Chicago Mayor Says 'Sorry' To Social Worker Wrongly Raided By PD

CHICAGO — The attorney for a woman who told Chicago Police officers 43 times that they had the wrong house as they raided her residence while body cameras rolled said Wednesday that he will file a new lawsuit against the City of Chicago and its police department alleging officers violating the rights of the social worker during the botched execution of a search warrant.

Keenan Saulter represents Anjanette Young, who can be seen on video footage released by WBBM-TV pleading with officers as they executed a search warrant looking for a male suspect wanted for the unlawful use of a handgun by a felon and possession of ammunition and a small amount of drugs.

At a Wednesday news conference outside Chicago Police headquarters, Saulter said he will file the new lawsuit no later than Monday, 22 months after the incident took place.

Young’s request to have the body camera footage release was denied by the city 13 months ago after she filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the police department seeking the video footage. Saulter said Wednesday that the request was denied by the department because the matter was an ongoing investigation.

Young said Wednesday that 22 months later, the incident has left her traumatized.

“To have my home invaded the way it was, for over 40 minutes to have to deal with police officers yelling at me, pointing guns at me, telling me to calm down, making me stand in front of them naked, putting handcuffs in front of me while I was naked, no one should have to experience that,” Young said. “And there’s no way for that to get over that."

Requests filed by both Young and CBS-2 were denied by the city before the footage was finally released to young after a federal lawsuit was filed last spring, Saulter said Wednesday. Attorneys representing the city attempted to stop CBS from broadcasting the video on Monday by filing an emergency motion in court.

A federal judge rejected the motion, which aired and which led Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to apologize to young and to admit it was wrong for her lawyers to attempt to have the footage not shown by CBS2.

Lightfoot, who was visibly angry at a news conference Wednesday, said she was "appalled" by the video and said she was not aware of the incident until Tuesday. She voiced her displeasure with both top Chicago Police Department officials as well as Corporation Counsel Mark Flessner over the handling of the incident after she said she was "blindsided" by the episode and the way "the colossal mess" was handled by officials.

“Filing a motion against a media outlet to prevent something from being published is something that should rarely, if ever, happen," the mayor said. "And had I been advised that this was in the works, I would have stopped it in its tracks. This is not how we operate. Period.”

In the footage, Young is seen being handcuffed after police entered her home searching for the suspect. According to CBS, Young – who has worked as a social worker for more than 20 years – had just finished work and was changing her clothes around 7 p.m. when she heard a knock at her door. At that time, 12 officers entered her home after bursting through the door with a battering ram and yelled at Young saying they had a search warrant and telling her to put her hands up.

Young, who was naked at the time, was not allowed to get dressed according to the report and was only covered up when an officer finally wrapped a short coat around her shoulders. Young’s attorney said that some of the nine body cameras being worn by officers were shut off while officers went outside and, according to the CBS report, acknowledged they had made a mistake in which house they entered.

According to the search warrant, police officers were searching for male who is 6-foot-3, weighed 180 pounds and has a medium complexion. The warrant describes the location to be executed as a gray three-story apartment building with a red front door. The suspect was being sought for illegal use of a firearm by a felon.

Now, nearly two years later, Young said Wednesday that the lack of action from city officials – including Lightfoot – indicates to her how she is viewed in a city where she said she prides herself on being a law-abiding citizen.

“It tells me they don’t care about me – a person who lives in the city, I work, I pay my taxes, I vote, and they don’t care about me as a person,” Young said.

“This shouldn’t happen to me, it shouldn’t happen to Breonna Taylor, it shouldn’t happen to anybody and at the hands of the police officers whose job it is to serve and protect. Well, they didn’t do that for me. They didn’t serve me, they didn’t protect me, they didn’t care about me.”

On Wednesday, Lightfoot apologized for the incident and pledged to change the city's policy about releasing body camera footage. The apology, which came in an emotional news conference after a City Council meeting, came just days after the mayor's Law Department attempted to block CBS2 from releasing the video. The city also attempted to have Young punished for violating a confidentiality order and said the woman should not be punished.

“I want to tell Ms. Young ... that I am deeply sorry and troubled that her home was invaded and that she had to face the humiliation and trauma that she suffered," Lightfoot said. "That is just not right. It simply should not have happened. And I will make sure that there is full accountability for what took place.”

On Wednesday, Saulter said that the city only releases body camera footage when it is in their best interest. But in cases like Young’s, Saulter said city officials have neglected calls for transparency, which is something both Saulter and Young said Lightfoot promised when she ran for mayor in replacing Emanuel. Young said she first encountered Lightfoot when she campaigned at the Progressive Baptist Church where she said Lightfoot said she asked residents like Young to believe in her. Now, she is asking the mayor to return to the church and explain herself in why she hasn't taken action in the matter.

“There’s no reason to hold certain videos that hurt you and release certain videos that help you,” Saulter said. “That’s politics – that’s got to stop.”

He said that the fact Young is Black plays a role. Young and Saulter both called for the mayor to take action rather than to allow the incident to not be dealt with. One activist who spoke during Wednesday’s news conference referred to Lightfoot as a police apologist “Rahm Emanuel 2.0” for her decision not to take action.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability issued a statement Wednesday saying that it had launched an investigation into the incident more than a year ago. The statement said that Young has not filed a complaint with COPA regarding the city's handling of the matter. The incident remains an active investigation and officials with the organization said it would release its findings to Chicago Police Officials once its inquiry is complete.

"We understand the public’s desire for answers and more importantly Ms. Young’s desire for resolution and closure," the statement read. "COPA’s Summary Report of Investigation (SRI) will be shared with Ms. Young and in furtherance of our commitment to transparency, the SRI will also be publicly posted on COPA’s website following the Department’s review and, if applicable, the serving of any resulting discipline charges against involved officers."

Lightfoot on Wednesday said Wednesday she "cannot and will not ignore" the fact that incidents like the one involving Young happen to "Black and Brown people disproportionately" and vowed to make more changes in the way policing is done in Chicago. She said that police body cams must be worn and activated at all times and said that two police supervisors need to sign off on warrants before they are presented to a judge.

Lightfoot, the former Police Board president said she remains committed to police reform after watching the video involving Young "in horror."

"My resolve in making sure that our police department is accountable for the way that it treats our residents, particularly residents of color, has not diminished,” Lightfoot said.

Before Lightfoot spoke, Saulter said that the police department needs to release body camera footage within 48 hours when it is requested to avoid a repeat performance of what has happened to Young, calling the incident a "sneak attack" and an "attack on dignity, an attack on decency and on (Young's) humanhood."

“This wouldn’t have happened this way in Lincoln Park if it were a white woman,” Saulter said, adding, “This is a moment of truth…this can’t be the way we do business in the city of Chicago."