Over 100 Chicago Civilians Arrested For Looting After Police-Involved Shooting, Mayor Lori Lightfoot Responds: You Have No Right To Take & Destroy The Property Of Others!

Over 100 Chicago Civilians Arrested For Looting After Police-Involved Shooting, Mayor Lori Lightfoot Responds: You Have No Right To Take & Destroy The Property Of Others!

The city of Chicago endured a hectic night last night (8/09/20) after what residents considered to be an act of police brutality took place. A 20-year-old male was tracked down in Chicago’s Englewood area after police responded to a call about a person with a gun. When police attempted to confront the man, the suspect fled the scene – turning around and firing shots at the police. Police fired back at the man, resulting in minor gunshot wounds according to Chicago’s CBS affiliate.

The scene near 57th and Aberdeen following a police involved shooting in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/x40t5V1xF0

— armando l sanchez (@mandophotos) August 9, 2020

Shortly thereafter, tensions rose in the neighborhood where the shooting took place – with hundreds of angry residents flooding the area. A swarm of police gathered in an attempt to defuse the stand-off. The residents accused the police department of unleashing reckless violence on a minor – which Police Deputy Chief Yolanda Talley blames on misinformation. In a press conference, she said:

“Just to clear up confusion – late teens, early, 20s. Just misinformation all around. No one was concerned about the condition of the young man….We did have an officer who was Maced by someone in the crowd. We do have an officer who sustained a shoulder injury. One of our vehicles, the windows were shattered by a brick. Very hostile…This right here is a direct response to one agitator being on the scene, getting people worked up without having the full story.”

Looting continues in downtown Chicago as of 5:45am. These people are coming out of the Block 37 mall on Randolph west of State Street. Looting has been going on all over downtown and the Magnificent Mile since around midnight. Police are all over the place. @WBBMNewsradio pic.twitter.com/qrBwm8KCZX

— Bernie Tafoya (@BernieTafoya) August 10, 2020

However, local community activists refute the chief’s claims of hostility from the crowd. Joseph Williams said the police met the residents with abrasiveness:

“I watched a police officer grab a young man and pull him in with his shirt and beat him up and kick him in the face. They left his blood on the ground. I watched the police whip another young man, throw him in the back of the car and drive off with him…It’s disturbing to me because when will police ever practice community engagement? When will they practice anything that deals with mediating conflict?”

Hundreds of people smashed windows, stole from stores and clashed with police overnight in Chicago's Magnificent Mile shopping district and other parts of the city's downtown. https://t.co/HrDCLtBUXd pic.twitter.com/sanXXVYGx2

— ABC News (@ABC) August 10, 2020

Unrest among Chicagoans resulted in a looting spree on the Magnificent Mile, centering in Streeterville and North Michigan Avenue in the wee hours of the morning Monday (8/10/20). More than 100 people were arrested for smashing windows, stealing merchandise, and angrily confronting police. The Chicago Tribune reported that nearly 13 officers were injured during the downtown swarm by gunfire. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke on the looting:

“What occurred in our downtown and surrounding communities was abject criminal behavior, pure and simple. And there cannot be any excuse for it. Period.”

Stores looted, damaged in Chicago's Goose Island neighborhood: https://t.co/XJbOYwSqlA pic.twitter.com/3v61QjL9h5

— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) August 10, 2020

She continued:

“I don’t care, I do not care, whatever justification was given for this. There is no justification for criminal behavior, ever. You have no right to take and destroy the property of others. Our residents deserve to be safe. Our businesses deserve to understand and enjoy safety and security of their property and their employees. Our police officers deserve to be able to do their job without having to worry about shots being fired, projectiles being thrown, and being maced. This is not anywhere near acceptable.”

The Midwestern city will have an enforced curfew Monday night (8/10/20)to prevent a second night of unrest.

What do you think about the recent looting in downtown Chicago? Comment and let us know!