Page 13 - July 2017 Newsletter

ThirdVice President’s Report
Never forget...
On June 29, I had the privilege of joining 23 fellow members of the Chicago Police Depart- ment on a trek to Springfield. The reason for this trip was for an appeal to the Illinois State Parole Board. The case presented on that day was whether convicted police killer George Knight should be eligible for parole.
In 1972, George Knight and Johnnie Veal were found guilty of first-degree murder for the senseless killings of Police Officer Antho-
ny Rizzato, Star #12407, and Sergeant James Severin, Star #1319, on July 17, 1970.
On that day, Officer Rizzato and Sergeant Severin had volunteered for the “Walk and Talk” project. This project was designed to improve the relations between the Police and the residents of the Cabrini Green housing complex. As these two heroes walked across Seward Park’s baseball field, they were shot in the back by sniper fire from one of the high-rise buildings.
Each of these killers was given a sentence of between
100 to 199 years in prison.
These cowards come up for parole every three years,
and as the years go by, their chance of attaining a parole increases. Thankfully, on this day, the Illinois State Pa- role Board voted unanimously (12-0) to deny parole for George Knight. It was also requested that this coward’s case not be heard for five years instead of three, so the families would not have to relive this tragedy during the fiftieth anniversary of their loved ones deaths. The parole board voted 10-2 in favor of delaying the review for five years.
The group of attending officers have been on the job for varying lengths of time. There were officers with more than 25 years on, as well as officers that were still on their probationary period.
A sincere thank you to all of the officers who attended that day, and to the Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union for providing the transportation. This type of rep- resentation reaffirms that the Chicago Police never forget.
Stay safe! d
JAY RYAN
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2017 13