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A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 19 OctOber 2019
Chicago's mayor says top cop drinking before incident in car

By DON BABWIN er side of a kidney (trans-
Associated Press plant) operation, which is
CHICAGO (AP) — Chica- obviously very, very serious.
go's mayor said Friday that There have been some is-
the city's top police officer sues with high blood pres-
told her he'd had "a couple sure, and so forth."
of drinks with dinner" be- She also said that she
fore he fell asleep at a stop knows from dealing with
sign while driving home, her parents that she knows
an incident that the chief that certain medications
contends was related to a have side effects. "So I take
change in his blood pres- him at his word."
sure medication. She also did not condemn
Mayor Lori Lightfoot told Johnson for having some
the Chicago Sun-Times that drinks with dinner. "He's a
she agreed with Superin- grown man," she said. "He
tendent Eddie Johnson's had a couple of drinks with
decision to request an in- dinner." Johnson has been
ternal affairs investigation trying to restore public con-
of the Thursday incident fidence in the department
to assure the public he's shattered by the 2015 re-
not trying to hide anything lease of the now infamous
about his actions. Officers dashcam video of the fa-
responded to a 911 call In this March 26, 2019, file photo, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson speaks during a tal 2014 police shooting of
from a passerby reporting news conference in Chicago. black teenager Laquan
that someone was asleep Associated Press McDonald, both of which
in a vehicle at a stop sign. 12:30 that morning, af- sode was the result of not son, who was diagnosed happened before he be-
"It was the right thing to ter having let his driver go following doctor's orders. decades ago with a kidney came superintendent. He
call for an investigation...," home to his family, when he "When he adjusted my condition, which two years said he wanted to take
Lightfoot told the paper. felt lightheaded. He said he medication, I took the old ago led to a transplant — steps that would assure the
"We'll see how that plays pulled over and fell asleep. medication for high blood with his son as the donor. public that his account was
itself out." After the news- The responding officers pressure, but I failed to put Earlier this year he was hos- accurate.
paper's report, department found Johnson slumped the new medication in," he pitalized for a blood clot. The investigation into John-
spokesman Anthony Gug- over but allowed him to said. In her comments, Light- son will be handled by the
lielmi said in a statement drive home and did not During a news conference foot said that Johnson told public integrity unit within
that, "While we have no administer a breathalyzer with then-Mayor Rahm her about how he had just the department's inter-
indication of impropriety at test or a field sobriety test. Emanuel in early 2017, changed medication, and nal affairs division, police
this time, this question can Johnson said officers do Johnson had to be helped said she has "no reason to spokesman Anthony Gug-
only be answered by the in- such tests only when a mo- to a seat after he wobbled doubt" his account of what lielmi said Friday. That unit
ternal affairs investigation." torist appears impaired or and appeared to be about happened. is comprised of officers who
On Thursday evening John- officers smell alcohol or ready to fall to the ground. "We know he's had some are detailed to the FBI and
son told reporters that he cannabis. The Thursday episode is just medical issues," she told the work out of the FBI's Chica-
was driving home at about He said the medical epi- the latest scare for John- Sun-Times. "he's on the oth- go office.q

Wisconsin students walk out to protest racial slur firing

By TODD RICHMOND A WISC-TV livestream of around the building, chant- about a disruptive student “many times,” and that it
Associated Press the walkout showed what ing “Hey-hey, hey-ho, zero at West. He said the stu- has resulted in “restorative
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Stu- appeared to be scores of tolerance has got to go!” dent, who is black, called conversations” in which he
dents at a Wisconsin high students marching through and “Do Better!” him obscenities, including explains the history, context
school skipped class Friday the N-word. Anderson said and meaning of the word.
and marched through the he told the student multiple Last school year, at least
streets of the state capital times not to call him that, seven Madison School
to protest the firing of a repeating the slur during District staff members re-
black security guard who the confrontation. signed or were fired after
was terminated for repeat- Madison schools have a using a racial slur in front of
ing a racial slur while telling zero-tolerance policy on students.
a student not to call him employees saying racial West Principal Karen Boran
that word. slurs. Anderson was fired said the zero-tolerance ap-
Scores of Madison West Wednesday. proach has been applied
High School students Anderson said he was just consistently.
walked out of class around trying to defend himself The district school board
10 a.m. to protest the fir- and that context mat- president, Gloria Reyes,
ing. Madison Police De- ters. The Madison teachers said in a statement Friday
partment officials didn’t union has filed a grievance that she wants the board
respond to The Associated Marlon Anderson poses for a photo Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019 in with the district on his be- to review its policy on racial
Press’ request for a crowd Madison, Wis. Associated Press half. slurs as soon as possible.
count but told the Wiscon- During his time at East and She said she also has di-
sin State Journal newspa- the streets. They walked to Security guard Marlon An- West high schools, Ander- rected district staff to han-
per that about 1,500 peo- the Madison school district derson, 48, said he was re- son said students have dle Anderson’s grievance
ple participated. offices and marched laps sponding to a call Oct. 9 used that slur against him quickly.q