Page 6 - December 2021

President’s Report: Second Stories
Retiring could have passed without much more to say and with- out much fanfare, until the Friendsgiving we had on Nov. 21 for Car- los Yanez Jr.’s family at the FOP Hall. I was so busy or just oblivious to the fact that they set up a table at the event, and I didn’t even recognize that it was my picture from the academy on it. Which was kind of hilarious in itself.
When I think about retirement, I think about the friends I made. Several are some of my best friends to this day. I think about Brian Strouse all the time. And I know the different perspectives, from a classmate and a fellow patrolman like Brian when he was killed,
to Ella and the position I’m in now dealing with an officer’s line of duty death on a much different personal level. It’s just kind of a strange perspective, but it’s what I feel has bookended my career as a copper.
Listen, they can harp all they want on the beefs and everything else. All I know is I never sandbagged anybody. I never ducked jobs. I firmly believe I treated everybody fair, every single time. I just nev- er played favorites, even on the street. I certainly don’t do it now. And we’ll just leave it at that.
Taking a walk with Junior
The event we had with Carlos and the Yanez family was pret- ty powerful. Especially when he walked down the stairs into the FOP Hall. I mean first when he came in, I was upstairs in my office. David DiSanti texts me and says, “Hey, come downstairs, Carlos just walked in.” And in the macabre cop humor that we all have, I said, “He just walked in. Isn’t that the wrong word to use?”
And Dave’s says, “No, he really did just walk in. ” With a four- pronged cane, he came walking in.
It was stunning and emotional. He walked all the way through the Hall to the back bar area and came down the stairs.
Looking at Carlos, it was tough to feel even a little bit angry that I kind of got forced in some way, shape or form into retirement. You can’t even be around the guy and feel pity for yourself about anything. He’s young enough to be my son, but I don’t want to look at him that way. I certainly will do whatever I can for that guy for the rest of his life and for his wife, Brenda.
It is miraculous to see him walking around.
Running for Mayor
Once this vaccine mandate works itself out in January, it will be time to pivot part of my attention in that direction. I think people are going to be a little surprised, including the ignorant naysayers. I definitely have to sit down and start having conversations knowing that, come January, I have to formally start forming PACs and start assembling a team.
Running for mayor was not on my radar until a year ago. I wouldn’t even say it was on my to-do list at that point. It didn’t get there until the police board hearing when I committed to walking away.
After the riots, and specifically the one where the Columbus stat- ue was attacked, that kind of got me thinking because I don’t know anybody who is going to put up a fight for our members better than me. And not just Lodge 7 members, but the entire city work- force.
It’s just such an underappreciated workforce. It’s taken for grant- ed and we just hear, “Shut up. You get paid well and just do your
job. And don’t argue with anything we say.” It’s pathetic that the majority of the City Council refuses to stand up and reel in the may- or. So who do we have really fighting for any of us at the end of the day?
Exit Strategy
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called in the officers who disobeyed the order in the beginning for further statements and to start determining discipline. But I don’t know how they can recommend discipline until every- thing is adjudicated. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are trying to put a chill through everybody and say, “This is what’s coming for all of you.”
To their credit, the Department advocate for Internal Affairs,
Lieutenant Joe Byrd, pretty much wrote an opinion that it’s the wrong thing to do. There is no precedent for firing anybody for disobeying an order. It’s never been done. And he strongly dis- agrees with that if that’s the path that the Department is really looking to go down.
If they do that, I know there are many people with the mind- set regarding the City and the mayor that she’s going to cost the City a lot of money if she does this. And I certainly am going to make sure that will be the case if she does.
6 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2021