2 victims of wrong raids by Chicago Police call for progress with reforms under consent decree
CHICAGO (CBS) -- At a federal hearing Tuesday, two people whose names are synonymous with wrong raids by Chicago Police pushed for progress with the department's consent decree.
The wrong police raids on Anjanette Young and the family of Peter Mendez, first exposed by the CBS 2 Investigators, led to sweeping search warrant reforms.
In court Tuesday, Mendez, now 16, recalled the terrifying moments when Chicago Police officers burst through his family's door in 2017, handcuffed his father, and pointed guns at him and his little brother.
Mendez himself was only 9 at the time, and he told a judge on Tuesday that he was scared he would be shot.
He said he wants to see police be held accountable for pointing guns at children.
"I don't feel like no children should have to go through the same thing I've experienced - especially with guns being pointed at children," said Mendez.
Young, a social worker who was naked in her apartment when it was wrongly raided in 2019, also told the judge she is still living with the trauma.
The consent decree, a series of mandated CPD reforms that a federal court is overseeing to make sure they are implemented, was first put into place in 2019.
The federal investigation was launched into Chicago policing after the killing of Laquan McDonald. A key finding was abusive policing occurring in communities of color and a lack of accountability.
After CBS 2's reporting, police are also now held accountable to search warrant reforms under the consent decree.
But Young said she wants to see swifter progress in compliance overall.
"It's important that the federal judge hear from individuals like myself; individuals like Peter, who want to say that enough is enough," said Young. "We need them to stop harming individuals in our Black and brown communities."
Hearings like the one held Tuesday are meant to get a pulse on community concerns with police.
In response to CBS 2's years-long investigation on wrong rads, police are also now required to plan ahead to minimize trauma when children are present at raids.