PRESS RELEASE: CAIR-Chicago to Address Police Brutality of 17-Year-Old Bridgeview Minor
(CHICAGO, IL, 7/28/2022) – Today, the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, (CAIR-Chicago) called a press conference to discuss the brutal beating of a 17-year-old minor from Bridgeview, Illinois by three police officers.
WHAT: Press Conference Addressing Police Brutality of Bridgeview Minor
WHERE: 95th and McVicker, near the McDonalds in Oak Lawn
WHO: CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab; CAIR-Chicago Staff Attorney Emma Melton; Family Attorney Zaid Abdullah; Victim’s mother; Arab American Action Network Lead Organizer Muhammad Sankari ; Eyewitness Myriah Deal
WHEN: Thursday, July 28th, 2022, at 1 PM CST
On July 27th, 2022, at 6:00 PM, on the corner of 95th Street and McVicker Ave., Oak Lawn police officers allegedly apprehended the minor after a brief chase following a traffic stop. A viral video, taken by eyewitness Myriah Deal, of the incident shows that while the boy was held down, officers grabbed the minor’s hair and punched his head repeatedly. The minor, now in the hospital, is in a neck brace and suffers from a broken nose, bruising to his face, right arm, and back, and internal bleeding near his brain and forehead. After the arrest, police alleged that the minor had a firearm.
CAIR-Chicago demands that the Oak Lawn Police Department release dash cam and body cam footage from all the officers involved in the incident. CAIR-Chicago also calls for a complete internal departmental investigation along with the discipline of said officers.
“Regardless of the alleged infraction that led to the arrest, the video clearly shows a restrained teenager in submission, not resisting, being brutally beaten by three officers without justification,” CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab said. “As a result, he has sustained internal bleeding to the head, a broken nose, and other bodily injuries, all fully avoidable. The issue here is excessive force and police brutality. Something we are seeing again and again and again.”
CAIR-Chicago is the Chicago Chapter of America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Our mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
-END-
CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Saadia Pervaiz, 312-374-2131, spervaiz@cair.com;