*Chicago’s top attorney has resigned amid the controversy over a botched police raid of the home of a Black woman, who was naked and not permitted to put on clothes.
Corporation Counsel Mark Flessner got involved last week with the case related to the police bodycam footage of the February 2019 incident. We previously reported… Anjanette Young was naked and handcuffed when Chicago Police officers burst into her home during a wrong raid incident that city officials tried to cover up.
CBS 2 first interviewed the social worker last November. Young filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the video last year, but was denied by the police department. CBS 2 was also denied a similar FOIA request, the outlet reports. A federal court ultimately forced CPD to turn over the video as part of Young’s lawsuit against the CPD. CBS 2 alo obtained the video and aired it while a judge denied the city’s motion to block the broadcast.
According to reports, as of Monday, all of the officers involved in the raid have been placed on desk duty while the Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigates.
Flessner announced his resignation in an email to employees, The Hill reports. He did not say whether he was asked to resign.
Chicago’s top attorney Mark Flessner has resigned following a wrongful police raid of a Black woman who was handcuffed naked.
Bodycam footage from the arrest in Feb. 2019 showed Anjanette Young crying and pleading at least 43 times that the police had the wrong address. pic.twitter.com/ZVCsctUwgA
— AJ+ (@ajplus) December 21, 2020
“It is clear that the raid of Anjanette Young’s home was a tragedy that we must learn from,” Flessner said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. “Standing up for racial injustice and fighting for equality within our justice system are crucial matters that we must continue to work toward addressing as a community.”
Flessner told the Chicago Tribune, “I’m resigning because of the firestorm around the whole tape thing,” he in an interview. “I’m being accused of trying to hide it, which is not true.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D), who initially lied about not having knowledge of the Young raid, apologized to the woman during a press conference.
“I am committed to a full review of everything that occurred surrounding this incident, will take corrective action where appropriate, and will hold people accountable,” Lightfoot said in a statement obtained by The Hill.
Police reportedly acted on information from an informant who said a felon with a gun lived in Young’s home. As it turned out, the suspect lived next door.
“This city has a history of attempting to cover up unfavorable video. That’s all we’re dealing with here,” said Keenan Saulter, an attorney representing Young.
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