Chicago Cops Sue City, Say Mayor Rahm Emanuel Plays Race Card
Chicago, IL – Chicago cops have an axe to grind with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and they’re taking it to court. Police are suing the city of Chicago, alleging that Emanuel is paying political games with his security detail.
Eleven Chicago cops are suing the city, claiming that Mayor Rahm Emanuel removed city law enforcement officials from his security detail in favor of individuals who worked on Emanuel’s campaign in some fashion, reports Newser. The officers, some of whom are Hispanic, also allege in the federal lawsuit that the demotions were racially motivated, and are asking for their old positions back (in addition to monetary compensation).
Jonathan R. Ksiazek and Edward M. Fox, the attorneys representing the jilted cops, didn’t go into any great detail about the motivations for the lawsuit, other than, “Several of the officers who replaced our clients had connections with Emanuel or volunteered on his campaign.”
The officers who filed the suit are also protected to do so, and the way Chicago law is set up, they are actually fully within their rights to sue the city, reports ABC News. “Under Shakman decree,” Fox says, “our clients have protected position. They cannot be fired or demoted for political reasons.”
If the allegations prove true, they spell definite trouble for Mayor Emanuel. Lawyers, still playing coy, said that one of the police commanders “made a comment prior to demotion of their clients” hinting that race played a role in the demotions. The lawsuit alleges that the same police commander pulled a move that curried favor between himself and Emanuel that allowed him to keep his job. It also alleges that security preference is given to African-American law enforcement officials.
The city’s Law Department fired back, calling the lawsuit “baseless,” reports the Chicago Tribune.
“It was, as it should be, a careful and deliberative process, and at no time were political or any other inappropriate factors considered, period,” according to the interim police superintendent.
Come on, it’s not like the city of Chicago or Mayor Rahm Emanuel are known for shady politics.
