Chicago mayoral candidates weigh in on Tyre Nichols video, police reform
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and those running for her office are focusing on the video of Tyre Nichols as Memphis police officers pull him out of his car during a traffic stop, shoot him with a stun gun and repeatedly beat him. On Saturday those running for mayor highlighted how Chicago can move forward when it comes to police accountability.
"Five people who swore an oath to serve and protect treating another human being like that is absolutely reprehensible," Lightfoot said at a Lunar New Year parade on the city's North Side. "The fact that they chased him down, a few blocks from his parents home, crying for help, you saw at the start of the video he's saying, "I didn't do anything. Okay, okay okay." Again he ends up dead."
As Chicago voters get ready to elect a new mayor next month, Lightfoot's opponents faced off on the West Side, all mentioning the video of Nichols' death along with the often troubled history and future of the Chicago Police Department.
"They want to continue to pour money into the police department and increasing policing in our neighborhoods. That means that you are not listening and seeing what's happening on these cameras each and every day in communities throughout this country," said mayoral candidate Ja'Mal Green.
"We need to insure that there is accountability; you don't have accountability when you are not enforcing the consent decree requirement that there be one sergeant for every 10 officers. There's literally one sergeant now for every 30 officers, so you need an infrastructure of accountability," said candidate Paul Vallas.
"Changing policing in Chicago by itself is not the answer," said Kam Buckner. "We have to change Chicago. We have to change the way law enforcement operates within our communities and we have to be a part of the solution."
Lightfoot says that on a federal, state and local level, they are still ready for any possible protests in Chicago and that Chicago Police are working with a number of different agencies to ensure public safety remains a priority.