On April 2, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot held a Community Safety Town Hall Meeting at the Harold Washington Library in Downtown Chicago. Along with the mayor, the town hall was attended by Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, CEO of Chicago Public Schools Pedro Martinez, Chicago’s Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady and other public officials.
The meeting was promoted to teens and young adults ages 14 to 24 participating in roundtable discussions to reduce violence among youth in the city. But the event had a massive police presence, speeches from police officers and a recruitment table to sign up for CPD. While Lightfoot was on stage addressing the crowd of about 200 people, a group of protesters from Party for Socialism and Liberation – Chicago unfurled a banner with the image of Anthony Alvarez and his 2-year-old daughter. The banner read “Justice for Anthony Alvarez.”
Alvarez was killed by Chicago Police Officer Evan Solano on March 31, 2021. No charges have been filed and Solano remains employed by CPD. Protester Candice Choo-Kang interrupted Lightfoot: “Justice for Anthony Alvarez! [Cook County State Attorney] Kim Foxx stated that Evan Solano created the conditions for Anthony’s murder by violating CPD policy. That means he is responsible. Evan Solano is a murderer, and he belongs in jail. He must be fired and arrested immediately!”
The group of protesters were escorted out chanting, “Justice for Anthony Alvarez!” This led to other disruptions in the crowd, and Lightfoot responding that she wanted people to be respectful.
Although Foxx advised not to file charges against Solano, in her memorandum, she stated, “It is important to highlight the system failures that led to this deadly encounter through the creation of the very conditions, by the officers themselves, under which the use of deadly force became necessary. First, it was unnecessary for the officers to stop and engage with Alvarez, who was walking through a gas station parking lot holding food and drink, and not committing any crimes that were readily apparent to the officers at that time. The evidence has uncovered that, as this encounter occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, Alvarez would not have been arrested for the traffic offenses committed the night before. In addition, the officers were aware of Alvarez’s home address and could have sought to contact him there to further pursue any necessary investigation into the non-custodial traffic offenses committed the night before. Second, Officer Solano may have committed several Foot Pursuit Policy violations during his foot chase of Alvarez such as rounding corners blind without first slowing to assess any danger and not creating distance or waiting for his partner upon observing Alvarez with a firearm.”
Following the mayor’s event at the library, dozens of protesters gathered in nearby Federal Plaza for a speak out organized by PSL Chicago, the Chicago Activist Coalition for Justice and the Little Village Community Council. The protesters stood in solidarity with the families of victims of police violence, including Alvarez’s family, Adam Toledo’s family, Michael Westley’s family and Freddie L Wilson’s family.
Adam Toledo’s aunt spoke to the crowd saying, “We want justice. That is all we want. Justice for Adam, for Anthony, for Michael, for everybody! We will not stop. We are Adam, we are Anthony, we are Michael, we are everybody that needs justice. Amen.”
Alvarez’s cousin Roxana Figueroa spoke, addressing the impact police violence has on the victims’ families. She said to the crowd, “Evan Solano took away a little girl’s dad. He did not give [Anthony] the opportunity to be a good father.” She expressed frustration and disappointment about Foxx’s decision to not press charges against Solano but stressed the importance of staying united and fighting together for justice. “We need to keep fighting for our children to have a better future. Lori Lightfoot said it is her priority to keep our community safe but how are communities going to be safe when police officers like Evan Solano and Eric Stillman [who killed Adam Toledo] are still on the streets?”
Chantel Brooks, the mother of Michael Wesley who was killed by CPD in 2013, also spoke of the importance of uniting and fighting back. “They are wiping out generations of our children and loved ones,” she said. “If we want to receive justice, we got to stand together because we can’t do it alone.”
The Alvarez family is demanding justice for Anthony Alvarez and working to get killer cop Solano fired from the Chicago Police Department. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability wrapped up their investigation on Jan. 27, advising that Solano be stripped of his police powers. But Superintendent Brown has yet to make a decision if he will fire Solano. A decision was due to come on March 31, but he has blocked the release of the COPA findings for another 30 days. A decision on Solano’s firing from CPD can come any time between now and April 21.
Feature photo: Protesters gather in Downtown Chicago in solidarity with the families of victims of police violence. Liberation photo
