Tag: Chicago Police Department

The Dramatic Saga Continues Bring in the Feds

Published by pvbella on March 19, 2022

The Jussie Smollett Evil Clown Show continues. His brother, Joqui, issued a video statement through his brother’s Instagram account.

“Clear my brother’s name,” he said of the 39-year-old actor. “Make sure this appeal clears my brother’s name. You have a liability on your hand. Anyone with intelligence at the state level should understand that. There’s absolutely no evidence that Jussie did this, there never was. The CPD went on a smear campaign of my brother’s name…”

“There’s countless numbers of police misconduct in this case,” he said. “Judicial misconduct, prosecutorial misconduct, double jeopardy. State of Illinois: do the right thing – make sure this appeal goes through…

“Jussie is innocent. For far too long Black folks have been expected to go through trauma and then get back up as if that trauma is normal. We will be speaking on Jussie’s behalf for the near future,” he wrote. “2 out of 3 state judges voted this week to suspend Jussie’s jail sentence while he awaits his appeal. This is a clear acknowledgment from the state that there are holes in this case.” (BET)

This whole case is nothing but a brilliant drama and a cry for attention from Jussie Smollett and his family. The drama rubbed off on Chicago’s drama queen and aspiring actress, Kim Foxx. I could imagine someone penning a screenplay about this whole scenario. Just about everyone involved can play themselves. Netflix or Amazon would probably produce the docudrama.

Here is a clue to prove Smollett and his family are liars, and the whole thing was a hoax. They can accuse the Chicago Police, the courts who appointed the special prosecutor, and the judge all they want. Do you know who else investigates hate crimes? The FBI. Smollett did not report the “crime” to the Feds, as far as we know. His attorneys did not ask or demand the feds get involved. For a good reason. When the hoax was proven a second time, Smollett would be looking at serious federal time in the Gray Bar Hotel.

There is no public indication the FBI is investigating the Chicago Police Department for civil rights violations. There is no public indication the FBI opened a case of the “hate crime”

The Feds do not fool around when they are lied to, especially on a grand scale. It is still not too late for the FBI to open a case. They should investigate the whole shebang, from the hoax to the police investigation, and Kim Foxx’s attempts to quash the hoax to make it all disappear. It would not take much time or resources. They could wrap up this case in short order.

If they come to the same conclusion as the Chicago Police Department, they could have Smollett indicted. Since these would be federal charges, there would be no issues about double jeopardy.

Of course, the drama would intensify. Jussie would probably go on a hunger strike, as fake as the one he pulled off in the Cook County Jail. He could give soliloquies ending with a raised fist and shouting “CRY FREEDOM” as he is led away to those fine Federal accommodations.

In all seriousness, this case ~~demands~~ screams for an investigation by the United States Department of Justice. We, the people of Chicago, should demand the Feds get involved to prove or disprove the Smollett Hoax once and for all. They could find all kinds of exciting things, including the nefarious machinations by supposed Cook County prosecutor Kim Foxx. That could be called the Kim Foxx Hoax.

Hoo boy, just think if they found enough to drive her out of office or into a federal courtroom. How dramatic would that be? Just think of Foxx’s emoting about the whole thing on and off the stand. It would be priceless. It would be the performance of a lifetime.

Yes, I realize the Feds have better things to do, like going after our clownish politicians for their quaint corrupt ways. But, the twin Smollett/Foxx hoaxes need another set of eyes. The public needs some closure to this drama. An ending, happy or sad.

One could wonder what the late Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel are musing about this production. One or two thumbs up or thumbs down?

Welcome to the KMA Club

Published by pvbella on December 3, 2021

When Chicago Police officers retire, we join the KMA Club. Captain Melvin Roman retired from the Chicago Police Department after over 31 years of service. First, welcome to the best club in the world, boss.

Roman was a former commander who was shamed, “dumped,” and demoted to captain. He wrote this email to the citywide distribution list before proudly walking out the door. It floated around social media the past few days. I was able to obtain a copy from a website to publish here.

I have no commentary on this except to offer my best wishes to Melvin Roman in his retirement.

“After over 31 years with the Chicago Police Department, my career has come to an end. I find contemplating retirement similar to contemplating life in general.

Thoughts of what has been left undone, thoughts of what I could have been done better come to mind. I’d like to think that I have always tried to do the right thing regardless of what was right.

Anyone who is a true leader will understand what I have said. My resignation as a Commander was done with this in mind. If I cannot have a voice to be heard then I have no business being in the position.

I will always be proud to say that I was a Chicago Police Officer, although I cannot be proud of our current Department. We speak about building trust with the community but do not have a trust within our own department. We speak a lot about Officer wellness and contradict that daily by missing the simplest and most basic opportunities to truly show Officers we care.

In 31 years I have never seen a Department in which the rank and file Officer is at war with the top brass administration of the Department. An administration that listens to no one, allows no one a voice, and tries to lead by the only tools they know: Fear and intimidation. Tactics which will always be doomed to fail.

A plumber on a job knows that his tools are the most important aspect of his job. An electrician knows the right tools for the job are critical. Yet here in the Department we seem to lose track of one plain and simple fact: Officers are the most important aspect of our mission.

They must have trust and faith in us as supervisors to leave the station and fulfill the missions we decide and they do that because they respect and have faith in the MEN AND WOMEN who lead, NOT the rank! This is a fact that some will never understand. Some put on the uniform and rank, and even ribbons, and think they are more important and look down on the Officers they should be holding in high esteem.”

Supervisors who have had the benefit of some of the most prestigious leadership training and still do not know the most fundamental traits of a leader: A leader must genuinely care about the people they lead. Without that you will never accomplish a mission and this Department will not change.

Some will claim they do care and maybe they do, but if your outward demeanor exemplifies disdain and a lack of respect, that is what is received. Rank should be perceived as a level of responsibility. Even though it’s also authority, you should lead by your character and not by what’s on your collar.

I have faith that at some point the Department will build itself back up and will once again be something to be proud of. I hope that many of you who will take over the Department will keep these hard facts in mind. Many will be angry and upset with my words but I promise you I offer them only out of a deep gratitude and respect for the Officers who serve the great city of Chicago and to a beloved Department which I will always love and support.

To the rank and file Officers to whom I undoubtedly owe any and all my success, I can never express my true gratitude so I will simply offer a very sincere appreciation and a huge thank you. (CWB Chicago)

In Chicago only the criminals get compassion

Published by pvbella on September 19, 2021

Another mass shooting, five people were shot in Austin. Another toddler was shot Saturday. There were multiple shootings citywide over a twelve-hour period Friday. On Saturday, multiple people were shot over a four-hour period. There were robberies and stabbings too.

Ho-hum, just another typical bloody Chicago weekend. The Summer Olympics of Violence is leading into the Fall Gun Games. The silent apathy in this city is deafening. It is appalling. What does it take for people to get angry? What does it take for people to demand change?

The city is failing miserably. Yet, the citizens and friendly news media editorial boards are mute. No matter where you live in Chicago, you are not safe. You have a higher chance of getting shot and killed, or being the victim of a violent crime than catching COVID.

Where did this mass apathy come from? Why do most people think something cannot happen to them? Why are we not demanding better?

So-called criminal justice reform is failing. We are being lied to by elected officials, the activists they are in bed with, and the news media through their silence. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is lying, Kimm Foxx is lying, the Chief Judge is lying, Chicago Machine Boss, Toni Preckwinkle is lying, Superintendent of Police David Brown is lying, the friendly news media is aiding and abetting their lies.

The only truth is in the numbers, and the numbers keep rising. We will smash records this year in shootings and murders. According to HeyJackass!:

September to date- 50 souls shot and killed. 54 total homicides.
Last week- 22 souls shot and killed. 24 total homicides.
Year to date- 575 souls shot and killed. 2800 shot and wounded. Total shot, 3375. Total homicides- 608.
A victim is shot almost every two minutes in Chicago.
A victim is murdered just over every ten minutes in Chicago.
The cause of death by homicide is 94.9%.

Chicago should be nominated for entry into The Gun Violence Hall of Fame. The hall of fame is as imaginary as reform or the plans, strategies, and precision deployments from the leadership of this city and Cook County. We only see the boring itemized list of guns recovered or people arrested Tex Brown puts out during his press conferences.

Years ago, back when Chicago cared, there would be collective outrage over infants and children being shot or shot and killed. There would be a collective demand for justice.

Now, there is a callous apathy in this town without pity. Only the criminals get justice, and the justice is a slap on the wrist. It is not justice. They get mercy.

Maybe we should change the name. Instead of the Criminal Justice System. We should call it the Criminal Mercy System. We could replace the prosecutors and judges with nuns. The Sisters of Clemency, led by Sister Mary Hilarius*. We could turn the Cook County Jail into The Home for Wayward Felons. Why not? Since the criminals get more compassion than the victims. We all know that compassion reforms murderous criminals, don’t we?

*There is a Saint Hilarius, a former Pope.

Stop Talking and Do Something

Published by pvbella on August 25, 2021

When I was a young boy, we played cops and robbers. We chased each other through the neighborhood, shooting toy guns, sometimes cap guns. I still remember the smell of the smoke from paper caps.

Today, in Chicago, people play with real guns. They run around neighborhoods spraying bullets. The violence in Chicago is out of control. Every neighborhood is affected by it. Nowhere is safe.

Chicago is like the mythical wild west. You could be run down by a fleeing felon or randomly shot and killed. It does not matter where you live. Supposed quiet neighborhoods like mine are turning into shooting galleries.

Giddings Plaza is a pleasant place to hang out, sit, think, and work. You occasionally meet interesting people. The plaza has park benches and chairs that one of the regulars found and brought there. People sit with laptops or dine out at the two restaurants on each side. Some bring food from other places to eat. Parents bring their small children to run around, climb the decorative German light pole, or draw with sidewalk chalk. Musicians and other entertainers put on shows.

I usually go there daily, weather permitting. It is my outdoor office. As I walked there yesterday, I heard a news report about traffic being backed up just north of the plaza due to police activity.

I arrived at the plaza and saw yellow and red crime scene tape. Red tape is used for serious incidents, especially crimes of violence. There was a car that crashed into the corner of a building at the crime scene.

I initially found out that the car was used in a shooting, and two alleged offenders fled. One ran through a restaurant where several police officers were eating. They chased him down the street, capturing him. The other alleged offender ran in a different direction and got away.

I later found out that the shooting was about a half-mile away. The car, a Porsche SUV, was involved. They were fleeing, lost control of the car, and crashed. A vehicle matching that description was involved in several recent shots fired calls in the area.

Guns and drugs were found in the vehicle, and charges are pending against the one arrestee. The details of the incident were not clear. Two versions were and still are being given. One, a FedEx driver, was shot and wounded. The other, a motorist, was shot and wounded in the arm. The victim went to a local hospital for treatment.

This could have turned into a tragedy. Small children play in the plaza as well as people like me, who hang out there. The driver of that car could have struck any of us when he lost control. Like many other places in Chicago this summer, it could have turned into a mass shooting.

I watched things play out, as I did for almost thirty years on the Chicago Police Department. The detectives showed up, canvassing the area. Forensics processed the car. After a while, things returned to normal. Except, in this summer of rampant citywide violence, there is no normal.

There is no safe place in Chicago. Not even a pleasant plaza in what is described as a quiet neighborhood. Anyone can be a victim. There were several recent calls of shots fired in the general area over the past week or so. Three people were shot in the area this year.

The mayor claims the violence is a public health issue, a term local and national politicians use when they have no answers. Others claim the root causes of crime, poverty, gangs, drugs, and guns are the issue. No more. The weasel words must stop. This is a political and tactical problem. The problem lands squarely on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s and Superintendent David Brown’s desk. They must stop talking and do something.

It was fortunate the alleged offender did not hit or run over people in the plaza. It was pure luck he was not some wild-eyed shooter, spraying bullets as he tried to run away. How long can fortune and luck hold out in this summer of violence, bloodshed, and death?

We Are A Family

Published by pvbella on August 19, 2021

Image: PV Bella

Here I am, Lord
Is it I, Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night
I will go, Lord
If You lead me
I will hold Your people in my heart (Dan Shulte)

I watched my “granddaughter” laid to rest today. Officer Ella French was not my biological granddaughter. The Chicago Police Department is a family. Their members are our brothers and sisters from other mothers. The retirees are the parents and grandparents. I am old enough to be slain Officer Ella French’s grandfather.

I watched the clergy walk to the altar and police officers solemnly fill the chapel at St. Rita Cascia High School. The ritual played out, as it tragically has in the past.

There will be more rituals in the weeks and months to come. Officer French’s star will be retired and placed in the memorial case at Chicago Police Headquarters. Her name will be enshrined on the Chicago Police Memorial Wall.

Later today and tomorrow, the family of the Chicago Police Department will return to the streets. They will do the job no one else wants to do, see things no one else wants to see, and experience things no one else wants to experience. They will do their jobs, serving and protecting the citizens of Chicago. It is a thankless job. They never ask for gratitude.

Like their brethren on the Chicago Fire Department, they will risk life and limb to protect the people of this city and each other. When they leave their homes, families will worry until they walk back in the door. This plays out 24/7/365. Families pray they never receive the phone call and doorbell ring, with somber-faced bosses and a police chaplain telling them their loved one was injured, or worse, killed, enrolling them in a club no one wants to join.

Carlos Yanez, Officer French’s partner, is lying in a hospital bed with catastrophic injuries from being shot with her on that fateful day. His road to recovery will be long and hard. He, too, will not be forgotten. We take care of our people. That is what families do.

Officer Joshua Blas, the third officer working with French and Yanez, is rarely mentioned. He also was a hero that fateful night. He will have emotional wounds. Those may heal over time. But he will never forget.

It is the familial bonds that hold police and fire personnel together. Cops, firefighters, and paramedics only have each other to rely on. We would walk through the fiery gates of hell wearing the proverbial gasoline-soaked coats to help each other.

“We never forget.” We will remember Officer Ella French. We remember the over 500 police officers whose lives were taken. We remember the over 570 firefighters and paramedics killed in the line of duty.

We grieve and mourn, but life goes on. Our police and fire families go on. There is “the job” to do. They will do it. We will be there for them, our brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, parents, and grandchildren. They are our family, if not by blood, by bonds. Those bonds hold us together and make us face realities no one else wants to face.