By Steve Rhodes
The Chicago Police Department closed two of its district stations on Sunday, giving us an opportunity to once again highlight this excellent analysis of not only the station-closing issue but the way the media’s careless reporting of crime makes public policy decisions like this more difficult than they ought to be.
McCarthyisms
“For the first time in public, Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy promised his department will never conduct blanket surveillance of Muslims like the New York Police Department did in Newark, N.J., when he was chief there,” AP reports.
Here’s the problem: McCarthy did so while addressing the annual banquet of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Chicago. He previously issued the same assurances to Muslim leaders in private. Those are safe environments free from the pesky questions reporters might ask – because there are some outstanding questions.
When the AP first broke its story about the NYPD’s spying, he “told the AP that his former colleagues in New York notified him as a courtesy that they were sending plainclothes officers to Newark, but none of his officers participated in the operation. New York police say Newark leaders cooperated with the effort.”
Then McCarthy refused to answer local reporters’ questions about the revelation.
I don’t know what questions reporters had in mind, but here are a few to start with:
1. So you knew this was going on and cooperated with it. How is that not condoning it?
2. Did you ever voice an objection to it?
3. In what way did your officers cooperate?
4. In what way did you cooperate?
5. You are pledging not to conduct this kind of surveillance here, but the police department obviously surveils people. How does that process work? What are the checks and balances? Do you personally approve all surveillances?
6. Is the Chicago Police Department surveilling or cooperating with any other agencies in surveilling Occupy Chicago?
7. Does the Chicago Police Department have undercover officers who have infiltrated Occupy Chicago?
8. Are you familiar with the CPD’s Red Squad? It makes some folks around here particularly sensitive to this issue.
9. You are pledging that CPD will not engage in NYPD-style surveillance of Muslims from this point forward, but can you tell us whether it has engaged in that type of activity in the past – particularly since 9/11?
Global City
“Chicago residents can now access the city’s website in 64 languages,” AP reports.
A) That’s 63 more ways to say “fuck” than Rahm used to have.
B) The city will also now reject your FOIA request in 65.
C) Speed camera tickets will be written in 66.
Parking Ticket Tax
More outrage.
Grading Giordano’s
“Relying just on the deep-dish pizza legacy falls short because it appeals more to tourists than Chicago residents.”
Fed Enables Greedy Banks
They never learn.
Lowriders In Chicago
A history coming soon.
The Box Score Is Back
So are the Kubs.
The Weekend in Chicago Rock
We have the video.
Programming Note
The Beachwood Inn is open for Pulaski Day. I’ll be behind the bar to preside. 5p – 2a.
–
The Beachwood Tip Line: Deep dish.
Posted on March 5, 2012