We must not allow a repeat of George Floyd protests in Chicago

Paul Vallas, Tribune News Service

Events in Los Angeles have justifiably raised concerns about demonstrations spreading across the country, and Chicago must be prepared for the possibility of violent protests opposed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. To avoid repeating the mistakes of 2020, the city, county and state governments must take proactive steps to ensure the safety of residents and law enforcement. The city cannot afford a repeat of the George Floyd civil unrest of 2020. The lack of preparedness was well documented in the Chicago Office of Inspector General’s February 2021 report. The OIG found that despite advance warning of large-scale protests following the Minneapolis police murder of Floyd, the Chicago Police Department was underequipped and unprepared to respond to the scale of the protests and unrest.

Much of downtown, as well as many commercial strips and other areas of Chicago, haven’t fully recovered from the participants who turned destructive in late May through early June 2020, or the second wave of unrest in August, which erupted after police shot a man in Englewood. The first wave of unrest cost downtown businesses over $66 million, with 2,100 buildings damaged and looted and 71 set on fire. Downtown cannot survive another such episode.

There is additional cause for concern in Chicago due to the incendiary language used by some state and local political leaders. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s racially divisive rhetoric has become a political calling card. Johnson’s condemnation of recent ICE operations and his calls for protest amount to a political call to arms.

Not to be outdone, Gov. JB Pritzker in February compared President Donald Trump’s administration and its supporters to the Nazi regime and in an April speech in New Hampshire called for “mass protests,” saying “it’s time to fight everywhere, and all at once.” Such language appeals to the worst instincts of the radicals among the Democrats.

City, county and state governments should take the following steps to ensure the safety of residents and law enforcement.

Elected leaders must end the use of incendiary language, which can be used to justify violence and encourages civil disobedience. This applies not only to Johnson and Pritzker, but also to other Democratic Party leaders and the socialist-identifying members of the City Council.

The Chicago Police Department, Cook County state’s attorney’s office and Cook County courts must send a firm message that there will be zero tolerance for criminal behavior during any protests.

They must make it clear that damage to public or private property, disruptions to commerce, injury to residents or threats to law enforcement will be met with the full force of the law.

Chicago and the state must fully coordinate with federal agents and the US attorney general’s office in the prosecution of protesters who break the law. The constitutional right to protest is not incompatible with the constitutional right to the protection of life and property.

Chicago and the state must be prepared to crack down on outside agitators who come to the city to incite violence, including applying federal charges and seeking damages from individuals and organizations responsible for violence.

Most importantly, Johnson must support police Superintendent Larry Snelling’s request for the authority to call a snap curfew in emergencies and direct city agencies to confiscate vehicles and other personal property from those who engage in disruptive behavior.

In the longer term, the City Council would do well to reconsider enacting a city nuisance ordinance that would punish anyone rioting, looting, obstructing the public way, disrupting traffic, physically assaulting a police officer or even publicly calling for such behavior. Police would have the power to ticket, impound vehicles, confiscate personal property, revoke licenses and levy heavy fines. The city could also sue in cases of serious property or economic damage.

It is true that there are always groups willing to take advantage of legitimate protests to incite violence and individuals ready to use the opportunity to loot and steal. This was clearly evident during the Floyd protests. The state and city should approach preparations for the worst with the same urgency they gave to protecting the Democratic National Convention — deploying extra officers, enforcing the law more strictly, issuing tickets and fines, and confiscating vehicles.

This is about ensuring that the city and state are always prepared for the worst, so that no individual or group can exploit citizens’ constitutional right to dissent. The state and city are well equipped to protect these rights and to keep any situation from escalating to the point in which even the governor would consider deploying the National Guard — something I, as a 13-year member, would strongly advise against.

City and state leaders need to prepare now to address any crisis without resorting to the National Guard and to send a clear message that violating people’s rights will have consequences. The ICE crackdown on people living in the country illegally will be just one of many issues that may lead to protests in the coming years. City and state leaders must be prepared.