Page 16 - FOP May 2019 Magazine

The damage left behind by Kim Foxx
In the inaugural issue of Chicago Lodge 7 maga- zine, I explained how my firm would be submit-
ting monthly articles on various labor topics, including relevant legal decisions and how
of Law and Order, Kim Foxx’s office went in front of the judge on an “emergency motion” to have all the charges dropped,
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these decisions impact the men and women of Lodge 7. After all, a well-informed mem- bership is a healthy one. I still believe that to be true today.
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without explanation.
To date, Foxx has failed to explain how, as one of Illi-
nois’ leading prosecutors, her actions are “a just disposi-
In my almost four years of writing monthly ar- ticles, I have stayed true to that ethos. I tend to stay away from outside politics. But I must deviate from that practice this month. Permit me to voice my outrage over a state’s attorney who swore to uphold the law, but instead failed to comport with
any notion of fairness and transparency.
No need to recite the false allegations made by Jussie Smol-
lett, a star on the TV show Empire, about what he claimed trans- pired during the early morning polar vortex in late January. The Chicago Police Department devoted precious resources to find the “culprits” and instead uncovered what turned out to be an elaborate hoax — a well-orchestrated charade of sorts, master- fully plotted by the victim/culprit himself. Wasted man-hours that could have been better served on real cases that plague our beloved city, rather than chasing a fabricated ploy designed to bring attention to a second-rate thespian.
The scheme began to unravel and soon the spotlight turned on Smollett. When the evidence compiled by the police depart- ment led to a grand jury indictment, game over — Smollett was charged with 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct. On March 26, however, in another bizarre twist more suited for an episode
tion and appropriate resolution” of the Smollett matter. It is not often that the mayor of Chicago, the superin- tendent of police and Lodge 7 can agree on anything; yet all were equally stunned, outraged and demanded answers. Sadly, both Foxx and Smollett doubled down, each trying to jus-
tify their actions.
Headlines such as “Kim Foxx will and should lose her job over
Jussie Smollett case” and “Kim Foxx has made a mess of the Cook County State’s Attorney Office” became all too common in the days and weeks following the abrupt dismissal of all charges. In the end, Smollett received nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
Interestingly, Foxx attracted many followers touting her re- form agenda when she ran for political office to unseat her pre- decessor, who also had been accused of being less than trans- parent. Once elected, many stood idly by as certain actions taken by Foxx’s office impacted the men and women in blue who work their hardest to bring suspected criminals to justice — especial- ly at a time when law enforcement is facing constant scrutiny. Some of those same people, however, now question her hypoc- risy.
This time, it is Lodge 7 that has issues with Foxx. Let’s start with both the National and Illinois Prosecutors Associations — juries of her peers, if you will. Within days, both issued a scath- ing rebuke of Foxx. The National District Attorneys Association
16 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2019