cop shootings unjustified—resulting in the recently forced resignation of Chicago Police Review Authority Chief Scott Ando!
Now, police misconduct files spanning almost six decades might be destroyed before the public ever sees them, because of a recent decision now being challenged in court by University of Chicago Law School Professor Craig Futterman. That, for me, begs the question: If policeman's records involved in alleged misconduct are destroyed, how will the feds obtain statistical data needed to prove or disprove possible civil-rights violations?
And, adding insult to injury, the feds' investigation will be limited in its legal scope! The effort between the Washington-based Civil Rights Division and the personnel in the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago, headed by Zachary Fardon, is focusing only on the police department's unconstitutional patterns or practices.
Chicago taxpayers regardless of sexual orientation have spent more than $521,000,000 in CDP-abuse lawsuit settlements in the last five years. I want to remind most, and educate others, as to why this issue is so important in OUR communities.
Many LGBTQ persons in this city, regardless of race or ethnicity, either remember themselves or know of other LGBTQ persons who have been victims of CPD abuse. It wasn't that long ago that Chicago police routinely abused patrons of our LGBTQ bars. Remember what happened at Carol's Speakeasy? Anybody remember how many times Jim Flint and the Baton cast would be thrown in jail, when the Baton began opening its doors?
Many know this issue isn't new. Decades ago, as a regular "bar fly" of Rialto's, Club la-Ray's, Jeffery Pub, Rail's entertainment and Club Escape, I've witnessed many instances of police abuse—often blatant and with excessive force used!
Oh, and by the way, predominately African—American and Latino LGBT bar patrons experienced bar raids at our watering holes routinely until the late 1990s—long after most predominately white gay bar patrons were subjected to such dehumanizing experiences!
What if progressive African-American and Latino political decision-makers, civil-rights organizations, women's groups, faith-based organizations and the many "progressive" organizations that supported and stood with marriage-equality advocates decided not to be progressive anymore regarding LGBTQ issues?
Unfortunately, I suspect, that if white gay men were still being abused by police at the same rate that Black and Brown LGBTQ people continue to be abused by police actions, there would be rainbow-flag carrying, LGBTQ civil-rights leaders everywhere with their membership coalescing and protesting police misconduct!
Michael O'Connor is a lifelong Chicagoan with more than 30 years of political campaign experience. He was the first openly gay, African-American legislative staffer in the Illinois General Assembly.
