Page 27 - June2020 FOP Magazine

A come-to-Lodge 7 meeting
Members pack the hall on a night that unveils the new FOP...their FOP
The first general membership meeting under the new Lodge 7 administration on June 24 attracted an overflow crowd at the FOP Hall.
By Mitchell Krugel
This 12-hour tour had no end in sight. The crowd just would not disperse, and, in fact, it grew more vocal, more spirited. Chicago Police Officers mustered with resiliency, forming several lines of ample presence extending past the capacity of the Lodge 7 meeting hall into the bar area and almost out the door. Members packed the place beyond as far as the eyes could see from the podium where the newly elected leader- ship conducted its first general meeting on June 24.
Ordinarily, it would take free food, unlimited beverages, shift picks or a chance to give the mayor a little what-for to attract a crowd this substantial. Maybe this was not one of those “Where were you when the Cubs won the World Series moments,” but it was no less historical for Lodge 7 members.
As President John Catanzara met a bevy of fresh faces there to check him out, he and his Vision team let them see the real leadership with a no-holds-barred, nearly four-hour info ses-
sion that certainly confirmed all Lodge 7 members matter. Here was the much-promised and much-needed evidence and expression of the energy, enthusiasm and electricity de- fining the new FOP.
“It was like a rock concert. I’ve never seen so many coppers at a meeting,” described David DiSanti, a 22-year member who had served as unit rep in 017 before being elected as a trustee to the Lodge 7 Executive Board this term. “A lot of them didn’t even know who John is, but they are coming to the podi- um and thanking John and the team for being their voice. It’s a totally different dynamic now.”
The accolade of “biggest meeting in years” made the rounds for several days after. And attendance most likely snowballed from the way the Lodge 7 leadership had voiced the front lines of response to the protests, the Department’s treating of mem-
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CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2020 27