Renea Brown and Collier Baggett believe young African Americans are targets of Chicago police officers.
Renea Brown and Collier Baggett
believe young African Americans
are targets of Chicago police officers.
“My grandson was shot by the
biggest gang in Chicago,” said
Baggett, whose 13-year-old grandson,
Jimmell Cannon, was shot multiple
times by police last month.
More than 40 individuals have
been shot by Chicago police this
year, including 16 who died, a number
that already is more than last
year when 13 people were fatally
shot in police shootings.
Cannon, a student at Piccolo
Specialty School, was shot July 25
in West Humboldt Park while celebrating
a relative’s birthday at a
nearby park.
The youngster’s shooting prompted
a press conference the next day
by police Supt. Garry McCarthy
where he cited the number of policeinvolved
shootings and the uptick in
assaults on police.
McCarthy also talked about the
incident where Cannon ended up in
Stroger Hospital with multiple gunshot
wounds, at the hand of police.
Officers involved in the shooting
said they were investigating a report
of shots fired in the area around 11
p.m. that evening. It was reported
that officers attempted to stop the
teenager as he matched a description
of the suspected shooter.
However, Cannon ignored
demands to drop what police
thought was a gun and then pointed
the weapon at officers, officials
said.
It was then that one of the officers
fired at a running Cannon, striking
the boy in the shoulder, hand and
leg. McCarthy later revealed that the
weapon the boy had was a BB gun,
and it was recovered at the scene.
Baggett, who said Cannon was
recently released from the hospital,
had a different account of what
occurred.
She said Cannon does own a BB
gun, but did not have it in his possession
when he was shot. Baggett
said Cannon fled from police
because one of the officers choked a
friend of his after questioning the
pair. Otherwise, “he will always do
what he’s told,” she said.
Baggett also claimed that the officer
in pursuit of Cannon struck him
with a squad car then told the teen to
turn around before shooting him.
“He told the police officers that he
didn’t have anything,” she said. “He
doesn’t understand why he was
shot. Jimmell keeps asking, ‘Why
did he shoot me?’”
McCarthy defended the actions,
saying the officer had no choice but
to use force after Cannon decided
not to obey orders to drop the
weapon.
“We all want the same thing,” the
police chief said at the press conference.
That same night, police were
involved in another shooting where
two officers shot. One officer was
grazed another was left with a bullet
lodged behind his ear.
“We all want safety … and security
in the community,” McCarthy
said.
Brown, the mother of Shandra
Kidd who was sentenced to 55 years
in prison for attempted murder and
unlawful possession of a weapon for
allegedly trying to shoot a cop in
2007, said she can relate to the
plight of many individuals and families
who have been shot or know someone shot by a police officer.
“They (Chicago police) are overdoing
it,” Brown said. “They are
supposed to serve and protect.”
In almost similar circumstances
as Cannon, Kidd was shot during a
foot chase.
At the time, police said they were
investigating a report of shots fired
in the 7800 block of East Burnham
when they halted a car Kidd was riding
in to question her.
It was then reported that she ran,
and when an officer caught up with
her, she put a gun in the officer’s
chest and fired. On two occasions
Kidd allegedly fired the gun without
it discharging rounds. Following a
struggle, the officer shot Kidd as she
attempted to run.
“She was never in a car,” Brown
said in dispute of police reports. “It
didn’t happen the way the police
said. She never had a gun. It was a
cover up. My daughter ran was
because she didn’t want to get in
trouble for being brought home by
the police. I’m not going to give up
trying to get justice for her.”
Even though both women say
they have great respect for the
police, it won’t completely change
their perceptions that some officers
prey on young Blacks – a perspective
based on their own experiences
dealing with law enforcement.
“All this needs to stop,” Baggett
said. “When the police shoots someone,
nothing is done about it. These
people are targets for the police.”
The Independent Police Review
Authority has responsible for conducting
investigations into allegations
of the use of excessive force
and police shootings by analyzing
data to find systemic patterns to
those incidents.
According to the organization’s
data, 31 African American males
(including police officers themselves)
had been shot in police
involved shootings through the first
six months of the year compared to
a combined four such shootings
involving whites or Hispanics.
“Shootings are always a concern,”
said IPRA Freedom of Information
Officer Eric Mullenbach. “That’s
why we try to find patterns. One
shooting is too much.”
Mullenbach said the organization
solicits recommendations from the
Chicago Police Department and residents
in an effort to reduce the
number of conflicts.
“The police department has made
some adjustments in some areas,”
Mullenbach said.
CeaseFire Director Tio Hardiman,
whose organization claims to assist
in mediating conflicts to prevent
surges in shooting incidents and
ease tensions between police and
families of individuals who are shot
by cops, said he doesn’t have a
definitive answer for the dramatic
spike in police-involved shootings.
Hardiman, however, just wants
gun violence, in general, to stop
altogether.
“Police have to do a job,” said
Hardiman, who plans on collaborating
with various legal defense
organizations to help educate young
men and women on how to deal
with the police. “There are two sides
to every story.”
“You can point the finger both
ways (at police and residents),” he
continued. “Everyone needs to put
their guns down and stop shooting.
No one should be shooting at the
police. We don’t want to see anyone
get shot, police or anybody else.”
Copyright 2011 Chicago Defender
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