Page 8 - October 2019 FOP

First Vice President’s Report
A private comment gone public
As I approached the microphone prior to the gen- eral meeting of the city council on July 24, Mayor Lightfoot made a personal comment about me to the head of the corporation counsel, Mark Flessner.
The comment was picked up by a hot microphone and live-streamed by the city clerk’s office. I did not hear the comment because it was whispered. Imme- diately after leaving the council, my phone began to “blow up” with texts from people who had been watching the live video.
At a post-council press conference, Mayor Lightfoot was asked repeatedly to apologize by Bill Cameron, a city hall news reporter. She either did not understand the question or believed what she said and blatantly refused to apologize. I tend to believe the latter. Was the mayor casting aspersions publicly about me? Was it a false or misleading charge meant to harm someone’s rep- utation? Was she speaking specifically about me or police officers in general? It’s pretty obvious that the honeymoon period is over.
Could you imagine the outrage had I insulted her? There would be protests in front of the FOP hall, and the media coverage would have continued to this day.
The mayor’s comments about me were a result of a prior city council meeting in which I made public that her transition teams included members who are anti-police. The mayor is not supposed to address the people who speak prior to the meeting. On June 12, the mayor addressed me after I spoke. Unfortunately, the com- ments between us were cut off and the entire conversation on my end was not broadcasted.
There have been changes at the city council since I last addressed
the aldermen. Previously, speaking was on a first-come basis, de- pending on when you arrived. You would have to arrive at approxi- mately 7 a.m. to ensure you were one of the 10 speakers.
Now when you arrive, you are placed into a lottery system. Is this a deterrent to keep unwanted speakers from participating? Another change is that the third-floor gallery is locked and spectators are no longer allowed. Is this another attempt to control who attends these meetings?
I was recently asked why I did not demand an apology from the mayor. I personally do not care what she thinks about me. Since this happened, citizens from around this city have spoken to me about it. It has given everyone an insight into how the mayor feels about the Chicago Police Department and its members. Even the most liberal person was stunned by her behavior.
The best way to make this job better is to end the demonization and anti-police rhetoric, to reduce the bureaucratic torment of our officers by constantly failing to treat us like professionals and un- dermining our work.
Senator Ted Cruz tweeted that “Stopping violent criminals — prosecuting and getting them off the street — before they commit more violent crimes is the most effective way to reduce murder rates.” Is he wrong?
Mayor Lightfoot has had several spats with politicians through- out this country. Her comments about Cruz included, “I think it’s not ever a good idea to cast aspersions on a community, particular- ly one as rich and diverse as the city of Chicago, without knowing any facts.”
Now isn’t that ironic?
PAT MURRAY
8 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2019