CAIR-Chicago Demands Police Accountability

CAIR-Chicago placed its support in over 3,000 protestors in a march for Chicago police accountability on Saturday. Numerous members of the Chicago Muslim community walked in solidarity with organizations including the Black Lives Matter Movement, We Charge Genocide, Fearless Leading by the Youth, the Black Youth Project 100, and the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. The protest, organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, called for the creation of a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). CPAC would be responsible for holding members of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) accountable for their actions.

The CPD has been responsible for over 400 deaths in the past eight years, and only one of those shootings was deemed unjustified. Community members distrust police forces and seek to create a civilian council that will receive complaints about police practices from the community and formally review those complaints. CPAC would require the CPD to be transparent and responsible for their actions.

CAIR-Chicago recognizes that police brutality affects members of all minority groups, including the Muslim community. It is necessary for individuals of all religions and races to work towards fair and equal treatment of minorities by police forces. This march is one of many steps toward ending police violence, and CAIR-Chicago promises to continue to fight for equality and tolerance under the law.