Probe Clears Mayor Lightfoot Of Covering Up Wrongful Raid

Chicago IL

16 December, 2021

3:32 PM

Description

CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot didn't cover up information about the wrongful police raid of Anjanette Young's apartment, according to the results of an independent probe led by the Jones Day law firm released Thursday. "Our review found no evidence that the Mayor or any current or former City employee took action with malicious intent to add to Ms. Young's mistreatment or otherwise harm her," according to the report. Chicago officials across multiple departments, however, did make plenty of other missteps handling the aftermath of a 2019 police raid of the wrong residence that resulted in Young, a Black social worker, handcuffed naked in her own home, according to the report. The Jones Day report, led by retired federal judge Ann Claire Williams, found failures of "oversight and accountability" among departments that didn't communicate well with each other, including some city employees who did not "adequately consider Ms. Young's dignity" or "live up to the public service mission." The report recommended dozens of policy changes including the police department's response to public information requests, communication between mayor's office, police department and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, and calls for efforts to emphasize the "the dual responsibilities of Department of Law attorneys when considering the duty to the clients they serve and protection of the public trust." On Wednesday, the City Council voted to approve a $2.9 million payout to settle Young's lawsuit against the city. Lightfoot said she hopes the Jones Day report will bring a "new level of clarity, and hopefully closure, to the events that occurred leading up to and following February 2019." "While my words cannot change what happened to Ms. Young, it is my sincere hope the settlement award and the release of the Jones Day report brings some measure of peace to her, her family, her community, and our city," Lightfoot said in a statement.